The Young and the Restless

The Child Formerly Known as GiGi



It seems like there have been a lot of Kylie posts lately, so in an effort to prove that we really don't play favorites, here's some of the reasons why my little Jayden manages to put a smile on my face every day:

He has had a love affair with his little bear, "Hugsy" since he was like 5 months old. He used to carry it every where, but now he is content to just sleep with it. Although it is not enough to just snuggle with it at night, his bear is treated like royalty and has to have his own little bed. He helped me make a pillow for it and he loans hugsy his "snuggles" blanket. We have to tuck Hugsy in each night as part of the nightly routine and if he wakes up screaming in the middle of the night I've learned not to panic because chances are Hugsy has just managed to roll off the bed. He also makes his bed every morning (love that) and lovingly makes Hugsy bed too.

This kid is feisty and has a temper like no other. When he doesn't get his way, he scrunches his face all up, the tension builds and right when I think he's going to burst he lets loose with the only profanity he knows--"Oh goodness!" When he's really mad, an "Oh goodness gracious!" sometimes escapes his lips too. I better get that bar of soap handy. He's also been known to say "what am I gonna do with you?" when he's mad at me.

I still get a kick out of Jayden's reaction to my hair (by the way, the only thing I don't like about the hair is when I have to bust out my driver's license. I always get weird looks and comments about how fast my hair grows. In an effort to prove that it's not a stolen ID I tell them that it's extensions. This isn't always the best idea as it usually leads to a long discussion about how they work, how much the cost, where I got them from...and usually ends with the bank teller feeling my head.). Every morning I ask Jayden how my hair looks just to hear his reaction. He sits there in deep thought for a minute and then responds with something different every time. My favorites are, "you look like princess beauty" and "your head looks small".

After hearing enough parking lot safety lectures, the kids decided that the best way to avoid getting hit was to walk across the street on their tippy toes so that they are tall enough for the cars to see them. I crack up everytime I say Jayden prancing daintily across the street on his tippy toes with this stone cold serious look on his face.

When I ask Jayden a question and the answer is no, instead of just saying "no" he gets a very serious look on his face, furrows up his brows, shakes his head and replies, "hmmmm, I don't shink so". When he is confused he also busts out "what the heck", but it sounds more like, "wot the hake".

Wednesdays are the only day we don't have anything scheduled so Jayden and I have kind of made it our traditional game day. He could spend hours playing one board game after another. Candyland is his favorite and whenever I'm losing he says, "don't worry mom, it not matter who wins", of course if he's losing then it's another story....

The ultimate compliment in Jayden's eyes is if I tell him that he looks like a "worker". He has his favorite t-shirt and jeans that he thinks look like "worker" clothes and would wear it every day if I let him. His list of favorites also includes his favorite spot on the couch. I don't think I've ever seen him sit anywhere else, even if I bribe him to snuggle with me in another spot.

And last but not least, how can you not smile when you see a smile like that??