Baby Mine

Baby Mine. I'm talking about my oldest--my first baby--my baby boy who stole my heart 8 3/4 years ago. I wanted to be a mommy so very badly.  Honestly, if you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I might have replied with a dozen different things.  But the real answer was--Mommy.  I wanted to be a mommy. I remember laying on the sonogram table on March 11, 2003 full of anticipation. Sonograms weren't the every doctor's visit thing that they are now when you have a baby.  I had two in that entire pregnancy--one at nine weeks to confirm it and one at 18 weeks.  So, at 18 weeks pregnant with my first baby I heard, "It's a boy!" and I felt the ever so slightest twinge of disappointment.  That disappointment went away after about 30 seconds and I've never looked back. Oh how I love My Boy.  We've watched him grow and mature and become the wonderfully smart, creative, handsome, awe-inspiring dorky little dude that he is.

 I say "dorky little dude" in the very most loving manner.  I mean, have you met 8 year old boys?  Believe me, they are dorky!  But I find his dorkiness so endearing.  I love that he loves Science.  I love that when I open my Ipad I know that he was on it because Safari is opened to National Geographic Kids (he was reading an article on Micro-gravity). I love that he can gently explain to his sister that she has her math paper done all wrong and that he can show her how to fix it.  I love that he can put a 300 piece lego set together all by himself by reading the instructions.  I even love the fact that he won't EVER take that lego set apart. They are his masterpieces and they are displayed in every corner of my house. I love that he solved the Skylander video game with only 14 pieces (there are about oh 40? different pieces you can buy to play the game).  I love that when I can't solve a level on Angry Birds Space that he can solve it for me.  I love that he loves to read. He reads himself to sleep every night because it, according to him, "helps my mind slow down. I don't think such scary thought when I read myself to sleep." How beautiful is that?  Even if I have to pull the book from his hands and turn the light off at 9:30 and force him to sleep--I'm ok with it.  I mean, come on, I'm growing a reader here!

But my favorite, favorite, favorite thing about him loving to read and loving books is that he, his dad and I have found a true bonding source.  We heart Harry Potter.  If you aren't a Potter maniac like we are  you probably aren't going to get this.  I forgive you :).  I love Harry Potter.  I discovered him in about 2001 when I randomly saw a display of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at Barnes and Noble.  I didn't know about the books and I sat down with it and read a few chapters.  I bought it immediately and devoured the first four books.  I made the Hubs read them (who is not a reader) and he loved them too.  I bought all the books that were out on CD for the Hubs to listen to while he was commuting.  He could seriously go on Jeopardy and win any Harry Potter contest there is.  He knows EVERYTHING about these books.  It's totally dorky, but I dig it. I was pregnant with My Boy when book five came out.  I remember going to every book store in the metroplex trying to find a copy.  I finally got my hands on one a few weeks before my due date.  My mom and nephew were staying with us and I announced after finishing the book,"Ok!  I've finished the book, I can have the baby now."  My poor nephew looked at me like I was nuts.  He said, "Finishing a book means the baby will come?" And I said, "No, but Harry and I are pretty tight.  I wanted to make sure I had him all taken care of before the baby arrives. I have a feeling that the baby might be a little jealous if I was spending all my time reading."  I'm pretty sure he still thought I was nuts :).  And wouldn't you know it....at about 1:00 in the morning on the last day of July I woke up not feeling right.  Ten hours later My Boy took his first breath. Anybody out there know who else has a birthday on July 31?  You guessed it.....Harry Potter and My Boy have the same birthday ;).  They were destined to be great friends too.


 Last summer My Boy begged to read the first book.  So we read it to him.  He was enthralled.  So we read the second and third books.  He wanted to keep going.  After a few months of begging we relented and said we would read up through book four and then we would have to wait until he got a little older to finish the series.  He is so engaged by these books.  We talk about them constantly.  He figures out what will happen next.  He tries to guess what's coming in future books.  He has picked out his good guys and bad guys. He is enthralled, I know I already said that but I can't think of a better word.  He had to write a story at the beginning of the year about something that scared him.  He wrote about Basilisks (see book 2-Chamber of Secrets). When he is playing with swords he doesn't make the normal star wars fighting noises most boys make.  He shouts out magical curses from the books instead, "Expelliarmus! (which of course releases the wizards wand you are fighting with)."  We don't practice witchcraft around here, thankfully none of his spells have worked :). This is true dorkiness. And I find it utterly charming.  He's just pretending when he does all these things.  I for one am so glad that in this day and age I have an 8 year child who can still pretend.  He will grow out of being a dorky little dude....or maybe he won't.  I'm ok with that.  I'll say it again--oh how I love him!