Tribute to the "Lij".

Today is my son's fourth birthday. He has been asking if it was his birthday for the last nine months. Today, after the daily asking of "Mom is today my birthday?"...I can finally say "Yes! Today is the big day. We are headed to Chuck E.Cheese to celebrate...obviously. Our kids are big fans of Chuck E. I am a little freaked out by people in giant rat costumes...but that is beside the point. YAY Birthday!!!

The "Lij", as his sister has called him from the beginning, has had a huge impact on our family. He has the privilege of having three parents...his daddy, his mommy, and his second mommy a.k.a. the BIG sister. This is not always a privilege, rather it is a cross he has to bear and regardless of how much warning and threatening the BIG sister receives...Lij still has three parents.

I became pregnant with him soon after having a miscarriage. This made for a stressful nine months as I suffered through rational and irrational fears of losing him. That said, I literally prayed multiple times everyday while pregnant for two things...
1) God keep him safe.
2) God use this child.

We've named each of our kids with intentionality. "Lij's" name means "My God is God/YAHWEH". So every time someone calls his name they are saying...The Lord is God.

He was and is my biggest baby. He weighed in at just under nine pounds and he is still a BIG boy. He had a rough beginning and unfortunately had to have his tummy pumped at just three hours old. He is my only cuddler in the house and he is very sensitive. He apologizes when he messes up and he gives the warmest most wonderful hugs when his Daddy comes home from work. He is the lover in our house. He is the sweet one in our house.

He also has an early history of being a bit of a stinker. When introduced for the first time to the BIG sister...he peed directly in her face. That didn't make for a great first impression and I've often wondered if that was the beginning of a war. (It seems so around the house, anyway.)

I remember when the fateful peeing incident happened in the hospital room. Dave had just brought the BIG sister in. She leaned over the bassinet with such loving eyes. Dave said..."oh looks like he needs his diaper changed." He opened the diaper. BIG sis peered over...still lovingly gazing at the new baby. Then just like "Lij" had waited for that moment. The pee shot from the bassinet directly into BIG sis' face. The halls were filled with more than just newborn screams that day, my friends. Needless to say... I've never seen the "loving" look from BIG sis since.

The Lij loves Star Wars which warms my heart because his daddy loves Star Wars so much, too.

He has three light sabers which he hooks to his pants/underwear just in case he needs to ward off the enemy. He will also hook the light sabers to your pants if you offer to play with him.

He wants everyone to be his friend and he doesn't understand when people are mean. He is a sweet kid. We never question if he is thankful or if he appreciates what he has. From his first words he has offered "tank u, mama" and "lub u, daddy". He says the sweetest prayers before bed which always end in "the end" instead of the expected "Amen".

Today I am so thankful for my son. He is a joy and he makes my life full.