Tritan's 12!

Tritan turned 12 this week. Was it really 12 years ago that he was a new-born infant, and I was a new mom struggling to nurse, nervous about his jaundice, and yet so proud of my little man. I never liked to babysit much but with Tritan, I felt like his mom right away. Bathing him, rocking him, burping him, felt like I'd been doing it for a thousand years. That's not to say I didn't have my struggles: I had to learn what his cries meant, learn what calmed him, learn how much to feed him and when. For the first time in my life, my sole responsibility was taking care of him. I wasn't in school, I wasn't working, and it was a struggle to know how I should be spending my time. What do you do with an infant that sleeps the better part of a day only to wake to eat and then sleep again? But we figured it out. While being a stay-at-home mom has not always been easy, being a mom is the best.

Here are some things that I love about Tritan:

• He has always been a good eater. When he was a toddler in AZ, he would salsa right out of the bowl! Now he gulps down half a pizza, a quarter-pound cheeseburger, or bowl of spaghetti without a problem. He loves soup: Italian Wedding Soup, Chili, or Clam Chowder are particular favorites. He loves Cheesestakes, too (we are in S. Jersey!)


• He is really good at figuring out technology. He loves to spend time on the computer and can even design his own games. His school teachers say if they ever need help with their computer programs they just go to Tritan instead of tech-help.


• He is an imaginative artist. He has a unique style of drawing and loves to draw comic-books. But I also think he has a great eye for colors and what goes well together.


• He is a great helper and very obedient. He usually comes running when I call him. He is a good example for his younger brothers and sister.


• He is very funny. He loves to take colloquial sayings and make them literal. He loves Calvin and Hobbes.
  
• In Alabama, he ran a kid's marathon, one mile at a time. I took him to the track with me on Sat. mornings sometimes and we'd run a lap or two together. I enjoyed running with him and the conversations we would have.

Now he is 12, going to middle school, and getting the Priesthood. A friend at church said, "I always cringe when the kids graduate from primary; they're not safe anymore." She has older kids, and so maybe she knows something I don't, but I think he's going to do great. Sure, I'm nervous about sending him to middle school, but there are so many more opportunities for him. We had a rough time with him when we moved here 2 years ago--I think he feels comfortable and confident now and he'll only get happier and more accomplished as the years go on.

We went to an all-you-can eat buffet for his birthday and today he graduated from Primary, received his Faith in God award, and received the Priesthood. It was great to have Grandma Linda and Grandpa Bob here for it. I hope he knows how proud of him we are!