Nine

It was weather like this when Jack decided to enter the world,

three weeks early... 

Bags of frozen peas and buckets of ice water

were the only remedies to my immense cankles. 

Tom was test driving an armored car that day

 and was so excited to drive me to the hospital in it...

Too bad it was midnight

and he did not have to drive on the shoulder

or flash the lights...

 

After nineteen hours of fun, he arrived, 

all 7 1/2 pounds of John Fitzgerald Herlihy,

and he changed our world forever... 

And he still is.... 

Nine years today...

It feels like three years,

although some days it feels much longer... 

I should have known he would be my wild one... 

Jack crawled like a soldier crossing a minefield,

dragging one leg... 

And when I held him,

all he wanted to do was bounce... 

He tested the durability of his exer-saucer

and he tested our nerves with his joyful screams... 

He is like a border collie who needs to be exhausted

by the end of the day...

He eats every 23 minutes...

does your child do that?

He lives to drive his sister (and me) nuts...

does your kid do that?

He gives hugs so spontaneously

and will still hold my hand (if no one is looking)...

He gets excited about pasta and Ragu  (awesome)

My sweet, intelligent, crazy child is

athletic,

nerdy,

stubborn,

silly,

sensitive,

spendthrifty

music lovin'

and all I could have hoped for... 

Happy Birthday, Lovey....