Happy Birthday Baby!

Today Jacob turns 8. It's kind of crazy to think about having an 8 year old! 8 years ago I don't think I really thought about having an 8 year old. In all reality at the time, I probably didn't think much past the baby's next feeding, next diaper change or how engorged I was. But today he's 8...and yet all those new baby concerns feel like only days ago, I still remember them all so clearly.

Of course this year J's birthday falls on a "daddy day" and I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't get to talk to him today because his father is always so great about letting me talk to the boys when they are with him. But this morning he called me, all he said was "Hi" and I knew what he was waiting for. I wished him happy birthday and then again he was silent. I asked him if he was ok and in his usual J manner said "yup" I knew what he was going to ask because he asks the same thing every year on his birthday, just normally he's with me for that day. A few more moments of silence and then we had this conversation:

J: Mom, tell me what time I was born at?
Me: 5:26am
J: in the morning?
Me: yes, in the morning!
J: Tell me how long you were awake for before I was born?
Me: the whole day before and the whole night before.
J: Tell me who was there
Me: well, everybody. Everybody was so excited to meet you that they all waiting at the hospital with me until you got here. Daddy was there. Grammie and Poppa, Sissy, Nanna and Grandpa. Even Dr. Millar stayed all night just to meet you.
J: how happy were you when I finally was born?
Me: J, mommy was so happy that she thought her heart was going to explode with happy.

Every year on the boys birthdays I tell them the story of the day they were born and we look at pictures of when they were babies. I figured with J being at his dad's and being an 8 year old boy he would probably just forget, I mean really...how many times does a kid want to hear the same story??? But I guess he likes hearing "his story" as much as I like telling it. Telling a story about the day your world changed forever is a great thing to be able to tell...it's even more amazing when someone else wants to hear it just as much.

Happy Birthday Jacob, mommy loves you.