My boy is 9 years old!!!

My firstborn turned 9 years old on February 9th. I can hardly believe it! Looking at him, you'd think he's a lot older, he's just so tall and everything....
....but I still see that chunky 9 pound baby I met one snowy morning in Kansas. The one who was too big for all the cute newborn clothes I bought and forced me to go get 3 to 6 month sized clothes the day we got home. The one who outgrew newborn sized diapers his first week home. The one who screamed and cried that same first day home until I realized that he was going to need more than what the mama milk supply was giving him. He happily chugged formula like a pro.

I see the cute little guy who sat through really loud football games with me, no matter how hot or cold it was out there. He'd sit in nothing but a diaper through the sweltering heat of Phoenix, and got lost in layers during snow storms in Charlotte and Denver. He always fell asleep in my arms by half time, and amazed everyone around us as he snored while 70,000 fans screamed and cheered. I don't think he even knew why we were there until he was 3 or 4, or why it was such a big deal when they'd say daddy's name and he'd come running out of the tunnel. Of course, by the last year in Denver he was helping daddy sign autographs after the game. He thought that was pretty fun.

I see the cute little guy who would bring me his toys and pat me on the back when I was pregnant with Bella and always so sick. He'd entertain himself when I was too tired to play, or snuggle with me when I needed a hug. He was my little buddy who always kept me company while Mario was away at training camps, practices or games. It was just the two of us a lot of the time. His handsome smile was all I needed to get me through a lonely day. He's always had an older soul to me, a depth in his eyes that told he from the moment I met him that I had known him before this life, and that I would learn a lot from being his mom.

I loved watching him with his baby sister for the first time, how he'd just sit and stare at her with wonder. And even though they can really get into it, at the end of the day, they are best friends.

I'm so proud of him as he's overcome his shyness and begun to really grow during these school years. It was pretty hard for him to get use to being gone from mom all day, when that's all he had ever known. But he's become such a good student. And as he realizes his natural talent for football and music, I smile at the idea that he really is a continuation of both parents. He is the embodiment of the best attributes we could pass on, and I'm so thankful for that. I love my little guy.