Big Brother is Growing Up

Big Brother turned 10 yesterday. It was a good birthday. We spent the day together with his friends seeing a movie with lots of military guys and explosions. His kind of flick. Then we ate pizza. His kind of food. And to finish the day, the boys had a big afternoon at the pool. His kind of exercise. So it was easy for me. My kind of party.

As I watched him throughout the day, my mind was flooded with memories of him from the last 10 years. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Big Brother loved his Winnie the Pooh Bear. We had it in his crib when he was born and he immediately bonded with that bear. He loved it, he hugged it, he talked to it, he needed it. When the bear got left somewhere, we had to go back and get it. He rubbed part of the fur off of the paw because he would rub his mouth and nose with the paw to relax or go to sleep. Bear was his stress relief. We loved bear too. Bear was the embodiment of Big Brother. Bear was cuddly and soft and happy and comforting. Just like Big Brother. They were a package deal...where there was one, there was the other. When Little Man came along and started to be aware of Bear, he was always "borrowing" him. The problem was that Little Man did not necessarily care about where he left Bear when he was done with him. One day we took a wagon ride, with Big Brother pulling and Little Man riding in the wagon with Bear. Somehow, somewhere during the ride, Little Man tossed Bear out of the wagon. We didn't notice until that afternoon that Bear was gone. When we finally realized what had happened and feverishly retraced our path, Bear was nowhere to be found. We even put up "missing" posters with Bear's picture. Bear was never recovered. Big Brother shed a few tears and we gave him a stuffed rabbit to sleep with that night and he got over the whole thing in a matter of a day or two. Big Man and I however, still mourn the loss of Bear. It was like we lost part of Big Brother when we lost Bear.

• When Big Brother was little, I was always worried about him choking on his food. He would eat fast and not always chew good. So sometimes he would kind of cough or gag on a big bite and I would always panic and ask him if he was choking. (My husband teases me about the asking thing, but I was trained in CPR as a hostess at a steakhouse - people always choke on meat! - and that's one of the first things they teach is ask the person if they are choking before you do anything. Google it. Anyway, like a toddler would know or even answer, but it's what I did and I was a new mom, so give me a break!) So apparently I asked him if he was choking alot because one day we stopped to get an Icee while we were driving home and I looked over to see Big Brother holding his head and making these twisted, painful faces. "You okay, buddy?" I asked. He looks up at me with this squished up face and says "I choking. I choking. My head, Mommy! I choking." I immediately recognized the signs of Brain Freeze and busted up laughing. He looked back at me, kind of puzzled..."I okay?"

Yep Big Brother. Yer better than okay. You are the most amazing boy any mother could ask for and you have brought me more joy in 10 short years than I have experienced in my entire 45 years of life. Because of you, I am a better person (and yes, a little fatter...you forgot to take your house - my stretched out belly - with you when you were born). I try harder and I love deeper. You are kind and forgiving and accepting and loving and funny and you light up the world when you smile. While I have had the greatest honor of bringing you into this world, you have given me so much more...You gave me life, son.

Happy Birthday Big Brother.