Mein Wunderkind.

It's no secret that Harry has been my most challenging child. He is demanding and sometimes grumpy. It's not uncommon for him to either wake up in a bad mood, or sit and badger me with his caveman-like request (grating whine) of, "Juice. Juice. Juice!"
When Harry was born, he cried out like a wild animal -- like a Tasmanian Devil. He has never been much of a sleeper. He goes to bed late, wakes up early, and keeps us at attention all the live-long day. He has earned the nicknames, "High-Maintenance Harry," & "'Orrible 'Arry." If my adrenal glands are burnt out, it is probably because of him.
It may not go without saying, so I'll say it: Harry is extremely loved & loving, even if he is a natural-born curmudgeon. He's clever, has a quirky sense of humor, and when he hands out sweetness and light, it is overwhelmingly rewarding. Because he can be such a pain in the ass!
One of the hardest days of my life, almost a year ago, was the day of the funeral for my Mom. Utterly beat, I returned to her house, where the boys had been with a sitter. When I opened the door, I could hardly focus for my exhaustion, and when I immediately heard Harry shout, "MOM!" and looked up to see him run like a streak across the room to give me a hug -- words can hardly describe what that meant to me. Right then & there I forgave him every hardship he ever put me through.
Now, he is learning to speak, and he has a lot to say, but the thing that amazes us most, seeing, as you know, how my Mom was German, is that he does not say, "My." He says, "Mein." "Mein house." "Mein foot." "Mein book!" "Mein head."
Ach du liebe!!
It strikes me as so profound -- where does this come from? Why? And what are the odds of this happening? It's sad that meine Mutti is not here to be with us and go through this, b/c she would think it was so hilarious and would no doubt have some funny and quirky comment.
I know how she would have appreciated this new development in mein Sohn, and I am grateful to him for surprising me again, and for making me laugh...always when I least expected it.