Another year has gone by and the new year is always my cue to look back and appreciate all that has gone by, and look forward to more to come. It’s also my reminder that my son just had his birthday (a month and a half ago), and that my daughter’s is coming soon (3 weeks). In between we have holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas take over so much of my brain space that I sometimes forget to reflect on their aging until it’s over.
I’m dedicating this little bit of time to my son, Daniel. He turned 8 at the end of November. What looks different about 8? Why is this or any birthday special? When my kids were babies, they changed so drastically month to month. The first and second years in particular were full of HUGE milestones like eating, sleeping, walking and talking. As they get older, these milestones are more subtle. We’ve graduated from baby to toddler to big kid. He’s a big kid now and has been for a couple of years. He can do so much on his own and is learning so much.
Daniel is now a reader. Daniel is a soccer player and a daredevil. He is a survivalist and nature enthusiast. He is an r/c vehicle collector. He can identify poisonous and edible plants and loves to feed us all with the latter when he finds and forages them. He can ride a hoverboard like he was born wearing one. He can throw his body in front of sprinting kids wearing cleats without a thought for his own safety all for the sake of a ball. He shocks me when he tests out new curse words, and he makes my heart melt when he works really hard to make a baby smile. He has such a tender heart for animals and a strong sense of justice. He gives away his things because he has a generous heart, AND he is ultra competitive. He is curious and sometimes is listening when I least expect it.
I can’t decipher whether his mission in life is to make people laugh or to annoy them to tears. This is especially true when it comes to his sister. I’m pretty sure he idolizes and adores her. It’s hard to tell sometimes because he likes to torture her, but it becomes very clear at other times when he chooses to give her half of his treat or when he chooses to just hang out in her room even though she’s just reading and he has nothing to do in there.
He gives the best hugs and snuggles. He will slurp down a dozen cold raw oysters right off their half shells without any dressing or seasoning and ask for a dozen more. He always eats his vegetables without complaint and is a true foodie. He is great at cleaning up and organizing. He gets so excited to get out holiday decorations and has an amazing eye for how to arrange things. He is social and aggressive and fearless. He’s my sweet boy Daniel.
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