Friday, March 2, 2012

Happy Tenth Birthday, Tommy!

He was born on March 2nd, 2002 to two nineteen-year-old kids.

(Prepare yourselves. I’m going to post a picture of me after I had him. I look awful. As a person should after pushing out a human being from a tiny hole. I never understand when people have makeup on and look as though they’ve just come from the spa or something after giving birth.)



I didn’t know anything about babies. I never babysat growing up and I was an only child.

I confused the nurse and asked how I was supposed to dress him.

“Will his bones break if I shift his arm into the hole of the sleeper thingy?” I asked.

She was probably thinking, “And THIS is why teenagers should not have babies. For the love of all things sacred..”

When we took him home, I didn’t know what to do. So I set him in his bouncer and hoped for the best.



“Are we supposed to entertain him or something?” I asked Tom as we stared at the sleeping baby.

“I think we let him sleep. Or something,” Tom answered.

He was a good sleeper, thank goodness. Oh, he had his moments. But for the most part he was a good baby who I thought looked exactly like his Daddy.



He was a happy baby.











People would ask if he ever cried.

He did:



But it was rare.

He was a sweet child who became obsessed with various objects.

For awhile, it was rainboots. He wore them everywhere:



Then he had a string named Bing:



He also loved wearing ties:





And thankfully, he tolerated the camera in his face:











Even though he didn’t speak much until he was 3, we knew he was a smart kid.

Heck, he knows more about weather than I do.

I have had the privilege of watching him grow into a young man.



Today he’s ten.

My Tommy.

My boy that I loved from the beginning, who survived being raised by two nineteen-year-olds who didn’t even have family nearby to help them out.

Thank you, son, for not giving up on us and crying frantically on a daily basis. We wouldn’t have blamed you if you had. (Heck, I somehow managed to put your clothes on backwards more than once…)

Happy Birthday, Tommy.

Mom and Dad (now twenty-nine and wiser…at least, we’d like to think so..) love you.

36 comments:

  1. Happy, happy tenth birthday to Tommy! I bet he's proud to be in the double digits now! I have had the privilege of "knowing" him through your blog (or InTheWire journal) for like seven years now - it's so neat to see how he, and your family as a whole, has progressed. :)

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  2. What a great post and tribute! Happy birthday Tommy!

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  3. Beautiful! Happy birthday, Tommy!

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  4. Happy 10th birthday Tommy!

    You look so much better than I did after giving birth! I was sick, bloated, and ugh. Haha :)

    Thanks for sharing all those SUPER CUTE pictures of your little man!

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  5. Awww! Yay! Happy Birthday, Tommy! Love the pictures. :)

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  6. Happy Birthday Tommy! What a sweet kid!

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  7. Happy Birthday Tommy!!!!!

    And I love that you loved rain boots and ties.

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  8. Happy birthday Tommy! I love the picture of him with his hands behind his head.

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  9. Happy birthday Tommy!! A whole decade old. :-)

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  10. We had our first in our thirties and wouldn't have been any more prepared than you two EXCEPT that we took an hour long "care for your baby" class where we changed dolls.

    I totally put the 'baby's' onesie on upside down. It was a goddamn disgrace.

    Bathing her for the first time was an abomination. . .

    God bless him for making it to 10. My oldest turns ten on the 16th.

    Happy Birthday, Tommy.

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  11. Awesome post! I actually had to read it out loud to my hubby and we related to it in so many ways.

    Especially the boots and ties. My daughter wore boots for ages (even in the summer). She even insisted wearing two different shoes for an entire year. Last year she started wearing her dad's ties too.

    Great post.

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  12. Hope he has a wonderful day!!

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  13. Happy Birthday Tommy and Happy having given birthday Mom!

    I think this is more a celebration for you and all that you have grown over the last 10 years.

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  14. so sweet. :-) Happy birthday Tommy! Yay for everyone surviving and thriving over the last 10 years :D

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  15. Such a sweet boy, Happy Birthday to him.

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  16. Happy Birthday to your handsome boy. I too looked like death after giving birth. Bringing a brush or makeup to the hospital never crossed my mind (all 3 times).

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  17. Loved this Birthday post for your Birthday Boy! How sweet. I'd say you did a darn good job for two 19 year olds!

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  18. I can tell you are an awesome mom.
    And how I wish I started having kids in my twenties. Enjoy your youth and enjoy watching your kids grow into adult hood. You should be proud.

    Happy Birthday Tommy!

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  19. Awwww..Happy Birthday to your sweet boy.

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  20. Happy, happy birthday to Tommy! Hope you all have a great day of celebrating. :)

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  21. Happy Birthday to your wonderful boy, and congratulations to you for teaching yourself to be a wonderful mom.

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  22. What a beautiful baby (and now young man!). Happy Birthday to your much-loved son.

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  23. Happy Birthday Tommy..

    He is adorable and smiling so it seems you did a great job.

    I was 30 when I had my first baby and am still amazed they are still alive. I didn't know what to do when I brought her home either.

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  24. Love it! It's great hearing stories from other young moms. And he is so handsome. I was going to say beautiful, but now that he's double-digits he might get offended. Happy birthday, Tommy!

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  25. Awe LOOVED this post. Happy Birthday to your sweet boy. What a handsome little man.

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  26. Happy B'day, Tommy...Amber, you are always good at jerking happy tears.....:D

    I am 30 and single...still scared of marriage and of course delivery.

    loved the post and Tommy is defnitley a handsome darling.

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  27. He is so adorable. Those toddler pics remind me of my eldest at that age. Sniff. Happy Birthday, Tommy! Ten is pretty awesome.

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  28. He is so adorable. Those toddler pics remind me of my eldest at that age. Sniff. Happy Birthday, Tommy! Ten is pretty awesome.

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  29. Those pictures are all adorable! My boy will turn 4 soon, and I already know that even when he turns 10, he will always be my baby!!!

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  30. Happy birthday Tommy! I love all the photos. He is adorable.

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