7 years ago tomorrow.

I had a beautiful baby boy. Lilly was almost two years old. I was planning her birthday party while in the hospital.

Vincent has been an adventure every day of his life! When he learned to walk he instantly started to climb! He was given the nickname "Monkey Boy". I am amazed at the kid he's become. He's kind and courteous - he will hold a door open for me or any female and say "ladies first". When it snows he goes over to an elderly neighbor's house and clears her walk, and never asks to be paid. He doesn't even tell them he does it, he just does. He helps me in the kitchen, and helps me haul wood.

He has tested me many times - he used to walk into neighbor's houses all the time when he was 3. He used to take off to the park because he wanted to when he was 4. He's played with matches when he was 5. He's made me want to hug him and strangle him all in the same day, sometimes in the same hour.

He has his own difficulties to deal with - he has a pretty hefty lisp. He's going to begin speech therapy soon. His lisp has made learning to read harder for him, because phonetics don't work for him. The way HE sounds things out and the way they ARE sounded out are very different sometimes. But he never let it get him down. He went to tutoring with no arguments - he even enjoyed it. He's a little guy - he has his mother's height, or lack there of. But it never gets in his way . If he can't reach something, he'll find a way to get it or find someone who can.

He's asked me to make peanut butter pie for his school treat. He asks every year, I think mostly because he enjoys crushing the graham cracker - I put them in a baggie and he jumps on them. We're planning his party and he's so excited he gets a bowling party. He wants a skateboard and some cars. Nothing overly extravagant, I think that's another nifty trait of his, he's not greedy.

I'm so honored to be able to say I'm his mother.