Today CootieBoy turned 11 years old. Yesterday he started middle school. How did this happen. Isn’t it just recently that I held his cute little infant body in my arms, marveling at how much he looked like a cranky old man at the age of 1-2 weeks old? Isn’t it just recently that I taught him how to write his numbers on a chalkboard that sat outside his room? Isn’t it just yesterday that I washed his really dirty clothes and lamented that he’s old enough to do it himself? Oh wait, I DID do that yesterday.
He’s a fun kid. He makes me laugh all the time. 99% of what comes out of his mouth is from a TV show, and yet it is always applicable to the conversation we’re having. He’ll stay something really witty and we’ll ask, "Okay, what show was that on?" Because it’s never original. His face is incredibly expressive and you can ALWAYS tell what he’s thinking. He continus to love video games and computers, and still wants to be a video game designer when he grows up.
Sure, he’s short-tempered sometimes, and impatient, and loud, and stubborn as his father. But he also randomly holds my hand in public, gives me quick kisses on the cheek when no on is looking, and occasionally even asks for a hug now and again.
He is nervous about middle school but also confident at the same time. He is quick to make friends and misses the ones who are now going to a different middle school due to the school zone lines shifting (he’ll see them again in high school). Of all his classes, he is looking forward to band the most, and hopes to play the saxophone.
He constantly teases his sister (much to her consternation) but they also have moments where they giggle together, which makes Denis and me look at each other and say, "We’d better enjoy this while it lasts."
He is a smart kid, but also a schemer. If he can figure out a "deal" so he can get his way, he’ll pitch it in the hopes that he’ll get it (sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t). We’ll need to stay on our toes to stay ahead of him in his teen years, that’s for sure.
But for the most part, he’s just AWESOME. I know it’s an overused word, but it’s the word that is most appropriate for him. Because that’s what he is.
