Am I really old enough to be the mother of a 10-year-old boy?!?!

Apparently I am. Zach was born shortly after I turned 19. What an experience for Shawn and myself. Fortunately at the time my mother lived around the corner and helped us out a lot with him during the first year. Not that we needed that much help, other than an adult being there to feed and change him. Zach was the easiest baby ever. I was told by my mother-in-law that he wasn't a fair baby to be given for the first child. Not a true learning experience. Despite that, I am still so grateful for his calm-natured personality. He never cried, always smiled, loved to be with people, and even loved to sleep. But they have to grow up eventually, don't they?

Zach loves to get involved in different things. Because our family has a standing rule of one extra-curricular per year (with the exception of extra church activities), he has had limited options each time. But he has always enjoyed everything!! Currently Zach loves Taekwondo. He has progressed to a Blue Belt very quickly. He loves to spar. And loves the fact that his little sister has joined the ranks of Taekwondo as well!!

Zach is an amazing Big brother!!! Sure, he has his issues with being the only boy in the house, especially when Daddy is on a business trip. But he always ends up having the best time with his sisters!! (Although the escape method of video games, reading in his room and riding his bike have been a great source of peace in our home!!!) He loves his family though. Zach is one of the most compassionate people I know.

Watching this young man grow has been such an experience. By leaps and bounds he has shown so much growth and understanding. Experiencing the loss of a loved one at such a young age can actually be beneficial in the Spiritual growth of any person. Taking the challenge of his grandmother passing away and turning it into a warm, loving experience was such a wonderful example to myself. He continues to feel the connection to his grandmother as I feel it to my mother. (He was a baby at the time, but Zach carries memories of it to this day of my mom bouncing him on her knee humming the Bonanza theme. He hadn't seen her for a year after he turned a year old because we moved to TX. She came to visit when Ranoah was born, and he immediately climbed on her knee at age 2 and started bouncing himself.) I love this little man!!

Our little family started off with this child coming in. And we have felt total completion with his two sisters coming into our lives. But he started it all. He has grown to the point of coming up to my neck at this point. But he will always be that little preemie in the bassinet to me. I loved singing "Beautiful Boy" to him as a baby. And now I play the recording of that song on the blog constantly. My first experience as a mother with this sweet child will never be forgotten.