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Thursday, May 02, 2013

my thoughts on raising an-almost teenager: aj turns 12

things have been crazy up and down all around lately with trying to get things ready in the new house and actually moving in.
crazy, but crazy - good.

in the middle of all of this, my baby boy turned 12.
say what? 12? how on earth is this even happening! i could not possible be as old as that.
but alas i am.

i can certainly remember it like it was yesterday.

i didn't know that i would have a difficult delivery and come close to losing my baby boy.
i didn't know that i would be rushed into the operating room to have an emergency c-section.
i didn't know that adam wouldn't have even be in the room when aj was born
and honestly...i didn't even know things were so serious until after the fact because of the way my amazing doctor/friend handled the whole thing. just perfectly.

he was born 2 weeks early.
and the first night i took him home he screamed and screamed and screamed.
i remember singing to him. crying with him. and asking him what he wanted me to do?!?!!?
i did not sleep for one second that first night.
we spent the next 18 months holding him every night to get him to sleep.
yep. i was that mom.
if you decide to judge me, that's fine. but i don't regret it and i wouldn't go back and change it.
i cherished every single moment holding him. rocking him. rubbing his head...
knowing that those moments would not last for long.
and while we're talking about "those kinds of moms" my boys had pacifiers until they were 4.
you can judge for that too, but again...don't regret it.
i love pacifiers. i love how they calmed my boys. and i love how they look.
i would let them have them still if it wouldn't be totally wacky.
haha...i may be that mom. but i am not that mom!

aj is pretty much adam in the flesh.
i mean...it's almost scary.
he is easily 2 inches taller than me.
he currently shares clothes with adam (not always on purpose)
he is very...unhurried.
takes everything in stride, and has a very happy outlook on life.
he is unselfish and easily gives up what he wants for someone else.

he still loves to give me hugs...even in public.
he is incredibly athletic. like. in a crazy way.
he is good at everything. from ping-pong to tennis to basketball to soccer.
he is getting really good at playing the piano.
he loves ice cream...just like his mom.
but hates cake...just like his dad.
his favorite meal is spaghetti and meatballs.
he is a great reader and loves reading the hardy boys. (he has almost every single one.)
he loves oregon sports, and his favorite color is green.
he loves his aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents.
his laugh. oh his laugh. i can't stop smiling just thinking about it.
i am tearing up just writing this and seeing all the amazing qualities he has and thinking of how incredibly blessed i am that God blessed our family with aj.
he is a great big brother.
an awesome big cousin to the little ones
and he is always ready to say sorry after he has done something that he knows he shouldn't do.
if you've spent any time with aj...you love him.
end of story.

i don't really feel like there is a big difference in raising your kids, no matter their age.
i mean, there obviously is...but the basics are the same:
it's still just about consistency.
open communication.
lots of affection.
lots of laughing.
and always, always going back to the Bible to figure out what we are supposed to be doing.
and teaching my boy that HE can always go back to the Bible to figure out how he is supposed to handle me as a mom!! ha!
i love being a mom. it brings me so much joy every single day.


my sweet aj. i pray for you every single day.
i pray that you will be a strong leader. that you will stand for what's right no matter who else follows. i pray that you will stay pure in your thoughts and in your actions. i pray that God will use you in incredibly amazing ways and that you will be able to change the world with the power of God in you.
i am so proud of you. like, beyond words proud of you. you make me happy and incredibly proud. you make me feel better when i am sad, and you always know how to make me smile. i am honored to be your mom and i know that i am so so lucky to have you.
i will always love you.
always.










1 comment:

  1. Loved reading this post, as you know;) my eyes were not dry lets just put it that way. I love our aj so much. Even though he's getting way too big. :)

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