Shiner.

Look at this black eye Tucker has acquired.

At the park yesterday, he was playing on the bouncy ladybug. She bounced up and he bounced down, and voila! Black eyes all around. Well, I'm pretty sure she doesn't have one. But he does. That's for sure.

He is officially all boy. He has more bruises on his knees and shins than I can count or explain. He has a growing record of injuries, broken bones, knocked teeth, and visits to the pediatrician's trauma room... and he is not yet three. (Although dangerously close.)

And just this morning, he catapulted himself over the footboard of our bed. I do not allow him to jump on the bed, and yet it happened. (Sin nature in action.) He jumped and bounced, and finally launched himself over, face first, onto the floor. That was a big crash. I did not have great sympathy. I searched for bruises and broken bones, but I did not have much sympathy.

(I actually snapped the above picture after this crash to the floor. It was the only time all morning he sat still enough for me to document anything. I realize he is not smiling, he is lying on the dog's pillow, he has his finger in his mouth, and his hand is around Molly's tail. Nice. But this representational, for better or worse. I'm living in the moment, people.)



I can't hardly keep up with these antics. And Tyler isn't even really adding to them yet.



All boy.



When Tucker was six days old, we were on our first official outing as newborn and mommy. A woman stopped me to say, "You are in for a great ride. I raised four boys, and they are so much fun. But you will get very acquainted with the ER. And let me advise you: before you rush him into the hospital, take pictures of the injury. He will thank you for documenting the blood and the gore, and he will love looking at those pictures."

She said this to me, while I held my swaddled newborn in my arms, who was not yet a week old. ER? Blood? Gore?? Take pictures to document such tragedy?? I think not. I couldn't even go there in my mind.

But now? I get it. As long as his life isn't in danger, I might as well take a picture.