Ten years ago, I was 27 years old. I was living in Davison, Michigan, substitute teaching, and driving a Pontiac Aztek.
Ten years ago, it was 2003. I had spent the first part of that year moving into a new home. A brand new house. I chose furniture to fill the rooms and curtains for the windows and artwork for the walls. And then, in August, I got to paint one room BLUE. Baby blue.
I remember the day I found out I was having a boy. Up until that point, I had just been happy to have something growing inside me. In an instant, my outlook changed. My life would soon be filled with cars and trucks and trains and dinosaurs and dirt and bugs. A boy. A big brother to any more children I might have.
A few short months later, he was here. Owen.
After the birth, which you can read about here, I remember sitting alone in my hospital room with him. Aside from the disbelief that I had just birthed another human, I couldn't get over the fact that they were going to let ME, someone who had no experience with babies, just take that tiny little bundle home and figure everything out. No rules, just go. I was someone's mother now.
If there ever was a textbook baby, Owen was that. He slept well, he ate well, he sat up on schedule, crawled on schedule, walked on schedule. He was a good baby.
Then, all of a sudden, he wasn't a baby anymore. He was a little boy. A little boy who loved cars and trucks and trains and dinosaurs and dirt and bugs.
And while some kids might outgrow these things, Owen has not. If he's not outside digging up worms or collecting insects or catching minnows in the creek, he's inside reading about sharks and tornadoes and volcanoes.
Is he still playing basketball? Yes.
He's also added a new sport: Swimming.
If you're a parent, I'm sure you've taken your kids to endless practices for extra-curricular activities, and your number one thought is, "WHEN IS THIS PRACTICE GOING TO END?!" That's not the case when it comes to Owen and swimming. When he is in the water, he transforms. His awkwardness is gone, his shyness is gone and he is amazing. I don't know very much about swimming or strokes or diving, but I'll tell you this: Owen makes it look effortless. I look forward to his practices every week. I love watching him, eager to see his progress.
He's in fourth grade. He wants to be an entomologist when he grows up. He is soft-spoken, until he has something he wants you to hear. He has a great sense of humor. He loves Star Wars. He loves guns, knives and swords. He drinks a half cup of milk in the kitchen before bed every night. He'll eat his weight in steak if you'll let him. His mind is filled with endless trivia. He is the best big brother I could've ever imagined having for my children.
Today, Owen is ten.
Ok, you've done it again; I'm sitting here crying like a baby and I didn't even read the part yet about his birth (read about it here). I remember that day oh so well. Dad and I were at the Buick Open waiting for you and Jason to tell us what you found out from the ultrasound. There is nothing quite like hearing the words "boy" come out of your mouth to make the whole pregnancy finally seem real. I remember we left the guys at Gram's and you and I went to Toys R (backwards) Us to pick out BOY things. When I shut the door, in my haste, I cut my upper arm, leaving a 4" sideways cut (a scar I still proudly wear) that left my arm dripping with blood. When customers in the store came up and asked if I knew my arm was bleeding, my reply was "she's having a BOY". There is nothing quite like being a grandparent and I love all 10 of mine but there's something about that very first baby and hearing the very first cry from outside the hospital room with the other set of grandparents, that sends tears running right down our cheeks! So now Owen is 10! You now know how quickly 10 years goes. In that same amount of time, he will be out of your house and in college (enjoying his bug studies). Cherish every moment, even the very busy ones, because time doesn't stop; it just seems to go faster and faster. So Happy Birthday to our Owen, Owey, Obi One! What would we do without you? Papa and I love you!
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