"That's your kid"

I brought a beautiful, polite, well-behaved child into this world. The little girl who starts the day by saying, "Mama pretty" (yes, this happened this morning. Melt my heart.) The child who says "Please" and "Thank you" without being prompted. Who sits in her high chair and eats her dinner like a civilized human being. She's all mine.

Now, the little girl who has sporadic, unexplained melt downs, she's not mine. The one who gets caught randomly spinning herself in circles, playfully screaming at the top of her lungs, or aimlessly rolling around on the floor, well that little girl is Steve's.

As we discover different facets of Autumn's personality we also discover funny little quirks that she has.

This evening Autumn was quietly playing in the living room. I could hear Sesame Street on the television and Autumn talking to herself, her toys and the dogs. A typical evening. Then I heard Autumn scream. Not an "I'm in pain" scream, or a "I need help" scream, or even a "One of the dogs took my blankie" scream. This was a scream born of complete excitement. So I walked into the living room to see what it was that Autumn was so excited about. That's when I found her, running as fast as she could, up and down the hallway. Each time she reached one of the ends, she would let out a wail.

As I watched my speed demon fly up and down the hall, the wind in her hair, free as a bird, screaming at the top of her lungs, I smiled to myself and thought, "Steve, that's your kid."