Milestones
Ok, so maybe next year is a bigger milestone. The double digit birthday and finally realizing how fast they are growing.
Except I already know how fast he is growing. I didn't for a bit. I was a teenager myself and when you are younger time seems to DRAG. Maybe being an adult fills up your days more. More responsibility, more activites, longer hours (then school anyhow), and having your own child. But it still took me a few years to actually realize how fast he really was growing up.
I remember thinking...gosh, I wish he could do this or that already. Like talking, well now he talks all the time, and sometimes I'd like a break. Or walking, but now he can run away. Feeding himself...well, I actually really like that he can feed himself and wipe his own butt, those are certainly perks.
And he does have a hell of a lot more personality.
He's just his own little person. A mix of Jake and myself. Sometimes, he looks so much like Jake that it is weird. Like the way he'll eat sometimes. I mean, I knew my kid would look like his parents, but it's still strange.
Nine years ago, today, I brought him into the world, for all the cheesiness that line holds, I can't think of anything else. It's true. I brought him into being. Well, and for nine months or so before that when my body MADE him.
Somedays it feels like he just always...was. He's just always been around. And sometimes it feels like so little time has passed and then...GOOD LORD, he's SO grown up.
He still has a fair amount of innocence, which I LOVE about him. Ben's mom came over a couple of weeks ago and she said that we were doing a great job and that some nine year olds are really kind of butt heads. And she is right. Some of them have this attitude. And while Derek has moments, it's just not the same. He's just very innocent, and it is this that I cherish in children the most. Children should be innocent for as long as they can be. Especially in today's world. It's a scary place, and I think that a little bit of innocence is needed.
I can't help but wonder how things will be next year, even while warning myself that next year will come all too quickly. And that someday, he'll be all grown up. It happens. Will he be more....quiet? I'm almost dreading the quiet. It will mean that I don't know him as well. It will mean that I will have to wonder and worry about what he might be doing, or who he is involved with, or any number of things.
So perhaps, instead, I'll be happy that he talks all the time. Happy that he shares his life, happy that he might be a little dorky, but it's all the innocence. He is truly an example of "what you see is what you get". He can't even lie without giving it away. It's awesome and I adore him. He's my reason. My reason for well....everything. A reason to be a better person, a reason to be a good mother, a reason to get up and make myself go to work every morning.
That first year went the fastest. I mean...everything at once, right? Starting to walk and crawling and teething, and just so much happened that first year.
Then things seemed to slow down, as the toddler age came and went. This was the time of things like...potty training, and "no", and frustration, so much frustration. On both our parts, I'm sure. He was hard to understand, but oh he so wanted to be heard. He had will over his own body and he should be allowed to make some rules, by god.
So many power struggles. Then...well, school age approached and he was so rambunctious. Too full of energy. The daycare dealt with him well, but many was the day that they had a minor complaint. Nothing too bad, just his listening. Not like he beat anyone up or bit them or anything.
Then. Kindergarden. I had no idea it would be such a problem. I honestly thought that since he had been in daycare, he would transition pretty seamlessly. Not so much.
Though I later realized the teacher would say something and then change her mind and let him do what he wanted. Which is about the quickest way to lose the control with my kid. You let him get away with it once and it will only be worse when you try and put your foot down next time.
Each school year has gotten better, this one included, of course. This year has been the best so far. Hopefully his problems stemed from boredom, and he is being challenged now. I guess we'll see, especially around Christmas, sometimes he loses it around Christmas.
He's become far more rational and in control of his emotions this year, though he'll still get too tired and get overly emotional. I'm looking forward to this new rational thing, at least until puberty hits. Though I hear it's better for boys than girls. I hope so. I was not anything that I would call rational when I was a teenager.
We had a good day, and now I'm just sitting here, while he gets ready for bed, being silly and sentimental. To everyone who was there, I'm thinking about you all tonight. To some extent. Thanks for being there for me while I had the most...awesome experience of my life. And while I couldn't feel my feet. =)
Figured I'd do a year by year thing, but it's been more like a stage by stage thing.
From Baby
To kid.
We've sure come a long way.
Except I already know how fast he is growing. I didn't for a bit. I was a teenager myself and when you are younger time seems to DRAG. Maybe being an adult fills up your days more. More responsibility, more activites, longer hours (then school anyhow), and having your own child. But it still took me a few years to actually realize how fast he really was growing up.
I remember thinking...gosh, I wish he could do this or that already. Like talking, well now he talks all the time, and sometimes I'd like a break. Or walking, but now he can run away. Feeding himself...well, I actually really like that he can feed himself and wipe his own butt, those are certainly perks.
And he does have a hell of a lot more personality.
He's just his own little person. A mix of Jake and myself. Sometimes, he looks so much like Jake that it is weird. Like the way he'll eat sometimes. I mean, I knew my kid would look like his parents, but it's still strange.
Nine years ago, today, I brought him into the world, for all the cheesiness that line holds, I can't think of anything else. It's true. I brought him into being. Well, and for nine months or so before that when my body MADE him.
Somedays it feels like he just always...was. He's just always been around. And sometimes it feels like so little time has passed and then...GOOD LORD, he's SO grown up.
He still has a fair amount of innocence, which I LOVE about him. Ben's mom came over a couple of weeks ago and she said that we were doing a great job and that some nine year olds are really kind of butt heads. And she is right. Some of them have this attitude. And while Derek has moments, it's just not the same. He's just very innocent, and it is this that I cherish in children the most. Children should be innocent for as long as they can be. Especially in today's world. It's a scary place, and I think that a little bit of innocence is needed.
I can't help but wonder how things will be next year, even while warning myself that next year will come all too quickly. And that someday, he'll be all grown up. It happens. Will he be more....quiet? I'm almost dreading the quiet. It will mean that I don't know him as well. It will mean that I will have to wonder and worry about what he might be doing, or who he is involved with, or any number of things.
So perhaps, instead, I'll be happy that he talks all the time. Happy that he shares his life, happy that he might be a little dorky, but it's all the innocence. He is truly an example of "what you see is what you get". He can't even lie without giving it away. It's awesome and I adore him. He's my reason. My reason for well....everything. A reason to be a better person, a reason to be a good mother, a reason to get up and make myself go to work every morning.
That first year went the fastest. I mean...everything at once, right? Starting to walk and crawling and teething, and just so much happened that first year.
Then things seemed to slow down, as the toddler age came and went. This was the time of things like...potty training, and "no", and frustration, so much frustration. On both our parts, I'm sure. He was hard to understand, but oh he so wanted to be heard. He had will over his own body and he should be allowed to make some rules, by god.
So many power struggles. Then...well, school age approached and he was so rambunctious. Too full of energy. The daycare dealt with him well, but many was the day that they had a minor complaint. Nothing too bad, just his listening. Not like he beat anyone up or bit them or anything.
Then. Kindergarden. I had no idea it would be such a problem. I honestly thought that since he had been in daycare, he would transition pretty seamlessly. Not so much.
Though I later realized the teacher would say something and then change her mind and let him do what he wanted. Which is about the quickest way to lose the control with my kid. You let him get away with it once and it will only be worse when you try and put your foot down next time.
Each school year has gotten better, this one included, of course. This year has been the best so far. Hopefully his problems stemed from boredom, and he is being challenged now. I guess we'll see, especially around Christmas, sometimes he loses it around Christmas.
He's become far more rational and in control of his emotions this year, though he'll still get too tired and get overly emotional. I'm looking forward to this new rational thing, at least until puberty hits. Though I hear it's better for boys than girls. I hope so. I was not anything that I would call rational when I was a teenager.
We had a good day, and now I'm just sitting here, while he gets ready for bed, being silly and sentimental. To everyone who was there, I'm thinking about you all tonight. To some extent. Thanks for being there for me while I had the most...awesome experience of my life. And while I couldn't feel my feet. =)
Figured I'd do a year by year thing, but it's been more like a stage by stage thing.
From Baby
To kid.
We've sure come a long way.
Comments
I used to call him a doll. He had the cutest, little, round face. =)
Now he's handsome, it's not the same. Someone even said that they thought he was kind of "pretty"...and I said that's ok. Jake is kind of pretty too. =)