The Joys of a Baby Boy

Phew, I made it! Summer Vacation 2014 has arrived and is in full swing. This was my third year closing out a the school year and it doesn't seem to get any easier. Why is there so much paper work?  It never feels like all the work is going to get finished and then some how it magically comes together and I am standing in the middle of  a bare bones room when it hits me - it's all done. 

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I'm still in shock that summer break is here. Maybe it's because I have 2 and 1/2 glorious months with my son. I never got that 6 weeks of maternity leave with him.I'm just beyond happy that I have more time to keep falling in love with this precious soul. 

The Baby Monster is 9 months old. He blows me away. Everyday he reveals a new facet of his personality. I had a feeling it was going to be a big, mischievous and sweet personality from the moment he was born, but in the past couple of months, as he's started transitioning from infant to toddler, he has confirmed it. 

A few of my friends and a cousin are going to have (or just had) baby boys. It really got me thinking about how lucky I am to mother a son. I always thought I was going to have a little girl first. The day of the ultrasound when I found out that I was going to have a boy left me feeling a little deflated  as well as shocked and confused. Every day dream that starred mommy and daughter playing Barbies, having tea, dressing up and getting our nails done flew out the window. All I kept wondering is how could I raise a little boy? How did being a mommy to a little boy work? I had to accept that tea cups needed to stay in the cupboard, manis and pedis would be done alone, and Barbies would stay boxed up in my closet. Instead it meant embracing trains, trucks, baseball, soccer or any other sport that I a look into the life and workings of what it means to be a little guy. He’s such a bruiser and I can see the mischief in his eyes. Like any little boy, and yes, starting a very young age, he smiles when he passes gas and enjoys making all those silly bodily sounds on his own- on my arm, on my leg, on the couch. It cracks my husband and me up! I've never laughed so hard in my life. He makes me laugh all the time.

What makes having a little boy special is that you see the rough and tumble part and then you, only you, are allowed to see the sweet part that indicates you have a little gentleman on your hands. It’s also the venerable, innocent side that  many guys have but refuse to let us women see. It’s the smile he gives you because you’re his everything, that little kiss (or slobber) on the cheek, the hug that he gives you because he never wants to let go. Oh, and just wait until he says “mama’ for the first time. My heart was ready to burst from all the love and joy that filled it when I heard that two syllable word. I've realized that I will be my little boy’s first love. There is a sacred bond formed between mama and son from the moment he’s brought into the world.

The moment his big, bright eyes looked into mine I was hooked. There was an unspoken agreement where he let me know that he would trust me, love me and bring all the joy in the world so long as I was there to take care of him and be the person who would always love him back. I will. I always will.