My Boy

Every year, on their birthday-eve, we have a ritual of going through each kid's baby book and photo album from the first year of their life. We tell them about how they were born, the interesting events of the day, and how much we looked forward to getting to know them once they were born. It's both sentimental ans sweet to look back on how much they've changed and grown.
I can vividly remember NOT wanting to be pregnant only 5.5 months after having had Mattie! I cried for weeks, as Tim rejoiced. It wasn't that I didn't want another child, it was that I didn't want another child THEN. One of the stranger parts of my pregnancy was the predictions Tim and I made about his birth date, time, and weight. we wrote them down when I was about 6 months pregnant. I *predicted* Jonah would be born on March 15th, at 12:43 PM, and he would weigh 7 Lbs. 14 oz. -- the actual facts were that he was born on March 15th at 1:00 PM and weighed one ounce less. Mother's intuition!!!
Jonah was exactly the child we needed. His easy-going personality and smile, goofy faces, and cuddly temperment just fit right into our family. He adored Mattie, even when she steam-rolled over him as a toddler. I can remember having him in a bassinette in our bedroom, and falling asleep to the sound of him suck-suck-sucking his thumb. This little baby turned into a boy overnight -- rough and tumble yet sweet and empathetic to others.
Happy 7th Birthday Jonah Bean! I love you.