16 Years

16 years ago today, I became a mama.  The run up to that day was exhausting but the day itself was exhilarating and empowering in ways I could have never imagined.  After my son’s birth, I felt whole and complete.  It was amazing to hold the baby I had so long wished for and the feeling has never left me.  16 years later, I can’t fathom life without this boy of mine.  

When I first held my little bundle of dark-eyed baby, my mind ran wild with imaginings of the boy and then man he would become.  16 years later, those musings are now alive and well in the form of a teenager who is sometimes funny, sometimes vexing, and always the boy who made my life feel whole.  We share podcasts and music, have lengthy debates about topics that range from baseball’s DH to the importance of criminal justice reform.  We’ve agreed to disagree about Pete Rose, though neither of us can resist the occasional pot shot on that topic.  We share a wry sense of humor and a bond forged by love and laughter.

It’s been a journey, getting to 16, and the years have flown past at a pace I could not have imagined all those years ago.  My job in the next two years is to prepare him to take flight into the world, a role that is both thrilling and bittersweet.  As tall and strong as he is, in my heart he remains the baby who hung the moon in my world 16 years ago.  Happy, happy birthday, son.