Four Years Old

Four years ago today, I was calmly sitting in a delivery room, waiting on my epidural. Yes, I was calm. It was the third time around, and I knew what I was doing. A little after noon, Evan Robert announced himself to our world, and things have never been the same.

Cuddling and rocking like a pro, I enjoyed Evan's infant hood more than the others. I wasn't nervous. I had gone through the same motions two other times in the past four years. I can remember just blissfully holding Evan as an infant and feeling so content.

As he started growing into a toddler, I could see that Ev had a certain flair to him. He was my only child to do the "baby babble." Learning to talk was an adventure. He would just ramble in nonsensical syllables to himself for hours. My other boys only spoke what they knew. Evan wanted to forge new paths.

He continued that trend of being different as he continued to grow. Evan always wanted -- and still does-- to be like his brothers. Fighting the nap at the young age of two, Evan would often collapse exhausted anyplace he found at night.
Today, Evan continues to be unique and unlike the boys in so many ways. He is a free spirit and is currently testing the waters of my patience as well. I love hearing his creative approach to life, and I wanted to share a few of "the things Evan says."

* When he turns 14, he can be Spiderman. Because only teenagers can be superheroes.

* He speaks Shakespearean. He will say "Where it is?" or " where they are?" For some reason, he turns the verb and subject around.

* He has a collection of stuffed animals he has recently collected: Charlie -- the dog, Chuck -- the dog, Billy Bob Joe Bison- from our trip, and Super Pika- from our trip. (There are many more. Those are just the favorites.)

* His belly has strong feelings. He will always say, "My belly wants to play a game. My belly needs a snack. My belly doesn't want to go to bed."

Many actions and words can give an image of Evan, yet I have found that he is truly indescribable. I am so grateful that my life has been blessed with Evan. I feel more complete having him in my life. Happy Fourth Birthday, Evan!