I Love You, My Boy

After Ezekiel was born, I was delighted to experience the clear differences between him and the girls, all of which developed organically, independent from any encouragement in that direction from John and I.  It was just plain enjoyable to watch him put a new spin on all the old toys and to express himself in ways unfamiliar to us.  "He sure is a boy!" I'd proclaim with a grin.

Then Aidan arrived.

Woo-eeee! Now he's a real sea-change!  Everything that Zeke exhibited is manifest tenfold in Aidan, plus some new doozies that not every boy's DNA contains, but some do (you know the ones, you may even have one yourself).  That poem about the little girl?  Take away the girl and the curl and replace them with a little, blond boy, and everything fits like clockwork.

He has exhausted me daily and emptied every last ounce.  From his first steps at not-quite-nine months, lazy parenting has never been an option; diligence and consistency are necessary.  But, man, as much he challenges my limits and abilities, is he ever a delight!   When he sits on my lap in the morning, into his ear I whisper, "I love you, my boy," and without skipping a beat, he wraps his arms around my neck and whispers, "I love you, my boy" right back. Nothing compares to his sweetness, and the spark our Little Fire set ablaze warms the deep parts.

We don't own any guns, so it follows that he's obsessed with guns (and swords and knives and cars and tractors and phones-- yup, he still loves phones), and when given a string of options, he repeatedly chose a Bang-bang cake above all else.

The big girls were gone on a date with John all day, so I let the little ones watch a daytime movie (what is this madness?).

 Oh, lookee.  A Bang-bang.

 And another half-hour cake.  Hey, I was busy all day!

 Aidan didn't even care, and when he first saw it after his nap, he showed his appreciation.

Laying claim with the exclamation, "MY Bang-bang cake!"

 My prayer and hope for you, Aidan Raphael, is not that God change what He perfectly gave but that He take your will and defiance and strength and channel it to just the right places as you grow and mature.  May you burn brightly in darkness and stand unyielding before evil, may you defy wrongdoers and strongly defend the poor and defenseless, and may your strength always be tempered with love.  Happy birthday, my boy!