Andy's Four in Four Days!

Four years ago today, I was thinking, "Tomorrow is my due date, I am so unbelievably ready for this kid to come out."  Four years ago tomorrow, I had my last day of work before maternity leave and went home with slight contractions, thinking, "Okay, this is it.  He'll be here by tonight!"  I called the doctor, went in for a stress test, and it was nothing.  Chris and I went home, watched "Avatar," and I went to bed hoping that I'd wake up in the ever so gentle throes of labor.  Four years ago two days from now, we went to the library and out for breakfast as if it were any normal day.  I blinked back tears when the librarian said something about my books being "due," as I was starting to feel a little sensitive about that word.  Four years and three days from now, I took a long walk around the neighborhood feeling like maybe I could exercise the baby out.  Four years and four days from now, I finally went in for my induction and had my baby after what can only be described as the most excruciatingly awful experience of my life.  Excruciatingly awful, that is, until they finally gave me that little (8 lb, 5 oz) baby to hold.  That baby that immediately stopped crying in my arms and just gazed up at me with contentment.

And now that boy is turning four.  Four days from now.

Is anybody still with me, or did I lose you with all the numbers?  I know my head is spinning.

See that kid on the diving board?

And so Andrew Jacob is turning four on Saturday.  Today I watched him during his second day of swim lessons, or at least tried to while I alternated between cajoling Alex out of the men's locker room and hauling his wriggly little body away from the pool area that we were not supposed to be in.  I'm sorry, Alex, swim lessons are for when you get a little older.  Unless you keep bothering me, in which case I will skip the swim lessons in favor for something less exciting, such as tuba or knitting or knitting while playing the tuba.  No offense if you really enjoy playing the tuba or knitting; I tried the knitting briefly when I went through my scarf phase and I quickly realized that, for 2% of the effort, I could just go buy an already knit scarf that wasn't all lopsided and unraveled and didn't smell like red wine and swearing.  I never tried the tuba- too heavy.

Where was I?

Andy jumped off the diving board today, completely fearless and trusting in his ability to make it out alive one way or another- due to either his own swimming prowess or the competence of his teachers.  To me, this is a huge deal, and I was so proud of his bravery.  He did it a couple times, and as I watched the little boy who was once my little baby go splashing off the board into the deep end, my heart swelled with pride.

Lately, I've been so proud of Andy, in a more significant way than I was proud of him as a baby or toddler. I am watching him become a great kid.  Aside from being brave, he is smart and funny.  I mean, this kid is really smart and really funny.  He has a mind like a steel trap, and he uses logic and reasoning to come up with excellent questions and explanations.  And he cracks me up, and not on accident.  He knows how to be funny and very accurately points out things that ARE funny, deeply funny.  I think one day Andy will have a blog to end all blogs.  He will be the successful blogger in the family, in addition to all of the other extremely successful things he will likely do, such as climb a really big mountain and learn how to pause and play his own TV shows.

Smart, funny, handsome.  Kind, gentle, sympathetic.  Brave, independent, loves croutons. A good big brother and a good friend.  A little set in his routine, becoming upset if we skip Quiet Time for the day or stay out of the house too long.  But I can get on board with that.  I love the kind of kid that's content with playing cars alone or watching a semi-appropriate amount of TV while Alex naps and Mommy "works." Which is what I call it when I'm on the computer, but is clearly a lie since being online only tends to cost me money, not make any.  Damn you Ebates.

Andy, as you like to say, I love you as much as a crocodile in outer space.  That's what you say to me, and I think the comparison is meant to evoke feelings of BIGNESS.  Sometimes it's a rocket in outer space.  Or a forest in outer space.  I get it, though.  I love you as much as various animals/ objects in outer space too. Probably a little more.

Happy fourth birthday, big kid.  In four days.