I'll never forget the day my first son was born. It was thirteen years ago today.
I was sure I was having a girl. My mom was sure I was having a girl. My entire family was sure I was having a girl. Everyone at my baby shower was sure I was having a girl and spoiled me with lots of little pink outfits and pink blankets.
After many hours of labor and over 2 hours of intense pushing, imagine our surprise when my first baby finally slid out of my vagina and the nurse yelled..."It's a BOY!"
This is the conversation that followed.
Me: HAHAHAHA!
Tony: Thank you JESUS!
Me: Ok, enough with that, Tony.
Doc: He SHOULD be thanking Jesus.
My mom: It's a BOY??
Me: HAHAHAHA
Tony: Hallelujah. (Don't ask. He was SUPER SPIRITUAL that day.)
Me: Tony!
Mom: It's A BOY? Ohhhhhhh man.
Me: HAHHAHAHAH
My mom: What are you thinking right now, Y?
Me: About all of the clothes I have to take back!
Tony: HAHAHA
Mom: HAHAHAH
Me: HAHAHAHA
Doc: Did they TELL you it was a girl.
Me: No. I just thought it was.
My Mom: We HOPED it was. It was a hope.
Doc: Idiots.
Ok, he didn't call us idiots, but you know he was thinking it.
I'm so glad it wasn't a girl. The poor thing would have been named Whitney Elaine.
WHITNEY! Or wait, was it Soriah?
SORIAH GRACE! It would have been Soriah Grace.
She would have hated me at some point in her life.
It was a boy. A little boy.
I had a son.
A perfect, soft, scrunchy faced, precious little boy.
I'll never forget how perfect he was the first time I layed my bloodshot, tired eyes on him. He had all of his fingers. All of his toes. Scrunched up little eyes, eyebrows shaped just like his daddy's, a nose just like his grandpa's. Fuzzy, black hair and full, perfectly shaped lips.
The first time I held him in my arms, I felt my heart explode into a million little pieces and I knew in an instant that it no longer belonged to me. That little boy in my arms was now the Owner of My Heart.
I can't describe the pride I felt as I stared at his sweet little face. I can't describe the love I felt as I kissed his fuzzy little head. I can't describe the joy I felt as he wrapped his precious little hand around my finger. There are no words to describe it.
Amazing. Awesome. Incredible. Exciting. Beautiful. Astounding. Breathtaking. Miraculous. Marvelous.
Those are powerful words, and yet, they don't even BEGIN to accurately describe what I felt in my soul on the day my son was born.
My son.
Nor or there any words that could accurately describe what I feel inside of my soul today. The day that beautiful little baby turns thirteen.
I'm happy. I'm sad. I'm excited. I'm sad. I'm overjoyed. I'm sad. I'm proud. I'm sad.
Bittersweet That's the only way to describe what I'm feeling.
Last night, we had the Greatest Dinner Conversation Ever.
Shrinkage. Sweaty balls. (And what one must do to unstick that sweaty ball from ones leg.) How to release poops that are stuck.
We all laughed so hard we cried.
At one point, Andrew was taking a drink and as Ethan got up to demonstrate how HE deals with Sweaty Balls, Andrew spit his drink out and started choking from laughing so hard.
It was in that moment it hit me that my son is a teenager. And at that point, the tears from laughter turned into tears of sadness, because I don't know if I can handle him growing so quickly.
First. The Hairy balls. Then, the Fuzzstache. NOW THE TEENAGE YEARS.
Girls. Dates. Dances. Getting jobs. Driving.
Time is moving incredibly fast and my heart hasn't had a chance to catch up to speed.
That sweet smelling, soft, calm, perfect little baby is now a teenager who has an incredible sense of humor, who is witty, kind, respectful and thoughtful of others.
And as I watch him become a young man, I feel just as much pride as I did the first time I held him in my arms. I'm so damn proud of the incredible human being he's become in the thirteen years of his life.
My God, I'm so proud of him.
And yet, at the same time, I wish I could shrink him back into that little baby boy who cooed, and cried, and sucked on his little fingers and wanted nothing more than to be cuddled safely in his mommy's arms. Because as much as I love the person he has become, as much as I enjoy his company, as much as I enjoy every day with this amazing young man, my heart aches because I can no longer hold him in my arms and kiss him all over the way I did when he was just my little baby boy.
I wish someone had warned me about how much it would hurt to watch your children grow. I mean, it's beautiful and wonderful and exciting... but it's equally painful and sad. Because you there comes a point where you realize they will be independent adults and when you've spent your ENTIRE ADULT LIFE being "their mom", the thought that one day they won't need you in that way anymore is a crushing blow to your heart.
Leave it to ME to make my son's THIRTEEN BIRTHDAY a depressing event, rather than the joyous, exciting one it should be.
I know HE'S not sad today, I know he's the happiest kid alive today because he can now proclaim that "HE IS A TEENAGER!"
I feel like an ass of a mother for having to go to a wedding on this momentous day in his life and he knows I'm not happy about it and is making me feel like a bigger ass at every chance he gets.
"I can't believe you're leaving me on my THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY!"
And just as I start to cry from guilt, he laughs and says "I'm just teasing you mom! I understand that you have to go, I'm not mad at you."
(Can you understand why I'm so damn proud of him? Not just proud. DAMN PROUD.)
I love that boy, even if he did go and turn into a "teenager" faster than I had ever imagined and I truly hope that this is a great birthday for him. He deserves all of the happiness in the world.
Awww, happy birthday to your new teenager! And a beautiful post for him to look back on someday.
I've had a teenager for two years and, like your son, she's was a great kid to start with. It makes it so much easier to deal with the rocky parts when a kid starts out in the right way.
Congrats to you both!