Wednesday, August 03, 2005

He's 4 today.

Hard to believe I gave birth to that little monkey four years ago. Sometimes it seems like yesterday, sometimes it seems like a decade ago.

I'm so lucky to have that kid. With the problems I'm having with this pregnancy, I'm more aware of that than ever.

But I've always been grateful for this boy. He is so unique, so sweet, so special. Always creative, orginal and eager to please, he's unlike my expectations of a four-year-old boy. He's not the dirty-faced tree-climber I'd expected. My son is affectionate and almost weird with his intelligence and uncanny memory.

This is a boy who can name half a dozen poisonous snakes (and their habitats) without blinking or pausing. I imagine, if pressed, he could tell you if their venom is a neurotoxin or hemotoxin. He can tell you the make and model of 90% percent of the Hot Wheels in his extensive collection, who gave the car to him, when, and under what circumstances. It's quite shocking, the things he remembers.

When I drop him off at daycare in the morning, I give him a quick goodbye before making his brother comfortable in the infant room. And on my way out, at his orders, I must go return to Pre-K to deliver his "kiss, hug and high-5." He's very particular about this.

He never hesitates to say "I love you," and will drop whatever he's doing if I ask him for a hug or kiss. If his baby brother kisses him, he kisses back or just smiles.

The happiest part of my day is when I put him to bed at night. At that point, we sit in bed together and we talk. We talk about the baby in my tummy, what's going on at school the next day, the snake we saw on TV, whatever. But we chat, and it's lovely. And, of course, we snuggle. (I always tell my husband, snuggles with my boys are "my happy place." Nothing could be more gorgeous.)

My son is a very, very special boy. I am truly blessed by having this child in my life.

May his birthday be full of fun and joy, and this next year be blissful and HEALTHY.

1 comment:

Kris said...

That's funny, Ben does the "kiss, hug, high-5" thing too, and now his younger brother has started. Any time we say good bye or good night. Too cute!