Okay, I've gotta do it...my son, James and my nephew, Ben, were born 8 days apart. James turned 14 last week and Ben's birthday is today. Happy Birthday, Ben...don't hate me for this :-) Although Ben is a bit younger than James, he was always so much bigger...and far more "advanced". I remember being so proud, when James was 2 or so, and he had just started putting together two word phrases: "big ball", "want juice", etc. Right around that time, James' dad and I took a trip down to Tupelo, MS to visit my sister and her family. Shortly after our arrival, we were watching the kids play in the driveway, and "Macarena" came on the radio. I started bopping around and Ben (remember: he is 8 days younger than my boy) looks at me and says, with perfect articulation: "You really like that song, huh, Aunt Kim?" So much for stringing two words together! Stop by my sister's blog, Savannah Gourmet...Ben is now a solid 8" taller than James and, I'm sure, has a vocabulary that would put him/ me to shame :-)
It must have something to do with celebrating my son's birthday today...I have been fixated on where time goes. In the blink of an eye, my baby boy goes from weighing in at a whopping 5 pounds, 11 ounces to....well, a bit more than that :-) I realized, too, that the kittens will be 2 weeks old tomorrow and I haven't updated on them since they looked like a small pile of mice! That is hardly the case now. They are up and about, eyes wide opened and have very distinct, individual personalities. Cute as can be they are! We are definitely keeping the gray kitten...aptly named "Gray" (although, "Shadow" and "Bagheera" were considerations). The other 3 are fairly identical looking, so we'll see which, of those, my son takes a liking to.
Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months. Months turn into....well, you get the idea. One day you're holding this miraculous creation in your arms, wondering if you can do it "right"; IT being this whole parenting thing. The most important job you'll ever have, yet the one there is no real training for, other than trial & error and a whole lot of prayer. Before you know it, you're staring eyeball to eyeball with a wonderfully independent, ferociously moody teenager who is the first to let you know that there is very little you (Mom) can do "right" :-) It is during those moments that I need to turn a deaf ear to what he is saying and listen, with my heart, to the echoes of his footsteps while he continues on his own journey. He is respectful to others. He doesn't get in trouble at school. He is (mostly) kind & tolerant of his little sister. His grades are decent. AND, he still hugs and kisses me every night before bed and every morning before he heads off to school! When I listen carefully and look closely, I know that I am, in fact, doing more right than I could have imagined. So, as my baby turns 14 today, I will count my blessings and pray that the foundation has been set strongly enough for my James to become a man of honor & integrity. That's really the best we can hope for, isn't it?
***The baby picture was taken the day after I found out that there was a BIG mistake with a MISdiagnosis of a rare, cancerous tumor they thought they had found in my uterine wall. Although the picture quality is not top notch, my expression reflects the relief in my heart!
