At this Rate, I'll be Grey Before I'm 40

I knew my kids would be different - I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. But I guess I hadn't anticipated just how different they would be. Adara followed the general developmental guidelines pretty closely, with the exceptions of being a fairly early walker and her obsession with the alphabet and words. She was relatively careless and had a fair amount of bruises, but wasn't reckless. She would try to run away in stores but would never run far.

Connor, now, is a completely different breed. He is just over 15 months, and is pulling shenanigans I would expect from two-year-olds. He climbs like a monkey onto stools and chairs and from there onto tables and toilets. If he gets stuck and can't get down, he won't ask for help, he just walks off the edge and falls. His ultimate climbing achievement so far has been to escape from me at the grocery store and find a ladder - he got more than halfway up before I could catch him! Not only that, but he's really mechanically inclined and has an eye for detail. He can imitate exactly after watching you do something once, which means he can do things like switch our electric fireplace on and phone people on the telephone. I'm avoiding thinking about what this means for future escapades.

Furthermore, he's a very independent sort. Most kids will follow right after you if you tell them "bye bye" and walk away. Connor beams, waves goodbye, and heads off on his own. At 15 months. I'm not kidding. And starting yesterday, he started saying his fourth real word....folks, his FOURTH WORD is "NO". And he means it, too. *sigh*

Don't get me wrong, he's got lots of good qualities too. I love him dearly and wouldn't trade him for any other child in the world. But don't be surprised if I'm a nervous wreck by 40. Or even 36, which is only three weeks away.