Mama's Boy

When I was a little girl, I loved dolls and I loved to play that I was their mother. I was probably around six, when my parents bought me a baby boy doll. He was special, and when I outgrew the doll phase, he was the hardest one to pack away. Fast forward about 15 years to motherhood, I was 27 years old and the Lord had blessed me with two precious and beautiful little girls. I enjoyed being a mom so much, and all the things that go with little girls. I liked making their hairbows, and dressing them a like, not to mention barbies and babies and the Little Mermaid. I knew how to do this mother to girls thing. But somewhere in my heart, I knew that I was supposed to have a little boy. When we found that we were expecting again, although I had never cared one way or another during either of my other two pregnancies, this third time I really wanted to be the mom of a little boy. I remember the day that Travis and I went in for an ultrasound and they were able to tell us conclusively that we were going to have a son. I started to cry, and couldn't even wait to leave the building to call my father-in-law to tell him that he was going to have a grandson with his last name. The pregnancy was rough, and there were times I really feared for the safety of my baby boy, but ten years ago today, Sept. 13, 1997, he was born.
There are lots of things I could have never anticipated about having a son. He sees me through a lens that nobody else does - and tells me I'm beautiful all the time. He has the most compassionate heart. He loves to help, like a little gentleman running ahead and almost knocking you down to hold the door for you. It makes up for the other things he has done such as:

• getting a mini-gobstopper stuck in his ear when we were making gingerbread houses, or getting his head stuck in a lego container in the church nursery and screaming so loud we could hear him upstairs
  
• pulling the fire alarm at the local college while one of his sisters was taking piano lessons while I was preoccupied with helping the other sister who was learning to read - and yes, the entire fire-rescue team in the county showed up!
  
• almost setting the couch on fire when he was four years old by striking matches he found while hiding down in the corner of the cushions
• calling 911 from the ice skating rink when he was 5, and got a major lecture from a female police officer
• swinging around a sharp knife he wasn't supposed to have one afternoon that flew out of his hand and sliced his sisters arm open requiring a trip to the ER and stitches (he felt so bad he waited on her hand and foot for days!)
  

These are just some highlights in an everyday excitable life with my little boy. He likes to jump out at me from around the corners just to see my startled reaction. He is always ready to be in a good mood and laugh and smile with you. He's ten years old today and still likes to hold my hand in public. Ten years of being his mommy has been the delight of my life. As I have noticed him growing up, I will take him in my lap and squeeze him really hard and tell him I'm doing it so he won't get any bigger, but I also don't want to keep him from growing into the man God wants him to be.
Happy Birthday son. I love you until the day after forever! Now please don't break your neck on those Heelys we got you for your birthday!