Little Things

I got to spend the day with one of my two most favorite people today, my 3-year-old son Jackson. He patiently -- for a 3-year-old -- watched cartoons and played with his new toys this morning while I cleaned the bathroom and mopped the kitchen then got dressed for the day's outing.

The first stop was the library, where I picked out books for us to read together at bedtime while he played games on one of the two computers in the children's section. Normally, kids are lined up waiting their turn to use the computers, but today was a slow day, so we hung out and played games for a while. Jack giggled at the silly noises and danced to the music he created on the xylophone and drum games and I laughed with him.

Next, we went shopping at Target for a few odds and ends and shelves to organize his old toys in his closet so that we could make room for his new toys on his bookshelf. He was being so good and patient that I tempted fate and dragged him around Macy's for a few minutes to see if there were any good after-Christmas deals.

The kid was cracking me up all day. Telling me as we walked through the parking garage, "I'm going to do something funny," then stopping to shake his little body and make silly noises. He was right; it was funny. In the women's section, we were playing hide and seek between the clothing racks and he was being good and not getting so far away that I'd lose track of him. Then, when we were back downstairs, he said, "Mom, you're my best friend." I told him, "Thanks, buddy," and I was grinning from ear to ear.

The last stop before home was lunch . And, for once, he actually devoured his entire lunch without me having to plead with him to eat it. Before I was even half-finished with my sandwich and salad, he'd eaten his entire PB&J, except for the crusts, of course. And while I finished, he sucked down his yogurt! I couldn't believe my eyes.

There were no tantrums for the entire day out and he took an hour and a half nap when we got home. It was amazing! Of course, now I feel like I'm really in for it tomorrow. This much good kid karma can't keep going for an entire weekend, can it? I guess we'll find out soon enough. We're thinking about going to Mission Bay to play in the sand and ride his new Radio Flyer scooter -- or "rooter scooter" as Jack likes to call it.

It was a pretty ordinary Saturday, but it seemed extraordinary. Sometimes it's just the little things that make a day special.