From "squeaky house" to this...

My darling TallBoy will be 15 tomorrow. He's huge. Really tall. He's still growing and has bony elbows, knees, long fingers and BIG feet. He's well into full blown puberty with hair growing *everywhere* (and LOTS of it, too). His face is always in need of a shave. He smells distinctly like "boy", though he has discovered Axe and other body sprays.

He's funny. He's smart. He's got a wicked sense of humor. He loves to be a smart alec; very much like the Dude. (In some ways they are exactly alike. It's scary!) He's very compassionate to the people he cares about. He's fiercely loyal. He's got a tendency towards righteousness. He's got a temper, too. He knows himself. He's got great judgement about people. He's such a cool guy.

He was a lot different as a baby and small guy. He was fussy, tempermental, picky, stubborn, mean, stinky, and ROUND. The boy knew how to eat. Born at 7lbs 15 oz, he weighed 16 lbs 7oz at his 8 week checkup. He gained a pound a week for 8 weeks straight and I was nursing. Sleep, *pshaw right*. At 6 months he weighed 25 pounds- bigger than some 1 year olds. At one, he weighed 40 pounds.

As he became a toddler, he became obsessed with routine and control. New things were NOT allowed, or terrible 2-3 HOUR tantrums ensued. He had weird, irrational fears- crowds, loud noises, overly shiny things... forget a parade. NOT gonna happen.

He had funny, quirky habits. One he had that was especially endearing was his "squeaky house". He'd take the BIG Duplos or wooden blocks, or blankets, or boxes, and build walls around himself until he was walled into a tiny 2x2 (or smaller) space and the walls would be taller than he was. He'd stay in there, keeping himself amused (somehow) for hours on end. He would also do this with a toybox (about 2x3). He'd throw all the toys out, sit inside, grab a couple toys he liked, and proceed to play -IN- the toybox.

He has a reputation for being a picky eater, but he has started to grow out of it a little. He's at least willing to try new things. But feeding that kid has been an adventure. I don't have any idea how he got so big- as a kid he only ate Cheerios (No milk), hot dogs (not cooked) and cheese sandwiches. Every now and then some applesauce.

And he is 6' and almost 200 pounds. He's almost 15.

He's a great kid that I love passionately, and I am PROUD to be his mom. I am proud of him.

Happy almost birthday, my little star. You're the sun now. My sun, my son.