It's a BOY!

After praying, even begging God to give me a son back in 2003, Babe, Jay and I welcomed Nas into our lives on October 30, 2004.

Since day one I have been learning what it is to have a boy in the house, after all, I grew up with a sister and although we had cousins we grew up with, there's nothing quite like 24/7 life with a little boy. What's funny about Nas in particular, is that what makes him a boy has always been part of my learning about boys. Case in point, the day we found out we were having a boy the ultrasound technician said it was quite obvious that ours was a boy. She made sure to print the odd first photo with an arrow pointing at Nas' "obviously boy" parts.

On the day before we were to leave the hospital, Nas was circumcised so things were very tender down there. When we got home I went to change him and the stupid diaper got stuck on his newly cut 'pee-pee'. Because such a disaster had never happened with my first child, a girl, it hadn't even occurred to me so I pulled that diaper down the way I would any baby. And boy did my son cry...and then I cried. This new addition came with an extra part that I just didn't know how to care for!

When he was a couple months old I was up for one of his many every-two-hour feedings where I also changed his diaper. I opened the diaper and was greeted by what looked very much like a pinkie finger ready to pinkie swear with me. THAT was too much. Why couldn't his 'pee-pee' just lay there? I have never quite gotten over that shock and I find myself disturbed just recounting the story. I guess those little suckers are unpredictable from day one!

Well these days, Nas is no longer a baby, he's my six-year-old kindergartner who makes me laugh all the time. One night I was lotioning him after his bath and he shared some intimate details of his relationship with his 'pee-pee'. It is, in his words, his buddy - like he has "Teddy" his teddy bear and he has his 'pee-pee' to keep him company before he drifts off into la-la-land.

"I play with my buddy before I go to sleep," Nas told me.

So, a man is a man is a man was what I learned that night. I don't act stunned about the random things the kids tell me - my sister taught me that mom lesson. Honestly, I don't recall what I asked or said, but it was definitely nothing along the lines of "You'll go blind."

There are nights, even, when I go into his room to check on him only to find his hand in his underwear, staying close to his buddy - I guess. And I don't know if any of this is just boy stuff or if mine is a little quirkier than I know. But so much of having a son has revolved around the part that makes him a boy, I'm honestly worried about what is to come in the future. All I can say is, I'm glad I have one of each because this is one learning experience I don't need to repeat.