Teenager

It's the biggest's thirteenth birthday today.  You know what that means.  We have a teenager.

How did this happen?  I mean, really.  Who would have thought thirteen years ago that today I'd be dragging a man-child - bigger than me, mind you - out of bed to send him off to middle school.  Who'd have thought that teeny-tiny baby boy would be an honest to goodness, actual, real life teenager?  And so soon!

But here's the thing.  As shocking as it all is, it's the coolest thing ever.  He is the coolest thing ever.  Best thing that ever happened to me, that's for sure.  I know, I know, I have a husband and two other awesome kids.  I'll say they're all the best things that happened to me, as well, and it'll be true.  But honestly?  Jake is the first.  Made me a mom, yada yada.  And he's really nice.  I like him a lot.

So today, on his birthday, we sang and we ate cake and we gave him gifts.  And I insisted he let me take his picture.  And because he's nicer to me, he obliged.  And I got this.  Best picture ever.  No, it's not portfolio-worthy.  Lighting, composition, white-balance... all off.  But I love it.  This is my boy.

He's handsome, obviously.  That smile and those crinkly smile-eyes.  Knock your socks off handsome.

But there's more.  That look?  That's his, "What is my mother doing?" look.  I see it a lot.  Apparently, I'm pretty entertaining.  Probably a little embarrassing, too.  Good.  I'm supposed to be.  I am, after all, the mother of a teenager.

Then there's the hastily thrown on sweatshirt.  He doesn't wear a shirt to bed - or any other time he can get away without it.  Because, "Mom, why would anyone wear a shirt if they don't have to?"

And the superman pajamas he wears almost every night.  He's a little embarrassed by them.  Enough so that, when convinced he was about to be mauled by a bear at scout camp, he took the time to change out of the pjs (and put on a shirt).  Because he couldn't meet at the flagpole wearing superman pajamas.  And besides, "if the bear got us, that would be so embarrassing."  I'm pretty sure he meant the pants, not the bear-mauling.

Oh, and next to him?  That's Huggy Bear, the teddy bear he's slept with every night since his fifth birthday.  Except for scout camp, of course.

He's tough.  He's brave.  He's super smart.  He's a hard worker.  He's an athlete, a scholar, a talented cello player.  He's the best big brother there ever was.  He's helpful.  He's funny.  He's kind.  He's empathetic.  He's mine.

Happy Birthday Jake.  I'm so glad you were born.