Happy Birthday, Boom!

Eleven isn't a very big milestone. It wouldn't seem like anything special occurs when turning eleven. So why did I wake up this morning and feel like he grew overnight?? This once chubby, grey-eyed, quietly charming baby boy is now a skinny, grey-eyed, quirky and often loud man-child. He is our thinker. He is our special one. Oh, yes, they are all special. But something about Boom has always brought out the fiercely protective mama bear side in me quicker than any of them. Maybe it's the fact that he has eyes that seem wise beyond his years. Maybe it's his unusual way of stating things in ways that makes even the smartest adult stop and ponder a point. Maybe it's the way his stoic attitude refuses to cry when he is hurt, but you can see his pain in every pore. Maybe it's the way he wants to comfort someone who is hurting, probably because he feels their pain with such empathy. Maybe it is how he looks at life and just...goes for it. He amazes me with the questions he asks, the statements he makes, the man I see him becoming. But...I still see the baby boy, too. So for now, while eleven seems so young, maybe inconsequential. I celebrate it. I celebrate my baby boy, my man-child. My Boom. Happy Birthday, my special one.