The Worm is officially fwee years old! Wow, time flies when you’ve got kids and they suck you into their personal black hole time-space vortex twenty-four hours a day! I can remember the night he was born, with me standing ready to push him back in until the clocked ticked past April Fool’s, me arguing with the hospital staff about how their fetal monitoring equipment worked, and me wondering if Worm would look exactly like his dad or just 99%. Ah, memories…
Two years ago, Worm’s first birthday party was spent with a whole lot of people. It was a decently sized party with some invitees eager to see how much he’d grown in a year and others feeling socially obligated to honor our first successful reproduction of ourselves. We went crazy with a theme and decorations and all sorts of minute details. There could have been a thousand people in the room and I don’t believe the experience would have affected Worm any differently. His poor brain was busy processing how best to get cake icing from the table to his belly without using his hands. Everything else was insignificant.
This time, Worm knew the event was all about him. I’d been told by other parents that it’s wonderful to see a child “get” that the party is all about him or her. I, never having been that excited to play leading man at birthdays in general, had a hard time understanding what these parents meant. Until I saw our little Wormie’s face last week!
Every mom and dad loves to see their children happy, especially when it doesn’t require monumental physical effort or gobs of money on their part. We didn’t go crazy with decorations and food. There was no dancing clown (if you didn’t include me). There was no 30 foot tall inflatable theme park with water slide. It was just an afternoon spent with some cool people hanging out on a warm spring day. Sure, Worm was happy to be entertaining at his house. But when the moment arrived for cake and candles, his mood heightened. He filled up with (hopefully non-alcohol induced) giddiness. He beamed when everyone sang the “Happy Birthday” song and he blew/spit out his birthday candle flame. It was as touching for me to witness as it was for him to experience. (Thanks to our family and friends that shared the day with us and with him. I think it’s the first birthday that he will be old enough to remember!)
Worm is still at an age where he appreciates the little things in life…imported chocolates, fast cars, motorcycles, and women. He’s growing out of toddlerhood and into quite a little boy. At the party, Worm played with all the kids (even his little monster sister, Smushie), but another little girl was by his side almost the entire time. Maybe it was the way they were gazing into each other’s eyes, or the way they were feeding each other cake at the table. (It kind of reminded me of my wedding reception!) I have an odd feeling they’re dating now or something. I don’t really know, and I’m quite scared to ask because I’m not ready to deal with that yet! So for now, I’m going to hold on to my little boy, close my eyes, and enjoy his moment of exuberant youth and innocence. Because when I next open them, 20 years will have passed and the moment will be his wedding.
Worm, I Think it’s a Little Early For You To Start Dating…Like 30 Years Too Early!
Me vs. Gavin 