Look Who's Five!

Today my baby boy is 5. Big pout! I hate 5. I hated when Alyssa turned 5 too. Of course I feel very blessed to have had 5, 10, 50 years with my babies but 5 is the first birthday where they become a kid to me. When you say "my son is 5" no one thinks, oh how cute you have a little one. Five sounds school aged. It sounds grown up. I am so thrilled at the idea of these kids growing up and having years and years and years of life, but I am just not ready.

Ready or not, he is 5. Little Alex.

Alex was born in the craziest time. We were offered a new job, moved our stuff cross country, stayed with family, without our stuff, in Utah, then in California, then we moved in to a rental house in Wisconsin, sold the Utah house, house shopped in Wisconsin, and finally landed right here, all in his first couple months of life. Everything was rushed and hectic and now I find that I desperately want to go back and just hold my baby.

I really love Alex. It is no secret that Alex can drive me a little crazy. He is physically very trying but emotionally he causes me nothing but joy. When I look at Alex I can see all the way to his soul and it is magnificent. I look in his eyes and I know exactly where he came from. Alex has the most pure and beautiful spirit, and no, I don't mean that in a "he has a great personality" kind of a way. Alex is adorable, no doubt, but he also radiates something special and unique.

I have seen so many changes in Alex in his fifth year of life. He has learned so much and grown so much. His vocabulary has quadrupled, but luckily he still talks in his heavenly sing-song baby voice. His imagination has taken flight. I am amazed at all the things he builds and creates and I am in love with his creativity. Alex will sit and play games with me now, or sing songs, or read stories, or draw pictures. Alex is still more energetic than the general public but he is learning to focus. He learned all his letters and letter sounds, by himself. Alex likes to learn most things by himself. He has learned that we ride in elevators and not alligators. He has learned that Bumblebee is a Transformer and not a san-fo-mo. He has had a big year.

The most prominent, and cutest, change in Alex this past year has been that he fell in love. With me. I know most boys go through this stage but I have found it so amusing. Alex tells me everyday that I am prettiful and every 21 seconds that he loves me. (No one tell him that prettiful isn't a word because it is my favorite!) He spent several months declaring his intentions to marry me someday. One day Alyssa couldn't take it anymore and said in a rather exasperated manner, "ALLLEEEXXX...she is your mom, you CAN'T marry her." I wondered if his feelings would be hurt, but without missing a beat he came back with, "Can we date?" So cute! For months we would be eating dinner or driving to school and he would say, "we are on a date mommy". Cute, cute,cute! Alex will jump up from whatever he is doing to give me a hug and a kiss. One day Alex and Seth were making cookies and I came in to the kitchen. I extended an invitation, "Hi buddy, do you want to give me a kiss?" Seth didn't even look up, but Alex drew in a huge gasp of air and proclaimed "YEEEESSS!" We just laughed and Seth said, while shaking his head, "that boy really loves his momma". He really does. I once said that no one has ever needed me as much as Alyssa needs me. It is quite possible that no one loves me as much as Alex loves me.

Although Alex still loves me dearly, I think his affection is moving out of the crush stage. I think there may even be another woman on the horizon. The other day Taylor Swift was singing on TV and he stared, mouth agape, through the entire number. When she was done he asked me, "Do you think her has a boyfriend? Her probably has a boyfriend. I probably can't date her." Then he was off to playing again.

No matter. Girls will come and go, but I loved him first. I love him most.

Happy Birthday Little Man!