What am I going to do with this person?

Child? Boy? Young man? still one of my babies...



This son of mine.

From one thing to another all the time, since he was born, it seems.

One minute all happiness, sweetness and smiles, and then colicky screaming for hours at a time at night. Usually the moment Tom left for work when he worked nights. I started watching David Letterman with closed captions while I walked the floor. And then smiles, giggles and finding his toes the next day.


Sweetest boy in the world. He changes diapers. (yes, he does. No, I am serious. He has for at least 3 younger siblings now) He helps younger brothers clean their rooms and puts away laundry. He makes lunch every day and doesn't even complain that this is an extra job but one he does really well. He is the most thorough at cleaning up so he is usually asked to do more than his share. He does not complain about this.

The next minute he has dumped a water bottle on his brother's bed just because said brother smirked a bit when talking to him for being the on the receiving end of a joke. For being told No. For making a mistake and realizing it or being caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.



I am told over and over and over again what a wonderful young man he is. AND HE IS. No one knows it better than myself. I dread when the girls start calling... he is smart. He is funny. He can deliver a joke like no one else. At 2 years old (shortly after Joseph's funeral) he was mimicking some of his dad's jokes... like 'washing his eyeballs'. He would quote all the best lines from the first Toy Story (Where's my ear? Have you seen my ear?) when he could barely talk.


He is handsome. His scars and toothlessness don't take away from that. (dental work and bike accidents!). He has this great smile. And you just can't help but laugh when he does.

Then comes the attitude. The pouts. Sometimes even trying to get away with murder. Put Emilie in the same room with him and all heck breaks loose. They are 18 months apart and while they were best friends as little ones don't remind them of it now. I have a picture of him climbing into Emilie's crib so he could talk to her and make sure she didn't cry. He has been like this about babies ever since. (just not Emilie!)



When we tried to tell him baby Jopef (how he said Joseph) had to go back to heaven he was inconsolable. It led to a lot of fears that I think he still faces now. When we told him we were going to have Nathanael I had to tell him DAILY that this baby would grow up to take his toys and probably bother him a lot so he could sleep at night.



He is tenderhearted. He loves little ones and little animals and little things. As a tiny boy he was upset. He was scared of ladybugs from a weird experience we had where they swarmed all over us. There was one on our porch in Ohio and I told him it was his friend. In the 5 minutes after that they because best buddies and he followed that ladybug all over the porch until it flew away. Then he talked about it for days afterward saying that they were still friends and missed each other but they'd be together again someday.


He can be soooo stubborn. I guess he comes by it honestly. If he knows what he wants and what he thinks is right he will NOT back down and will butt heads with anyone about it. If proven wrong he will literally break walls down but return in a great mood and ready to start over.

When he does things he tackles them whole heartedly and with 100% of his energy and spirit. He loves to be outdoors, loves to build things, loves to draw, read, write, and I think gets frustrated when things don't come easily to him or when he can see what he thinks are shortcomings if he tries to imitate, say, a brother. But then he jumps right back in again, giving things his own flair and style.

He has this complete love for the older generation. And they love him too. At church and around our neighborhoods he befriends everyone but especially those who might walk a little slower or not see as well. He seems to have a radar for who might need his attention or a little help.

He is a rebel. But only sometimes. And even then he can be reasoned with to find out what is wrong. At other times, we find him flying off the handle and can find no clue why. We are bewildered... but apparently forgiven quickly especially when we seek to clear up the misunderstanding. But not always.


Sure, some of this is probably his age. But we've seen some of this coming for a loooong time. I can see what a great man he is going to be. I can see the fun-loving child he still mostly is. What fun we are going to have in the years in between...