The Days Are Long But The Years Are Short

 

 

Can someone please tell me how my son is 14 today?

Like how is this picture from my baby’s first birthday in 2004, 13 years ago?!

He was so excited to wear this airbrushed Elmo shirt (and king crown!) on his birthday.

Or maybe he didn’t care about his Elmo shirt and it was just me who was excited. 

He was my best little pal back then you know. He could always be found attached to my hip and had major separation issues when preschool started but now he is too embarrassed to be seen with me which means we can’t go to Chopt for salads anymore. Whatever.

The days are long but the years are short. That is the story of motherhood.

Last year’s birthday post was really brief and overtaken by the Bar Mitzvah which was only a week away. I still don’t understand how the Bar Mitzvah has come and gone.

Gosh, I now feel old even though I’m not that old. I had my baby at 25 which was smart on my end without even realizing it (what did I know at 25?) because I don’t think I would have the strength at this age to keep up with the little boy that he was. I can barely keep up with the teenager he is now.

This kid. This little bunny who towers over me so tall now. He is the GREATEST kid there is. I understand he is mine so I have to say and think these nice things but really, if you knew him, you would understand and appreciate when I say the bunny is one of a kind. He will always be known as “the bunny” I don’t care how old he gets.

I knew he was something special fairly immediately too.

Adorable, funny, and super intelligent, with this unique charm and level of wit that lights up every room and area he enters. You will NEVER know he isn’t there, that’s for sure. The kid makes his presence known immediately.

Sometimes I wish he was shy.

You cannot miss his mouth or his larger than life personality which started the day he was born. He was the only baby screaming in the hospital nursery to the point where they kept attempting to keep him separate from the other newborns. When that didn’t work, they just brought him back to my room. I had no idea what I was in for, no idea at all. Maybe that was a good thing.

He was never one to cry though once he was out of that darn infant stage. Oh, no. Instead, he laughed at me (as he still does) as I chased him around.

I never had to deal with tantrums or the terrible two’s and he basically potty trained himself at a young age. I guess for these points alone I am grateful.

He is the kindest and sweetest boy, maybe not always to me but he puts on the charm everywhere he goes. The bunny knows how to act appropriately when he has to and then lets loose where it’s safe. He is extremely calculated, always has been. Like when he was 18 months old and figured out that if he yelled from his crib that he needed to use the bathroom, I would come get him.

Classic photo of my life when he was barely 3 years old. Head in a bucket at one of our barbecues. He was always into something and I think it was just to piss me off and keep me on my toes. I don’t think I sat down until he was 10.

He’s that kid who is loved by teachers even when they can’t stand him. He may even be the only child to receive both “a pleasure to have in class” and “disruptive in class” from the same teacher as comments in a progress report.

But that’s him. That’s Benji. He’s such a pleasure yet doesn’t stop talking but you don’t want to punish him because he’s so funny, smart and kind, not to mention he would argue his case until you gave up anyway. I give up and hide in my room on daily basis. 

Today’s Birthday Plans:

So every year on my son’s birthday, I get him a birthday balloon. It sounds so simple and silly but we all come to love the little traditions, you know?

I get the birthday balloon, make him a cute little goody bag and leave it out with a present and card for when he wakes up on birthday morning. I think back in the day, I used to get a few balloons but then he learned to use them as weapons so I dropped down to one lone balloon.

Last year actually, I skipped the one balloon all together because I wasn’t interested in dealing with him swinging it around but then he was upset that I didn’t get the balloon (he missed my tradition!) so we went together to Party City to pick one out.

So I got the darn birthday balloon for this morning which is currently tied to the kitchen chair (until he tears it off and we fight about allowing me to put it back in place).

Tonight’s birthday dinner plans haven’t been totally finalized just yet but we are going to Islanders opening night tomorrow night which is something we do every year as tradition around his birthday.

I love that I have the last four years of birthdays recapped here on the blog. 🙂

Birthday 2016

Birthday 2015

WIAW Birthday Edition 2015

Birthday 2014 – You Never Sleep Again

What We Ate Birthday 2014

Birthday Recaps Are Best Told In Food 2013

Have a great weekend!

Do you have any little birthday traditions? 

When is your birthday? Do you have a favorite restaurant you like to go to for your birthday?

3 things you are doing this weekend?