Ten

Ahhh!  TEN!  Unbelievable!  There have been 10 May 4ths since the only one that ever really mattered.  We've been through an entire decade together.     I can hardly remember myself before him but I can remember so vividly life the day he was born.  From going into labor to the moment Luke was born and my first sight of him as he was rolled by my bedside in an incubator on the way to the NICU - life has never been the same.   Just like that day, Luke still leads his life (and ours) with flare and fanfare.  He does things on his own time, in his own way; a unique and sizable personality for sure.  That tiny little NICU baby who used to fit in the length of my own small forearm has almost outgrown me.   We actually  fit in each other's sandals.  To this day, he continues his hallmark sign of fatigue by pressing his lips to the back of his wrist, something he's done since the beginning.  He still likes someone to lay down with him when he goes to sleep and still sits really close to people when he eats. Many things have changed and many things will continue to change but at this point, he's still a boy and we hope it stays that way for a while.  I would keep him as he is today, if only I could. 

We did his birthday right!  We started with the opening of a new pair of super fancy sneakers from Mimi, then out to breakfast at Charbroil with Gma and Gpa before school.  For lunch, I picked up his favorite sandwich from Subway (his choice, not mine) and joined him for lunch in the school cafeteria.  (Side bar: I always enjoy watching all the kids in the cafeteria, it's sort of like seeing wild animals in their natural habitat.)  Luke took "Zebra cakes" into his class for a birthday treat - which at least broke up the monotony hours of NYS testing for math.  He had lacrosse practice in the evening and then he and Matt went to Chipotle for dinner.  Again, his choice.
The day after his birthday, he had a kid party at Breaking Free Skatepark and then a family party the day after that.  We tend to celebrate Luke's birthday multiple times every year.   He and all his friends loved the skate park and even Ade and Coco joined in.  His big birthday gift was a BMX bike but he was also spoiled with many other generous gifts from family.

He's a lucky guy and we're lucky to have him be ours.