My How Time Flies!

Tomorrow is a special day. On that day ten years ago, a cold, rainy February Sunday, my son Christian was born. It really doesn't seem possible. Back then, he was cute and cuddly and I could hold him in the crook of my arm (now, he's almost as tall as his mother).

See, that's him when he was only a few hours old. He's still a little pink and scrunched here, and he had a strange, Harry Potter-like jagged dark patch on his forehead. He had a strong grip, though. Here's another one:

He's so cute. Anyhow, tomorrow is a big day not just for Christian, but for his mother and me. It was the day we became parents--the day Stephanie became a mother, and I became a father. I know that back then we didn't fully realize what we were getting into--not by a long shot.

It's amazing how life has changed, and how long ago that day was. It's also gone by far too quickly. Thank God the bumps along the way have been mostly minor. Now, I can hardly remember a time when our lives didn't revolve around the two balls of energy that are our children.

So there's always some friction along the way. Christian is too much like I am at times. When I see him acting like I did when I was his age, it sometimes drives me nuts. But he also gets me. We often laugh at stuff we think is hilarious while the two girls in the family look at us like we're crazy (we aren't, really. No, honestly!).

I'm proud of him. He does well in school (despite all his complaints about it) and is getting to be quite a bowler. He says the darndest things, and loves to see his parents get embarrassed. My coworkers think he's hilarious, and say they're going to publish a book of Christianisms. Oh yes, and, how many other nine (soon to be ten) year olds have their own blog column?

Anyway, happy birthday, Christian. I don't think you'll ever understand how you've changed the lives of your mother and me. We love you!