10 Years of Happy Birthdays

Today is my eldest’s birthday… he is 10. My nickname for him, when I do bother to call him by one, is Brown Bear. Of my three, he is the darkest, the one that looks the most like my husband’s Italian heritage. Deep brown eyes, dark hair, and skin that browns a beautiful bronze in the sun, kind heart, infectious belly laugh, and a voracious appetite for books… that is my oldest boy. He doesn't like the girls now, but in time, he will be fighting them off... he will be 5'6", broad shouldered, lean muscled and will have a deep throaty laugh.

It is hard to believe he is 10 today. 10 years ago at 9PM I became a parent. I won’t go into the whole birth thing as it wasn’t easy and rather miserable to be honest; you know you’re body has been through hell when the first thing the doctor says when the baby’s head pops out is, “Whoa. Big Head.”

And… from there… most of his nicknames his first year dealt with the fact he had a big head. “HEED!” from So I Married an Axe Murderer was frequent. My brother took to calling him Pangea at one point… as you could see this ridge on top of his big round head and it's just what if looked like. He still has the ridge. He had so many nicknames, that by his first birthday, he wasn’t sure what his real name was in fact. Two stuck: Little G (as he is named for his father and their name starts with ‘G’) and Brown Bear, as he is brown skinned and has this sweet fuzz on his back.

So… since he is 10… I will list 10 things I love about my boy. Not the top 10, just 10.

· I love how he belly laughs to the point he nearly cries.
· I love how he already sees the absurdity of things and is able to laugh at it.
· I love how he loves to read.
· I love how he smells all mosty toasty when he wakes up in the morning.
· I love how he has a little swirly patch of fuzz on his cheek and wonder how his beard will grow there one day.
· I love how he still can’t stand girls, but shyly admitted to me that there is one he talks to… because he can.
· I love how he knows about ‘things’ but still believes in Santa.
· I love when I ask him to stick with his 8 year old brother for a minute while I run into a restroom with the youngest, he puts his arm protectively around his brother’s shoulders.
· I love how he doesn’t hesitate to hold his brothers’ hand when he’s in a store… he will take their hand to guide and protect them.
· I love that he’ll still curl up next to me on the couch and snuggle for kisses.

My heart aches with the love I have for my boy. Happy Birthday to my Brown Bear.