Timmy's 16th Birthday--October 4, 1999

So, my sadness at Jack turning 20 is compounded by Timmy turning 16 today...it is like someone is laughing...sees I am a little sad, and decided to make it harder for me by having two of my children with back to back birthdays.     Timmy turns 16 today, which is a milestone.  It is the age, I think, when you really start to see your children "growing up", which mostly means growing away.

A 16th Birthday for a girl is a big deal, a little rite of passage.  A sweet 16 for girls.  But not for boys. For boys, it is just the age when he can get a license.  Which means, it is a big deal.  It is the age, I think, when boys start to move on, becoming more what they should be...young men.  For me, that makes it sad, because all I want is my little boy back.

                                                              February 2000--4 months old.

My God...he was so adorable.   A rare photo of Timmy not miserable.....he was a tough baby!!

                                                   Probably my favorite photo of Timmy.


                    And today--well, actually, this was from the first day of school this year:

I didn't feel this way about Anna, and I never really get sad on her birthday...I think it is a little true what they say about girls.   They are with you for your whole life.  I think lots of women have devoted boys--boys who are devoted to their mothers throughout their lives, but it is a little harder, I think.
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For Timmy's birthday, we went out for dinner to Grub last night (which is always a little weird, because it is actually Jack's birthday...but he is not home, so we took advantage of it).   Very simple. And for breakfast, I made his favorite waffles.  We were going to maybe go out again tonight since it is a Sunday, but instead, all he wanted was for me to make his favorite...grilled cheese.  So that is how we will celebrate Timmy's 16th birthday...just what he wants!