Happy Birthday My Little Man.

Ten years ago today I gave birth to my first born, my sweet A.  I had a very healthy pregnancy, although I was enormous due to two giant fibroid tumors (that my hubby even named).  That and all the fat I gained.  Ahh, pregnancy.  I had a fairly normal delivery.  We didn't know the sex of the new baby, we wanted that "moment" where you hear "It's a Boy!" or "It's a Girl!"  And all that.  I never heard the big moment, I don't recall learning that it was a boy, I just guess I overheard it somewhere.  I was in complete Crazytown after pushing a giant ball out of a, well, you get my drift.

Once I got home with my little bundle, and recovered from the shock of the fact that this wasn't just the end of a pregnancy, but that a baby comes out of the deal and people actually trust me to care for this tiny little bean that smelled like sugar, I fell under that magic spell of love, devotion, adoration, protection, and pride.  And I'm still under the spell.

A was born with army green eyes.  And it sounds funny, but he was born sort of independent.  He wanted to figure things out for himself and do for himself at a very early age.  He was walking at 10 months old.  He had strangely developed fine motor skills, and was so observant of his surroundings.  He was Daddy's Boy from day one, and that has not changed. 

This is A on his first birthday.  I KNOW!!!  I know you think he's the cutest thing you've ever seen.  Not quite a month after this was taken, his little brother J was born.  He loved him from day one, and they are still the best of friends.  He used to find J's bottle for me, and very rarely poked him in the eye or poured his milk on his head.

There is something very special about this little guy.  He has a gift for reading people's emotions and is extremely sensitive.  He has a natural faith in Heaven and God that makes my faith even stronger.

Sometimes we describe A as "quirky".  He definitely marches to the beat of his own drummer.  He learns differently, he thinks differently, he behaves differently.  He is kind and cheerful, outgoing, confident.  He is sort of picky eater.  He prefers to eat apples peeled and impaled on a fork.  He wishes all food was cheesy.  He is always inventing things and building things.  He has so many similarities to his Mimi (hubby's mom) that it's comforting, as if she's still with us.



A loves his family.  He loves hearing the history of his family.  He loves hearing about the history of anything.  He is fascinated by old things--machinery, photos, shows, clothing, music, anything.  I think he should have been born 50 years ago.  I guess you could call him an "old soul."  He loves comedy.  He will laugh out loud at any funny tv show.  He loves funny books.  His favorites are the Captain Underpants series and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  If it's funny, he'll like it.  He has a difficult time sometimes at school, but he loves to go.  He's very proud of his school and is growing up and making friends easier all the time.

 He is fearless.  It's terrifying, really.  He won't think twice about leaping off of snowbanks, he rides roller coasters with his hands up in the air, laughing like a lunatic.  I think he's just a confident kid, and that makes me feel so good.

He is the baby who really made my husband and I a family.

  

His arrival showed me just how amazing my husband is.

I am an amazingly lucky woman.  I am blessed that I get to raise this little guy.  He is teaching me every day how to be a mom, how to be a better person, and I am grateful to him for it.  He makes me laugh.  He makes me cry.  And watching him grow up is one of the biggest privileges I will ever know.

Yesterday he got a cast put on his arm.  He has a fractured wrist, because he lives the life of a very happy, very active boy.  And like everything, he handled it with courage and a sense of humor.  He is proud of his cast, and we are proud of him.  I think it's funny that this is the shirt he was wearing.  

Happy Birthday to my 10-year old little man.