May 12, 2011
My baby turned five today.
And it was hard.
Real hard.
He amazes me and I laugh everyday because of him. He fills me with joy and fear and gratitude for the angels that hover over him each moment. He is brave and strong, fearless and daring. He is a bull. He is a talker. He is loving and tries very hard to be obedient. He surprises me with compliments and hugs and I treasure his sweet kisses.
And in so many ways I hope he grows up to be like his daddy. I pray he lives to be an aged man with a family to surround him long after I am gone. I hope his sisters will be faithful and good sisters to him and that their relationship will flourish and provide life-giving comfort and security. I pray that I will be the mommy I need to be to encourage and enable, to show him God’s world and calling, and provide the loving nest he’ll need when disappointments come.
Jack, you are a little man already. The way you walk and talk. The way you gravitate to monster trucks and legos and how you are covered in dirt and sweat at the end of each day. I love the way you ask me to pray with you at night and the way you let me kiss your hurts away. I love the smell of your hair and how your little buns look in pj’s, how you snuggle me every so often and write me non-sensical but meaningful letters. You walk like your daddy and stand like him too. You eat with gusto and have a natural sense of comic timing. You are animated and hilarious when you want to be and people love you. You have definite opinions already about which underwear to wear, when forced to wear underwear, and I LOVE that about you- you prefer camo over robots and sea creatures. Our neighbors all know your name and seem to appreciate your visits.
You call me “The best Cooker Lady in the World” and I laugh each time, feeling very good. Your favorite foods right now are hot dogs, beans, and oatmeal. You don’t like to eat things that are white (mayonnaise, whipped cream, sour cream, potatoes, yogurt) with the exception of vanilla ice cream. You sing. You sing about the Lord everyday and I’m sure He delights as we do. You pray about tornadoes and burglars and you always remember to say “thank you”.
You pounce on your daddy the minute he walks in and try to take him down. I know you get frustrated because he always wins, but someday, you’ll be able to beat your daddy. I know it. We enjoy you, son. We pet you when you’re asleep and mourn the day when your white hair will turn dark. You are beautiful. You are magical. Your daddy and I would never have believed how we would love you. We do love you. Ever so much.