It's not too soon

"Is it too soon to laugh?"

I was carrying a very wet Roo. Not because he had gone swimming. Not because I had just given him a bath. No, Roo was wet because I had just pulled him away from the toilet, where he was elbow deep in splishy-splashy fun. He was having a blast. I was not.

"It is too soon to laugh?" my husband asked.

I glared at him. And then burst out laughing.

I remember when Roo was first diagnosed, and I thought we would never be happy again. I remember thinking that we would pretend to be happy for the sake of our kids, but we would constantly have a cloud hanging over us.

Our lives have so.much.joy.

Not only have I learned to celebrate every little milestone, but now I am learning to laugh at life's little frustrations.

Like the day when Roo took off his poopy diaper and used it to paint his crib... and himself... and the blinds... and anything else he could reach. There was a moment when I opened the door and gasped, "OH. MY. GOSH!" And then there was laughter.

Or the time when he used his oatmeal bowl as a hat... before he ate his oatmeal. And there was nothing to do but giggle and grab a sponge.

Or the countless times that I discipline him and he responds with a silly look, or turns and scampers away yelling "RUN!" And I just can't help but laugh. (OK, I might need to work on that one, if I ever want the kid to listen.)

Because here is what I am learning... I am never going to look back and say, "I wish I had spent less time enjoying life. I wish I would have yelled harder, held more grudges, been more frustrated." No, I want to enjoy every single moment of this journey as much as I can.

So can I give you some advice? If you're ever in a situation where you think, "Someday I'll look back on this and laugh"... just go ahead and laugh.

It's never too soon.