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Thursday, April 20, 2006
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen things about my son (who turns ten in 54 minutes)
- He has always loved having his head rubbed. When he was a newborn and we'd bathe him, he would scream the whole time because he hated being unclothed, but he would stop and look all little-introspective-mannish at us while we washed his hair. Nowadays he wipes off kisses but he will still snuggle up beside me and put my hand on his head, his signal to rub/scratch until I am permitted to stop.
- When he was four he loved "bick hucks and tisses". He remembered what kind of huck each person in his family preferred -- whether that were a "pat huck" or a "squeeze huck" or both.
- He is still better than anyone else I know at remembering people's preferences. I can ask him anything in this line -- "what does Nate collect? What is Charles' favorite color?" and he will know.
- He likes to read the Hardy Boys, Beverly Cleary, C.S. Lewis, and books about ancient civilizations.
- Over the past three years he has slowly grown from a boy who was afraid to be left at his friend's house four houses down for twenty minutes, to one who is miffed if he doesn't get to hang out there all day at least once a week.
- He is such a big kid that we now have to look for his pants in the men's section. He wears a size 28/26, which is REALLY hard to find, I'm finding. But he's too big for size 16 boys' pants.
- He adores, loves, is fixated and obsessed with elephants. African elephants are his favorites but he loves Asian ones too.
- He has his own car, and has had for three or four years. (It's a 1967 Plymouth 2-dr, a drag-race style car, and it's next on the Major Projects list after his dad's Charger. It's to be a father-son thing. It actually needs less restoration than the Charger does.)
- He was surgically removed from my body at ten in the morning after a failed attempt at an induction of labor, two weeks late, screaming like a banshee with angry trembling fists.
- As an infant he looked like a little grumpy man with big curious eyes and with a "stork bite" birthmark that turned bright red when he cried.
- He has a certain very cute silly grin that he makes at babies and he's over the moon when they smile back at him.
- When his sister was born he thought she was the best thing ever. He cuddled and held her whenever I let him, and as she grew older, for years her kisses were the only ones he would not wipe off.
- He wants to be an inventor when he grows up and he practices often.
Comments
I keep meaning to say this but now's a great time -- I LOVE that picture you have of him on the "Who's Whom" list on your sidebar. I am amazed at what a big kid he's getting to be. Happy Birthday to LT!
Posted by: mary at April 21, 2006 06:03 AM
He sounds like a neat kid, Rachel. He's going to make you guys proud. I like having my head rubbed, too.
BTW, I like the self-portrait project. It shows you in a number of different moods, like the layers of an onion. Wish I had the same bravery to be so publicly open and transparent.
Whatcha reading lately?
Posted by: Muley at April 21, 2006 07:37 AM
It is so hard to me to believe that 10 years have passed!! I hope the next 10 years slow down! LOL I have a fond memory of all of us (well the 4 of us) going to the river right before your son was born. that was such a fun day.
Posted by: debi at April 21, 2006 07:47 AM
Wow, Rachel, it sounds like you are raising an amazingly intelligent and sensitive man-child. :)
Happy birthday to LT! (What's a "stork bite" birthmark?)
Posted by: jenn at April 21, 2006 04:09 PM
Happy birthday, birthday boy!
Oh, and I LOVE the two photos of him in your 'self portrait' section :-)
Posted by: Maria at April 22, 2006 12:48 AM
He sounds like a very special boy. What a neat tribute to him! ;)
Posted by: Chaotic Mom at April 22, 2006 07:36 AM
African elephants are my fave, too. So majestic, yet they have a gentleness about them, too. Happy Bday LT!
Posted by: Denise at April 22, 2006 08:27 PM
This is so very sweet. :-) Happy birthday, young inventor!
Posted by: thicket dweller at April 23, 2006 04:36 AM
What a great tribute for your son's double-digit birthday!
ENJOY!
Diane
Posted by: Diane at April 25, 2006 03:46 PM
