HAPPY BIRTHDAY MASON!

Today my boy is seven! I can't believe it. I still remember that Thursday afternoon seven years ago when the contractions started. I kept drinking water and laying down on my left side so they'd stop. My sister, Amber, still makes fun of me for trying to stop "false labor"--it was my due date, after all. Anyway, a few hours later, the contractions were steadily 5 minutes apart and I knew there was no denying the inevitable: my baby was coming. I actually talked on the phone to my sister-in-law, Lindsey, who was in labor at the same time and my brother, Joel, whose birthday is tomorrow. Joel was a little weirded-out that he was going to share his birthday with two nephews. As things turned out, he only has to share with one. After an extremely uncomfortable ride to the hospital, the nurses checked me an pronounced me a "3." I literally sat up in horror/confusion/frustration/anger and said, "That's it?!" Luckily, there was a reason for the ridiculously-more-intense-than-Maia's-labor pains and I had my sweet baby boy in my arms in less than twenty minutes. Even with only his head out of the womb the nurses exclaimed, "This is a big baby!" And he was. He was 21 inches long and weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces. Two pushes and he was out--heaven.


Okay, only someone with very little vanity would even post such a photo of herself. The only reason this photo still exists is that it is such a great photo of my prego-belly. You gotta love the ankles, too.


Mason, my sweet boy, you are seven now and I hope I always remember how

*You read to your little sisters when they are sad
*You love to play computer and video games (this is a new thing)
*You and I have a deal; you are allowed to grow big as long as you'll always be my baby boy
*One time at school you earned a reward and your friend Ali didn't, so you gave him yours
*Your teacher, Mrs. A, says you are a great example to the other students of coming in and getting your work done right away
*Your favorite school subject is Math
*You weigh 62.5 pounds and are 51 inches tall--90% in both
*You give me kisses out of nowhere often
*You sing to Mackenna in your room at night
*You still don't like haircuts, but no longer cry while getting them
*You always make your bed without being asked or reminded
*You like me to imitate you singing your first song, Under the Sea ("Unnerdaseeee")
*You love riding your bike, riding your scooter, climbing trees and running
*You recently begged me to replace your tie-sneakers with Velcro ones (and I did)
*In your journal, you've copied verses of scripture and drawn pictures to go with them

I love you, Buddy!