The Best Birthday Present

 This is my little baby, Jarod. He is boy #2. It was his birthday yesterday. He turned 11. It was my birthday the day before. On April 4th (my b-day), 2000, I was in labor with this kid. If he had been nice to me, he would have come ON my birthday. Instead, he didn't come out until I had labored 30-plus hours, on April 5th. I had him naturally, of course, because I am Woman. Hear me roar. Justin was overseas on deployment in the Marine Corps. I thought I would be devastated that I couldn't have my husband with me during my baby's birth. But, once labor hit, as much as I loved my dear husband...........I forgot all about him (no offense, honey). Contractions are funny like that. I had a job to do & I did it. Rather well, if I do say so myself. My mama-in-law & sister-in-law were there & helped me through it. I couldn't have done it without their support. It was an Air Force hospital & the doctors & nurses were amazing. But the MOST amazing thing about the whole experience was when I held Jarod for the first time. I immediately noticed that he looked EXACTLY like my last baby (this became a pattern with the future children I birthed as well), Seth. It was incredible. How did I DO THAT? I also realized, happily, that I was thankful the doctor had not shot me in the head, as I had requested of him at some point during my 9 hours of transitional labor. I was completely overwhelmed, again, with the miracle of life & the existence of an amazing Creator. And then I noticed how alert & wide-eyed Jarod looked. When I would set him down, his eyes followed me around the room. When he heard my voice, he would turn his head to look at me. I fell completely in love with him. So did his big brother Seth. Jarod brought joy to our hearts, which we needed because we were missing Justin so terribly, horribly much. Poor Justin was field-training in Kuwait, when Jarod was born. The Red Cross notified his ship of Jarod's birth, but the message never got to him. He didn't know Jarod had arrived until 2 weeks later, when he was finally able to call me. And he didn't get to meet Jarod until he was 4 months old. Those would have been very tough months, but Jarod brought me comfort, laughter & soothed my soul. He was a gift from a loving God. A caress from Heaven. There was SOMETHING about Jarod. He looked so smart & wise & happy. When I looked into his eyes, I just KNEW something was going on in that head of his already. It turns out I was right. His gears haven't stopped turning since. He's really the most creative kid I've ever known. Every day he creates some new thing..........or SEVERAL new things. Where some people see a stick, he sees a picture frame. Where some see an egg crate, he sees a googly-eyed 17-legged monster. Where some see trash, he sees something he can mold into a special treasure. He is the artist of the family. He is the chef of the family. I can bribe him to do things for me by promising to let him bake something in my kitchen. He is sensitive, kind-hearted, funny & so sweet. With him being so artistic, naturally, I had to let him decorate (with the red letters, not the confetti) his own WalMart-bought home-baked, delectable, culinary-genius-of-a-cake.  
Yes, that says, "Jarod rocks". He has a healthy self-esteem to go with that creativity. 

                                                       This is how old I turned.

        This is how old Jarod SAID I turned. There's that humor.




Then he dug out aaaaallllll the old birthday candles & said I was THIS old. Funny boy, that one.

 
But then I got my revenge when I told him he was THIS old.......................




...........................plus 6. We didn't have an eleven.

 I had to let him play with fire this once...it being his birthday & all.

 That was our little family party, which was actually pretty big, since my sister & her kids are still here. He got legos from me & Justin. Today, we had our "Big Family Birthday Party" with my in-laws. Mom took us out for dinner & Auntie Emily & Auntie Sarah made a real, home-baked, delectable, culinary-genius-of-a-cake. And I forgot to take a picture, naturally. Jarod opened his presents from Grandma, Rara & Emmy. He got EXACTLY what he wanted:


a fedora & a bee-bee gun (which he will only be allowed to shoot with Daddy's help, so he doesn't shoot his eye out)....................

 ...............................and some totally awesome cooking stuff. He says he is going to shoot a squirrel & he knows just how he plans on seasoning it.

Thought I'd repost the cheese picture. He's even creative with Cheese Whiz.

                                            He has his own brand of humor.

                                                        He's a little wacky.

He's theatrical

                 He's a trend setter.

                                                    He's wise & witty.

His sense of humor can be a little morbid.

                                                                     He's cool.

                                    He is a helpful & sweet big brother.

                                         Did I mention his sense of humor?

          He's my baby, even though he's almost as tall as me now. I love him & I always will, even though he doesn't like my kisses any more. Happy birthday, Jarod Matthew! Thanks for almost coming on my birthday. I forgive you for the long labor. I love you. You're the best birthday present ever!



UPDATE:

~Jarod's arm was not broken badly enough to need a cast. He just has to wear a splint for 3 weeks.

~Toby is recovering nicely from surgery. He has not run away again. So far.