He was and still is my little buddy. We had so many adventures together. Every day we would take a walk around the neighborhood, bending down to look through the grates of the drains in the street. This boy was obsessed with drains!
Picking up rocks and putting them in his pockets until he ran out of room and then had to make the torturous decision of which ones to keep and which ones to “swap” out. Happily chatting with the neighbors and making friends wherever he went. I have a vivid memory of walking with him and holding his little chubby hand when he was about 2 years old. I looked down at that little hand and tried to memorize every dimple.
Tried to absorb into my skin, into my very soul, how it felt to hold that hand in mine.
I knew that this little hand would
Change
Grow
It would not want to be in my hand as often.
It would pull away to go explore the world. As it should!
This boy of mine turned three and began a love affair with trains. I still cannot see a real one without immediately thinking,
“Oh Ian would love that one! It has a cool hopper car.”
He would lay on the floor so he could see the wheels of his little wooden trains turning.
And I soon realized that I, myself, had learned how to put together a layout for train tracks like nobody’s business. “Hey buddy, if we use this switch track and attach it to this curvy piece here then it will all connect!”
This boy of mine soon transitioned this obsession for trains into a true love of all things mechanical. One day we realized a toy had broken and he looked at me and said,
“Hey mom, can I take this apart?”
Pause…thinking…thinking…
“Ummm…sure, I guess!”
Little did I know how those simple words would change my world.
I know we shouldn’t comment on our own blog…but…sob. This has been a rough weekend anyway, with my “boy” gone playing Army and now…sigh my Ian is getting big too. Our favorite Ian”isms”…”Isn’t that interesting?” and “Tanker, tanker, tanker, tanker…” Love that boy!
Heather
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I can relate to this post. I had my girl first. And when it came time for number 2, all I wanted was more bows and dresses. When the u/s tech told me it was a boy, I was speechless. I’d never changed a boys diaper and had no idea what to do with a little boy. But the second I met him, my heart melted completely. He has me wrapped around his tiny fingers. He, too, is obsessed with trains right now. And often in the middle of watching him play, he will stop, look up at me with his adorably chubby almost 2 year-old face and say, “Mommy, yub you.” I would give anything to freeze these moments because I know those I love you’s will become less frequent as time passes. And I cannot agree with you more. I praise God constantly that He was in charge and not me. Because He knew how much my little boy would mean to me and change my life!
Oh but he is soooo Cute…. And don’t feel bad I have a daughter and she hates pink… I only got away with it when she was a baby..
Have a good Sunday
~~Pattie~~
Hi Vanessa, This is just the sweetest post ever. It brought back so many memories of my own son when he was a child. Enjoy the experience of having a son!
Hugs,
Sherry
What a sweet post:) I know everyone says this…but they just grow too fast!! It’s so very true.
Having two boys I can also totally relate! I can also relate because my husband can fix almost anything and my youngest is also much the same but has put his focus into building, fixing and maniupulating computers. Thank God for creating such wonderful inquisitve minds. I am always all struck when I think of how differently they must see the world then I. Even greater is to think of how special and wonderfully individual God has created each of us to honor him. Hang in there! I think you are doing great with your blessings!
LOL! I meant to say AWE struck! 🙂
Well, I’m trying to write this comment through tear-filled eyes. You definitely opened an emotional floodgate of memories of our son as a young lad. Some very similar characteristics, I might add. As much as I cherished & enjoyed Michael as a little boy, I am truly treasuring him today at 38 and fantastic father of 4. You truly have so much to look forward to, Vanessa. Enjoy the ride. Sniff, sniff.
CAS
Oh- You have MY own son’s clone at your house! He was taking things apart when he was 2 or 3 years old…a screwdriver in hand he overtightened every switchplate in the house until it cracked.(yes, yes, I know there is electric there-we were working on the place and he was power free)…he would fill his pockets with stones. When he was 16 he bought a car with electrical problems. Took the WHOLE car apart and numbered each item and hung it on the wall of the garage, rewired the car, and it worked! He is STILL a MamasBoy (as everyone called him) and is such a loving husband to his wife…and guess what? He can FIX anything and DO anything that needs to be done. Your son will be one of the biggest blessings in your life when he is grown. Happy memories here today for me! xxoo Diana
Beautiful post Vanessa!!! Boys, I tell ya! They are something else.
What a wonderful post, you have a cracking little man, but you already know that! It was my twins 2nd birthday yesterday and mothers day today, and I can so relate to this post! I always thought kids would mean pink, but I’m surprised by just how much I love the trains, mud, paint all over the house and silly willy dances when their nappies come come off! Boys are just fantastic, I’m sure girls are too but I need to convince hubby we need another kid! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful post.
I can relate so much to this post. I had my son first. I was sure I would have a girl first, but I didn’t. I remember when they told me on the sonogram that it was going to be a boy. I had a tiny twinge of, really? What did I know? As it turned out, God does know best. My son became my best pal in the whole world. We did everything together. We use to call him “the little man”. That’s just what he was. He too went through a train stage and to this day whenever I see a cool train I want to tell him about the chug chug (what he used to call them). He’s turning fourteen in May which makes me feel a little sick every time I say it out loud. He’s still my best pal, but now I have to share him more with the rest of the world. Thanks for the great post.
What a fantastic post Vanessa. Absolutely beautiful and touching. Love this. Hugs, Courtney
Vanessa,
Thank you for the sweet post. It reminded us, once again, that we have a very special grandson. We love him (and you) very much!
Mom and Dad
Beautiful post. That boy of yours is precious!!!
Vanessa,
You know I have a deep and abiding love for all things boy. And I, like you, only grew up with a sister, so I could only imagine pink. But now, oh my. Where would I be with out my guys?
I love the one of Ian on the floor. My little guy does that every day. He loves his trains, trucks and tractors so much and he always loves to see the wheels move slowly in a rotation. Which works best at eye level! I can see his little mind just rotate along with them.
And the feel of two year old hand in mine. Priceless.
Such a heartwarming post.
I can totally relate.
Have a wonderful week.
Love, Kristin
Oh Vanessa, this is just so heartwarming! I think my son is definitely on the same path! He does so many of the same things. Now it is trains, but we have been through the rock phase. They are so sweet:-)
my son just took a job out of state. And i so feel your heart strings being jerked a little. I understand. I keep telling myself, i know its all good. It’s a job opportunity. And he is happy with it. But the mother in me cries. I remember cleaning those rocks out of his pockets before washing his pants… Now he climbs them. He played with air planes. Now he jumps out of them. For fun. Oh how fast time went… Just know you are not alone… 🙂
You know how you start reading a post and just keep smiling and smiling?
I just did that.
You made me smile and then laugh at the offensive noise and smell. I was denied the…um… pleasure because we have no blue among the pinks.
I think he’s going to be an engineer some day.
Oh Vanessa, Treasure all these moments now- they go by so quickly. I never believed people when they told me so… Little boys are a hoot. Mine was a football jock and I know he loved when I went to his games and yelled at the refs. He used to tell people I actually knew what I was talking about and that I was the one mom who didn’t ask dumb questions about the game! Can you tell I was a jockette? Now you go off and have fun with this guy~ hugs, Sue
Great post! My boy who just turned 3 last month also is fascinated by drains, as well as Ceiling fans and Washing machines. When we take walks on the street, we spend so much time looking down the drains, he know likes to drop pebbles down them and here it kurplunk, lol. He also has other interests like coloring, running (he’s very fast), biking, swimming, you name it, ect. He’s a very fun kid and we love him so much.