Today my baby is 13!!! I don’t even know how this is possible!!! I’m so proud of the young man that Hunter has become and love every single second that I get to spend with him!
There was a time that I just wanted to survive the seconds with Hunter!!! When Hunter was 3, I wasn’t sure that we were both going to survive!!!
I asked Hunter if he cared if I wrote some about the year of 3 and he said, “I love those stories. They are hilarious!”
Ummm….10 years later I think the stories are funny – still not sure that hilarious is the right word – as long as we don’t have to repeat that year of 3!
One day, the boys and I were at Target (actually almost every day!) and Hunter threw himself on the floor and pitched a fit. I said, “OK – see you later.” I tried to get Jordan to walk a couple steps away with me – next thing I know, Jordan is crying because he thought we were really going to leave Hunter.
When Hunter was 2 I used to say he was either the cutest thing ever or the most ornery!
And, for months he really was cute. Then gradually he turned from ornery into a very strong-willed little boy and every day was a struggle!!
Fits and full-blown tantrums were a normal part of our day. It didn’t matter what I said to him some days – he would just throw himself on the floor and pitch a fit.
I could hand him a sucker and he would throw himself on the floor! “I didn’t want red – I wanted blue!”
There was a period of about 3 months that I would sit at the dinner table with Chris after the boys were excused and cry every night. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong!
After Jordan started kindergarten, Hunter and I had 2 years that it was just he and I all day every day. We had some fun times together (minus the fits of course)!!!
We also had some rough days!
One day, after a very rough morning, I read the book Love You Forever to Hunter before nap-time. By the end I could barely read it because I was crying so much – I don’t think he got it but he wiped my tears and hugged me!!!
Even though 3 was a rough age, by the time he was 4, life was much better!!
Hunter went through about 2-3 years that he had horrible leg-aches at night. Several nights a week he would wake up crying because they hurt so much. Growing up I had the same thing and when I was in high school my sister and I shared a room and bed she had them. (I used to rub her legs until she fell asleep.) I spent many nights laying in bed with Hunter and calming him and rubbing his legs until he could sleep again.
Even though I hated the fact that he was hurting, I loved that time that I had with him in the darkness – he wanted me to stay with him until he could sleep again – I spent many hours just being there with him in the night!!! And they were calm times (after he quit thrashing his legs)!!
Hunter has always been happy to hug me and give me kisses – as a baby/toddler he was very snuggly and he will still wrap his arms around me and hug me!!
Hunter hated having to walk places. Even at age 4 he preferred being carried – I think he was my original weight training!!! The summer he was 4 we spent 3 weeks in New Jersey – Chris had a training course and the boys and I were tourists. I carried him all over many places because “his legs were tired.”
Funny, that my little guy who hated walking from the car to the store is now training for a half marathon!!!
I look at pictures and see a sweet little boy who makes me proud every single day!!!
Happy Birthday, Hunter!!! I love that I get to be your mom and see the changes in you from day-to-day and year-to-year!
Happy Tuesday!!
Kim