My Real Life

Back in October, I made this post, about my girl.

While I still stand by my feelings in that post, I need to chat a little today about Monkey in the Middle.

The biggest Mama’s boy known to man.

Let me just say that I have done nothing to turn this kid into a Mama’s boy. 

I’m not overprotective by any stretch of the imagination.  I encourage my monkeys to take risks and to be independent.

However, this guy…

…has this intense, inate desire to be near me every second of the day.

It’s funny.

As symbiotic and in-tune as Monkey Girl and I are, we are also able to be independent of each other.

Baby Monkey, although he is my little, precious linebacker baby, and I’d love to hold him every second of the day, is the most indpendent of the kids.  He loves me, no doubt, but he’s perfectly happy off on his own, and can be alone for hours before even thinking,”Huh…I wonder if Mom and Dad are still around.”

Unless he’s at a birthday party. 

But that’s another post for another day.

It’s a different story with Monkey in the Middle.

It doesn’t matter how much fun he is having, Monkey in the Middle comes to find me, approximately every thirty minutes.

Once he finds me, he walks over, gives me a big hug, snuggles in, sniffs my arm (not sure what that’s about, but he’s always sniffed my arm), and goes back to his business.

Just making sure I’m there.

Just getting his hug.

Just letting me know he was thinking about me.

When I put him to bed at night, we snuggle up for a few minutes, chatting about our day, and before I leave, he’ll always whisper “Mommy…you’re my best friend.”

He makes my heart ache.

Today, he went to a rock climbing birthday party.

I went with him.

He was terrified, but decided to give it a try anyway. 

I stood with the parents and watched as he made his way closer to the rock wall. 

Every few steps, he’d look over and I’d give him a smile and a thumbs up.

Then, it was his turn.

He didn’t make it more than a few feet off the ground, but when he got down, he looked around, found me, and I just smiled and mouthed “Great job!”

That’s all he needed.

To know that I was there, and to know that I was proud of him, even if he wasn’t climbing to the top and ringing the bell.

He tried again, and got a little higher, but then decided to just try the low walls that didn’t require ropes.

Climb, climb, climb…check in with Mom for a snuggle.  Climb, climb, climb…check in with Mom for a snuggle.

I will continue to encourage his independence, and am incredibly hopeful that he doesn’t grow into the type of Mama’s boy that is still living with us at age 38 because no girl can measure up to his Mom.

Okay, maybe that wouldn’t be too bad.

But, tomorrow morning, around 4:00 am, when Monkey in the Middle creeps into our room and climbs into our bed for a snuggle and an arm sniff, I’m going to wrap him up tight and tell that Mama’s boy that his Mommy loves him.