Happy 14th Birthday, Man-cub!

If possible, this blog post would be tear stained. It's hard to believe that 14 years ago I gave birth to a beautiful, brown eyed baby boy. He weighed in at 9 lbs 2 oz. At 7:10 p.m. central time on August 5, 1994, I brought another life into this world. His birth wasn't difficult. Enduring several hours hooked up to gadgets and Pitocin was far from fun. As I lay there on a gurney, I weathered what any other mother-to-be goes through. Except, I didn't have the comfort of a labor/delivery/recovery room. Too many moms and not enough beds. Go figure! I finally moved into one of those pretty, cozy rooms when I was about to deliver. Go me! Thank God for Demerol!!

Shortly after the delivery of my incredibly sweet boy, I declared I could do it all gain. I would if God saw fit for me to have more children. He ended up being my one and only. With all sincerity I don't know that I could possibly love another human quite the way I do him. He's miraculous.

When I gave birth that night, I didn't think I'd be raising my child alone. The idea that my marriage would crumble seemed inevitable. Yet, the idea that Man-cub's father would be so hands off was unfathomable. Man-cub makes being a parent easy. His good behavior and easy going personality makes it seem that I wrote the book on single parenting. We are a dynamic duo. It's undeniable.

Today he went to work with me. Thunderstorms loomed in the area made him quite nervous. His fear of storms is quite rational. He's seen the effects tornadoes and high winds have on the towns they rip through. When the once bright sky turned pitch black, I told him to gather up his Nintendo DS and games. He quickly and graciously complied. He may stand two inches taller than me, but the man sized boy is still a child when it comes to bad weather. Who can blame him?

He and I had lunch together in the food court of the mall where I work. His choice: Pizza. Blech, but I went along with it. I'm still suffering, but I digress. The day seemed long as he sat in the store breakroom with nothing but his Nintendo to occupy him. We strode past the movie theater in the mall to find that Wall-E was still showing. A matinee welcomed the Man-cub's inaugural 'go it alone' movie viewing. He had no qualms about going without me. I had to get to work and I didn't want him to be bored for the duration of the afternoon. A ticket was purchased, but there was a 45 minute wait for the beginning of the show. He spent 30 minutes back at the store and then anxiously came to me at 2:00 p.m., "Mom, is it time for me to go?" Armed with my cell phone he made tracks into the world sans mom. It was almost like sending him off to Kindergarten all over. I held back the tears. He walked in that store this morning my baby boy. But this afternoon he lumbered out on his own a young man. Proudly.

So, if you happen to be in my neighborhood feel free to stop by for fudge brownie chocolate cheesecake. Like his choice for birthday cakes, he's not traditional. I wouldn't have it any other way!

"I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living my baby you'll be." -- Robert Munsch