Six Years Ago Today

Six years ago today I was sitting at my desk, at a law firm, in St. Louis, Missouri.

I was very pregnant, and while I felt it, I didn't realize how much I was letting others know.

I was on the phone with a client, and had been for about 10-15 minutes when finally the man said, "Well I can see that I am just annoying you, so I'll just go then!" I was completely shocked and while, most of the clients at that law firm were exasperating, I took pride in keeping my cool and not ever letting them know. This man was not one of those in the first place!

"Sir, I am not annoyed at all, I'm sorry if I've made you feel that I am, I assure you I am not."

"Well, you've sighed like twice every minute since we've started this conversation!"

It took a lot for me to hold my shock, laugh, and baby in, right at that moment.

"I am so sorry. I'm nine months pregnant and I really just can't breath anymore and I didn't realize I was trying to so loudly."

This time, 6 years ago, Bo was still a dream in our minds. While I felt his daily, 2pm hiccups, and his very rambunctious in utero activities....how he'd be, how he'd look, how we'd feel, how we'd manage was all just a great big idea in our heads.

I was nervous about delivering. J was nervous about having to deliver. He kept our car filled with gas at all times. I wondered if (and secretly hoped) Bo would be born with a nice shock of bright red hair. How could I have known then that the J-Nobody combination only makes one model--bald bald bald!

I remember feeling very sad to give up my first and truest love---sleep. This was a real sadness, one I genuinely mourned. So many people told me, "You'll never sleep the same again" and that was just depressing. What they failed to include is, "you learn to function very well, while sleeping". I'm pretty sure I've done some of my best parenting, while asleep.

Six years later.
I have a sass-mouth, smart, adorable, curious, heart-stealing five year old who tells people he's six. "Well, basically six" when he sees me give him the eye. Yesterday he asked me what the heck I thought I was doing, when I was making an illegal u-turn. A few moments later he told me I was crazy. "Se-wee-us-ly Mom, yo' totally cwazy."

He worries about the details.
He talks with his hands.
He expresses his feelings a zillion years after the fact. Just like his dad.
He thinks he's smarter than he is.
And I love it.
He wants to be perfect.
He's funnier than he thinks he is.
He's much more serious than I anticipated a child of mine would be.
He wants to wrestle, play basketball, swim, and play t-ball when he's in high school.
He brags.
He finally stopped eating boogers, and now wipes them...on stuff. (Come over, any time!)
He's that kid at Thanksgiving that finagles his way to the grown-up table and says things like, "Did you know that sharks skeletons are cartilage and that bald eagles aren't really bald?" to other grownups and lives for adult conversation.
He's a follower.
He's good at doing chores.
He laughs hard, and you can't help laughing too.
He still blames me for things I couldn't possibly have done. ("You made me lose the race" when I'm in the other room.)
He is always surprised when I tell him he has to wear underwear every day.
He "pretty much has the driving thing fig-yohed out".
He is sensitive to what you say and what you think of him.
He adores his dad.
He barely has red hair.
He's still my baby.

Maybe if you're lucky, I'll post tomorrow about "6 years ago tomorrow"-- labor and whatnot.

p.s. I know this is a post about Bo (and me, really, if I'm being honest) but this needs to be said. Avee just took a call from Max and this is what I heard:
"I know it's you Max. I can hear you. I KNOW it's YOU. I'm still not talking to you Max. No, I'm not! Just come over, I'll talk to you when you get here. Whatever, Max."

If you don't know me in real life, I do NOT talk like that. Ever. This is not a learned behavior. She 100% came this way.

p.p.s I just caught Danyo walking a Target bag full of stuff I just purchased yesterday, out to the trash. So helpful.