It is me, Mommy!

Jaevin, my six-year-old, usually crawls into bed with Darren and I sometime during the night. He snuggles his way into the middle.

I love waking up before him in the morning and watching him before he wakes up because he looks so perfect and content.

I noticed that he is starting to get a few faint brown freckles across the bridge of his nose. His eye lashes are long and he looks like an angel while sleeping.

Sometimes I don't want to wake him up in the morning for school. I want to be selfish and keep him home all day. To have a "mommy and me" day.

He started grade one this year, and after his first week it was like he was a new person. He has picked up a new language (some of it is not very nice; but mostly it's phrases like "that's sweet" or "you gotta be kidding me").

He also has this bashfulness now. He doesn't want to be embarrassed in front of his peers.

Jaevin has inherited a double crown in his hair from his father, so no matter what we do, his hair sticks up in the middle. He used to go off to school and not care about it at all. But now, sometimes he goes into the bathroom and puts water on his hair, in an effort to tame the natural spike.

He'll come out with a little "aren't I handsome" expression on his face. So, of course, I say, "You look very handsome today, Jaevin."

"I know," he says with sincerity. He knows he is the most handsome boy in his class; actually his whole school, he tells me with a shrug.

Although I am noticing his new self-awareness, there are still some pure innocent moments that I treasure.

We play this game where I say "I love a little boy in this world- do you know who it is?"

Jaevin giggles and says, "It's me, Momma!"

I look very seriously at him and say, "I don't know....maybe it is you. The little boy I love has blue eyes."

He smiles and yells, "I have blue eyes!" and points to his eyes.

Then I will say something like, "I don't know....it could be you...The little boy I love has a name that starts with a "J""

In between each clue he will look so happy, but nervous, that the next clue might not be about him.

After about five clues I will look at him, and exclaim, "It is YOU! You are the boy I love the best in this world."

He loves it!

Lately though, when I start it , he will say "Mommy, you always do this to me, and it's always me!" But he still wants me to do it- and he also wants to include Summer in on it. He says, "Do you love any little girls Mommy?"

"Of course I do!" I reply.

"Is it Summer, Mommy?"

"Well, I don't know.....the little girl I love has blue eyes."

And on we go again.

I remember when he was about two years old I would say, "You're my best friend......"and he would say, "in the WHOLE world" in his soft little voice.

I love those moments.

Originally posted February 19,2007