Fast Forward

54 Weeks

If you happen to read books about babies, you'll note that they all devote extra pages to thwart expectations about a child's first birthday. A kid turning one does not mean a magical switch will flip making him or her officially a functioning aware member of the human toddler race. They don't wake up the morning of their birthday party and say, "Hello Mommy. I'd like a piece of cake now." Time is a mental construct and diapers need to be changed sometimes even while they are being changed.

However, Ren did wake up calling me, "Mama" on the morning of his birthday party and that day, I swear you could see his mind evolving right through the pupils of his eyes. He played with his cousins and new toys with intense curiosity. I think he looked up maybe once to make sure Greg and I were around. There is nothing more satisfying than watching your kid do a thing on his own. Anything on his own.

Of course, I might be impressed by different things he calls me when he becomes a teenager. Poor kid. I'm so fumblingly in love with him I will spend most of his life accidentally embarrassing him and our family. I'm preparing myself now for the barrage of eye rolls that he inherited from me circa 1989. You're welcome, parents.

13 Years