30 Days of Gratitude: Day Twenty-One

I am grateful for my oldest son--  "FunnyMan".

I remember when he was born...  it was not an easy pregnancy and the labor was no different.  Being an inexperienced 19 year-old mom was probably a good thing; I had no other pregnancies to compare it to so I really didn't grasp the danger he was in.  I was hospitalized three different times in the first trimester and on partial bed-rest during the last.  He was in major distress during labor and delivery that they didn't take the time to suction his airway before literally ripping him from me and rushing him off.  I had no idea that wasn't normal.  And the teensy-weensy island hospital I was in didn't even HAVE epidurals, so I was completely exhausted after the ordeal.  It wasn't until later it all sort of impacted me and I realized that I was truly blessed to have a healthy baby.

For the nearly the first four years of his life he was an only child and I found pure joy in being his mommy.  The one thing I noticed right away, is that he liked to be where the action was.  There was no putting him down in a crib or a playpen.  He wanted to be able to see everyone and be a part of whatever was going on. He used to crane his neck from his baby swing just to see what the rest of us were doing.  From his early baby stages he was fascinated by the TV and more so by movies.  He didn't care for cartoons either -- he liked regular movies. By the time he was a toddler he had every word to nearly every movie we owned memorized verbatim.  If we rented a movie, I had to watch it before he did.  Otherwise, he'd sit an quote movie lines throughout the entire thing...  He was 2 1/2.

This kid has quite a bit of personality and always makes me laugh.  He was a ham as a little boy and can still pull in a crowd.  He was always good at making faces, doing voices and accents and getting the timing of a joke or story just right.  In kindergarten he was given an award for always being kind to others and "rooting for the underdog".  He is still like that and he still likes to be a part of the action.  He doesn't notice the color of a person's skin nor does he care about their social status, religion, or cultural background;  he genuinely likes people and loves to be around them.

As a teenager he does things without being asked, like his laundry.  He's been doing his own laundry since he was 14 and I love that.   He's had odd jobs here and there since he was little -- and mostly involving acting.  He's been an extra in several movies and commercials, and as of late he has acted in Haunted Houses and in his high school theater department.  He is a talented amateur filmmaker and writer as well.  He has ambition to succeed at the things he loves and I know that if and when the right opportunity comes along as an adult, he will go far.

I love this kid with all my heart and I am grateful for him.