Fourteen years ago

Every year as the kids’ birthdays approach, I find myself remembering back to being as big as a house as well as the anticipation I felt at the thought of holding each of them in my arms. So as not to disappoint my family, yesterday while at dinner I began a sentence with fourteen years ago and Paul rolled his eyes and Nick was all oh my God, Mom, really? They act all annoyed and pretend it bothers them, but secretly I think they love my yearly reminiscing. At that particular moment, my statement was fourteen years ago at this time, we had no idea you’d be arriving tomorrow, which is today!! Then Nick smiled with a sinister grin as he remembered the fact that he woke me up at 3 a.m. to begin his journey through the birth canal, and eventually into my arms. Evil, evil child.

As I sit here now, he still hadn’t been born yet. We labored together until 1:01 p.m. For the numbers people, he was born on 10/1 at 1:01 in Room 111 of the hospital. I know, crazy! He was one heck of a poker hand, that boy of mine. I know we all say that time flies by so quickly, but it’s so true. I can’t believe he’s 14 today. A year into being a teenager and honing the skills that come with it so very well. You know, the attitude, the whole I know more about the world and everything in it than you do attitude, the desire to spend more time playing video games than schoolwork and sleep combined, and the belief that somehow money grows on trees. Oh yes, he’s a teenager alright. I have a secret, though, he still seeks me out for hugs and will drop that video game controller faster than you can say first-person shooter to come play a board game with his Dad and I. At his core, he prefers time with his family over time with his friends. Well, maybe that’s more of a 50/50 thing, but my Mom heart likes to believe we rank above all of that other stuff because let’s face it, we’re the ones growing that tree where the money grows.