AJ...

***Disclaimer - I would just like to point out that I was going to write this post yesterday but seeing as it was AJ's birthday I instead was spending time with him.  Thank You.***

So when AJ was born I of course (being his mommy) thought he was the cutest baby in all the world (rightly so since I'm his mommy).   Here take a look...

First pic, still in the OR

such a chunker

The infamous '24 hours old' picture

 So you see what I mean he was totally cute!  I couldn't imagine that he could get any cuter.  How could he with the best smiles and those snackable cheeks.  I loved getting a whole cheek in my mouth and giving him big noisy kisses.  He was so chunky and squeezable.  The best part were his fat little hands, I loved kissing the palms of his hands, so warm and soft.  Pure heaven.

Then before I knew it a whole year was gone.  He crawled and walked, used sign language and said his first words, it was an exciting year.

Any first time mom out there knows that the first year of your first born is the quickest year of your entire life!  When I opened my eyes from that one year long blink this is what I saw!  The cutest baby ever had become the cutest 1 year old toddler in the history of mankind (remember I am his mommy).

1 year old!

cute baby butt!

Happy 1st Birthday Babycakes!

mmmm, my first bite of cake

Birthday Boy!

 Adorable, I know!  By this time I knew that he really was the cutest kid ever and realized I would always have to live with his cuteness.  Would my heart be able to endure the daily melting from his cheesy dimpled grins?  Again another year passed and he was 2, I couldn't believe it.

Sliding, his favorite!

picking flowers for mommy

 Two was so fun, we had some 'terrible twos' moments but he was usually more interested in running around and being a rambunctious little boy.  He was certainly figuring out how to be himself.  But that cuteness never went away.

Another year had passed us by.  There was no way I could kinda convince myself he was still a baby.  Truthfully I have always thought of him as older than he actually is.  He's always been a big kid so it was easy to think of him as older than he was.  Being around him all the time he was my buddy so I would forget that he was still in a huge learning curve.

It took me a while to stop thinking of him as a toddler.  But there he was, my 3 year old pre-schooler.

running through the garden at Boone Hall Plantation, such a personality!

cheeeeeese!  (and PB&J)

big boy games, just like daddy

The threes were pretty rough.  He did a lot of things early but when it came to the terrible twos he decided to hold on those for a year and bring them forward with full force in the third year instead.  This was the year that if it wasn't for all that cuteness, I could have wrung his neck more than a few times.  

Lucky for me there were no cameras around to catch the neck wringing so we only have evidence of the cute.  (Maybe thats why everyone looks at me funny me as I snort with laughter when they tell me what a good kid he is).  

I bet you know whats coming next, but it was sure a slap in the face for me.  My little babycakes is now 4 years old!  And guess what?  He is as cute as ever!

I do know what a good boy AJ is and I am very proud to be his mommy.  He is polite and well behaved and keeps us entertained.  He is a goof ball and, as with all kids, you never know what will come out of his mouth next.  It could be a silly made up pre-schooler word, a song that you have never heard him sing before or a bit of information that leaves you speechless for a moment because you think it's incredible that a 4 year old can retain, understand and communicate something so complex.

He has changed so much but I still get a whole cheek in my mouth and I still give the palms of his chubby hands kisses.  I won't lie and say I don't miss the chubby baby, I would love to hold him in my arms again.  Though, every night that he gives me hugs and kisses before he goes to bed I love him even more and am glad that he is growing up.

Happy 4th Birthday AJ!!!!!




 - Today I am grateful for the wonderful boy that Jasey and I are so lucky to have in our family -

I love you AJ, love Mommy