About A Bug

For the sake of transparency, and the fact that all of you can do simple math, I will go ahead and put it out there: Bug made his debut when I was just 18. Yes, we were teen parents; stereotypical in many ways, but hopefully not all. Due to blood pressure problems, Bug came into the world two weeks early, a gorgeous 9 lb 12 oz boy with a generous amount of red hair. He was perfect, and I was terrified. I could not imagine what kind of hospital would actually let 18 year olds go home with a baby. "Shouldn't we have to pass some sort of test? They just let you go?!"

A week shy of seven and a half years later, and the red-headed baby of the teen parents lives, relatively unscathed, and mature beyond his years. The red-headed baby is now a red-headed little man. If you are wondering why I'm bothering writing this, it is so from here on out, you know these things when I make mention of my firstborn: Bug is sheer joy. Bug only eats the head part on marshmallow peeps- it's a tedious process, but apparently worth it. Bug loves God in a way that amazes me, and not just because of his tender age. Bug is vitality itself- a friend once kindly described our rambunctious 3 yr old running in circles as "full of life", and that has yet to change. I hope it never does. You've probably in your adult life never asked as many questions as this kid. He is full of goodness like his father, precocious like his mother, and even at his moodiest he is nothing short of wonderful to be around. He knows everything about the ocean, and most things about dinosaurs and the rainforest, and on some days, everything about everything. He has complained for two years about not getting to do enough science at school. We always joke that he will for sure grow up to be some sort of "ist". Bug makes friends everywhere he goes- best friends. I KNOW he's not perfect in the conventional sense, but he is perfect to me. I embrace his "flaws" because to do otherwise would be to deny some very key parts of him, even the part that was a "biter" for a good year of his little life. Every now and then, that infamous red-headed temper will show itself, but I hope that means one day as an adult he will be able to harness that fire to stand up for the things he believes. He can be slow to forgive, but he is often the first to apologize. He is highly respectful of the oldest generation, which I think results more from a kind heart than the issue of manners. He loves to make people laugh, and is highly capable of pointing out the absurd in everyday life. His fake accents are better than yours. I've said it in different ways before, but Bug is someone I would love being around even if I had not been the mom that was lucky enough to hold him on that day a week shy of seven and a half years ago, when he was perfect and I was terrified. The terror has subsided... for now. But what of Bug's perfection, you ask?? I mean, you DID mention that he was a biter  and all...

Call me biased, but I think it's come out relatively unscathed as well.