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I was having dinner with my sweet girlfriends, Mary Ann and Jennifer (Jones), not too long ago. Jennifer has new babies and we were asking about them and she was glowingly talking about them. She said she felt like she was bragging and mentioned that neither Mary Ann nor I seem to go on and on about our boys (bragging). Of course, Ford is a major topic in any conversation I have with anyone because spending time with and caring for him is predominantly what I do.

I'm around so many mommies with a child Ford's age, that I try not to talk about all of the things he can do either a) because her child can probably do the exact same things, OR b) because I wouldn't want to make her feel badly if Ford could do something and her child couldn't.

Those are a couple of reasons. Probably a bigger reason is because Ford and I got off to a rocky start. It's no secret that Ford cried ALL THE TIME when he was an infant...colic and reflux. He started taking medication for reflux eventually and outgrew colic and STILL he cried all the time. He was moody and fussy until between two and two and a half. So, what in the world did I have to brag about? I just didn't get the camera out when he was screaming and if I did, I didn't post those pictures on my blog.

Why am I writing all of this? Because I'm Ford's mommy and I should brag on my sweet son sometimes. So, here it goes. I'm bragging about Ford!

1. Ford is empathetic. I heard another mom say about a child who showed empathy, "oh, good, that means he's not a sociopath." I'm guessing empathy is, hopefully, part of child development. But, Ford is very sensitive to the feelings of others. If he sees a child crying, he'll stop in his tracks. He will even go up to someone who is sad and pat or hug him/her. He can't stand it for someone to be sad and it warms my heart that he's that way.
2. Ford is a perfect mix of careful and daring. He is not scared to try most things i.e. trying something new on the playground. But, he's also careful when doing so. He also is keenly aware of danger and whether or not something is safe. If he sees someone riding a bike without a helmet he will say, "He's not being safe. He needs to have a helmet on." As a mother, I prefer things this way. He's not going to be a daredevil and that suits me just fine as long as he tries new things.
3. Ford is healthy. We are blessed beyond measure with a healthy son and are so thankful. Other than reflux, a few colds and ear infections, he's been healthy thus far with very few trips to the pediatrician since the 18 month mark.
4. Ford has never been a consistent napper (I'm not bragging about this). Before 14 months old, putting Ford to bed was a two or three hour stressful ordeal. But, I read the book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth when Ford was 14 months old and implemented his sleep training methods, and Ford has become a wonderful night sleeper. He usually goes to bed without major complaints and stays in his bed. He sleeps through the night until morning 99% of the time. It is a huge blessing.
5. Ford went almost three years of his life without having separation anxiety. I could take him anywhere...church, the YMCA...and he never cried when I left him. One month before he turned three, he started getting apprehensive when I would leave him somewhere. I know that at about age three kids develop a heightened sense of awareness, so this is normal for some children. I'm just thankful that for three years, I didn't have to worry about leaving him!
6. Eating has not ever really been an issue. I've heard horror stories about breast feeding and bottle feeding. I have a friend whose first daughter took an hour to eat for one feeding. I have another friend whose eldest child refused to take a bottle at all. Ford didn't have a preference, he just liked to eat. He had reflux with major spitting up. But thankfully, he got the nutrients from the food before spitting up and he grew. Failure to thrive is a big issue with lots of reflux children, so we were blessed that THAT wasn't an issue. Now, as a toddler, some days he eats well and some days he doesn't. But, he does eat. I just try not to make a big deal out of eating and offer him healthful choices.
7. Ford can drink out of a juice box and not spill it. I know this isn't a big deal, but I think it's pretty cool that he doesn't spill it everywhere. When he was was smaller, he spilled a juice box maybe one time and learned not to squeeze the box.
8. Ford is independent. Now, this has been a source of major conflict for us because Ford has been insistant on doing things by himself before he was big enough to do it (i.e. feeding himself, getting dressed, etc). However, now that he is older, it makes things easier. He'd prefer to do most things on his own and that keeps ME from having to do it for him.
9. He can speak well for his age. Until he was 18 months old, he had a five to ten word vocabulary. I believe that part of his frustration as a baby was because he couldn't communicate what was on his mind. Even though sometimes I wish he's stop talking, it is wonderful that he can express himself so well.
10. He potty trained himself. Granted, he was three years and one month when we started. I tried it when he was two-and-a-half, but he had no interest in it and didn't really understand how it all worked. It's amazing how far he came in just six months. We've gone over three months now with diapers only at night time and he's had less than ten accidents total. I guess that's one easy thing about a strong-willed child. He's willed himself not to wear diapers anymore!

Ten things to brag about is enough for now. Being Ford's mommy has challenged me in ways that I didn't even know I could be challenged. But, it gets easier everyday and I love him more than words could ever say.