Fourteen Years Ago, I Met You

November 22, 2010

Bright and early, you made your arrival into this world fourteen years ago today. Just like your sister before you and your sister after, you thought it best to come on the scene after keeping your mama up all night. At three in the morning we arrived at St. Agnes Hospital, since I decided I'd do most of my laboring at home. We were progressing quite nicely, and everyone was predicting a six a.m. birth. I thought that was perfect, since your sister had made her arrival at 6:01 a.m. three and a half years before. But that time came and went, and the doctors finally had to admit it--you were stuck! With some extra intervention and with great relief to all, you were born at 6:30--all 9 lbs., 3 oz. of you. Perfect little fingers and toes, no hair, and tiny translucent eyebrows that were almost invisible unless you looked carefully.

We named you Nicholas Taylor because it's the only name your dad and I both liked. We had no back-up names, no what-if-he-doesn't-actually-look-like-a-Nicholas names on deck. I was pretty fond of Steven as a possibility, since that's your dad's middle name. Turns out, your dad doesn't like his middle name at all. Your dad lobbied pretty hard for Liam, a name which just looks to me like someone forgot to write the whole name. He also threw his own name into the ring. But William? It sounds so formal for a tiny little baby. And Billy doesn't work for me, nor does Willie, which is what they called your dad as a child. As a nickname, they called him Willie Lump Lump. Maybe you had to be there in order for that to be cute, but I wasn't there, and it wasn't cute. I didn't want to saddle you with that nickname, too. We also let Brianna throw out a few choices. She really was hoping for a baby sister, so I thought maybe if she felt she was part of the naming process, she might bond more easily with the new addition to the family. Bear in mind that Bree was only three and a half at the time. If she had had her choice, we would be calling you Simba or Figaro, names of animals from two of her favorite Disney movies. We opted to go another direction.
So Nicholas you were, and Nicholas you remain (despite your gradual transition to the more 'manly' Nick over the years, your mama named you Nicholas, and you will always be Nicholas to me). It's been incredible to watch you grow over the years, from an energetic, kinetic, whirling dervish of a little boy to a mature, responsible, respectful young man. You showed real creativity and aptitude for building and creating as a tiny little guy, and today you are talking about studying engineering or architecture when you go off to college. You tower over me, and your voice is deep and booming, but my little boy is still there in my gentle giant every time you hug me or tell me you love me. I love that you are so loving and affectionate, and that you love to explore science and history, and that you are so gentle and caring with those who are younger than you. I love that you still love Legos and Star Wars and soccer and video games. You are at that unique time in your life when you are straddling the worlds of childhood and adulthood, and as you continue to grow and challenge yourself and find the person you want to be in your future, I hope you never forget to bring along with you that loving, innocent, sweet child-like heart. You are a wonderful young man with so many doors opening up before you. I'm so thankful I get to come along with you on the journey.
Happy birthday, Sweet Pea. Mom loves you!