88 months ago, I became a mother. Some of the best discussions I have with Ricky are about my job as mother and that he is teaching me how to do my job.
Ricky is a good kid. More and more he is noticing how he can help others and doing it without being asked. This is especially true with his little brothers. He locates missing pacifiers and stuffed animals and blankets often. When he gets himself a pop tart in the mornings, Ricky sets one out for each of his brothers and even breaks Tommy’s into smaller pieces so he can eat it more easily.
Ricky is smart. His love of reading still astounds me. He’ll disappear only to be found on his bed lost in the world of his book. He never tires of listening to us read to him either. Just last night, he curled up with his head on my shoulder while I read Billy some picture books.
Ricky is creative. He constantly wants to make something or “do a show” about something. He wants to make decorations for the holidays or create a game about this or that. He’s patiently waiting for the day Kevin will teach him to make a website and I’m sure the list in his mind of the things that website will do grows daily.
Ricky is friends with everyone but is okay that he doesn’t have a best friend. Living where we do, there aren’t a lot of kids around and each week he tells me about a new friend that he plays with at recess. But he gets along with everyone and always befriends the new kid in class.
Ricky loves technology. He loves playing the Nintendo DS and doing games on the Internet. He manipulates the TV and DVD player like a pro and even uses Kevin’s hard drive with our movies on it (“the Invention”) without help. He’s working his way through the Star Wars game on the DS right now and loves to tell me about the different characters he’s unlocked (I don’t play so I just nod along).
Ricky has been taking piano lessons since June and is doing really well. He picks up on concepts quickly. He caught on really quickly to reading the music and having his fingers play what he reads. He likes singing along while he plays and making up his own songs.
Ricky’s handwriting could use some improvement (he occasionally misses a spelling word on his test because his letters are so sloppy), but he spends hours writing in his “Alien Dictionary.” He’s drawn pictures and descriptions of all these different aliens in a notebook. I’m sure it is just one of many creations this boy will make.
I’m thankful for that day 88 months ago and I’m thankful for every day since that I get to know and learn more about my first baby.