He’s Just A Baby Boy………….
Twenty-five years. Amazing. I can hardly believe it. I have changed so much in that amount of time. My thoughts, my looks….my husbands! *grins* Still, for those of us who are parents, I think that some things remain the same. At 47 years old, I am my father’s baby girl. At 25 years old, Young Stud is my darling baby boy, my first born, my teacher, my frustration and my joy.
When I look back, the thing that stands out most about him is his smile. From day one, he was quick to flash a gummy grin.
And as he grew, he learned that there was pretty much nothing in the world that he couldn’t talk his momma into or out of, if he applied that smile at just the right time.
He has always had a grounded physical presence and a sense of invulnerability. Maybe that started during the He-Man era. (Remember the He-Man comics/cartoons? The bad guy was Skeletor and the pretty side-kick was Teela?) Young Stud (then only a studlet) would plant his feet and strike his He-Man pose. He would thrust his sword up into the air and roar I AM POWER!!!!!! And he was.
As he grew, he never outgrew his family. Hanging out for a day with Grandpa was still OK. Having mom around was fine. Having Chickie around was often NOT OK…but they have both grown past that since then. And still he had that easy smile that he was quick to share.
Of course, he would sometimes share it TOO often. I cannot tell you how many pictures I have just like the one below. Its an obsession. Every time he gets his hands on a camera (and it really doesn’t matter whose – Sis has a few of these pictures as well) he takes this up-the-nose-and-down-the-throat shot of himself. This is actually one of the “better” ones. Some are quite the interesting close-ups (and I DO mean CLOSE-up) of his nostrils.
We had a lot of fun while he grew up. Flipping through some of the pictures last night I realized that I need to go back and organize them, put them in order and make albums. There are just so many memories that I have committed to paper photographs. I forget them…until I see the photo…and then I laugh and get nostalgic and start to think and remember.
It wasn’t all smiles. His ‘game face’ could be very intimidating. Yep – there were times that a ball got by him and a goal was scored….but there were very few PLAYERS that got by him and no one he ever played failed to recognize him the next time they met up on the field.
All too soon, it was his senior year in high school. He was voted MOST STYLISH in the senior class. He also lost his mind and dyed his hair blond. My olive skinned boy….went blond. That was a moment in time that I was not proud of. He didn’t tell me – caught me off guard. The original dye job was done at home and looked like crap (before I made him go and get it redone at a salon). I said a few unkind words that day. More than a few. OK. He didn’t come home for 3 days after that…….. I guess I over reacted a little, huh? OH – and the lovely lady in the picture? That was his female counterpart in the Best Dressed category, but not his girlfriend. That’s why there’s no big smile there. He couldn’t look like he was enjoying himself too much……….lol
And then it was GRADUATION. My oldest was about to fly the nest. Poor baby – he’s looking a little shell shocked, isn’t he?
And now he’s married – and back in high school! Here are Young Stud and Star as chaperones at a dance for the School where Star is a guidance counsellor.
There is so much to be grateful for with Young Stud. Thankfully I had him first. It helped prepare me for Chickie, who is a bit more of a challenge (though as awesomely wonderful in her own right). Today, I am grateful that I have seen him grow for 25 years and have learned that there are more and more and more layers to him. I am looking forward to the next 25 years and the layers to come – for both of us.
Happy Birthday, Young Stud. Your momma loves you.
Happy birthday to him. My baby is 25 too, I can’t believe that many years have passed and he’s married too. Aaaak I’m old now. 🙂
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Happy Birthday to the handsome fella! I look back on FC’s short 4 years and wonder where it went. Time flies when you’re having fun! RYN: It has come to be that drastic. Thank you, I hope it gets well soon too.
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Awwww…so sweet. And so very handsome! Gosh I’ve been reading you a long time. I remember when he lived at home before you moved to Florida! hugs…
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He’s a good-looking kid, P, and you have a lot to be proud of. Happy Birthday, YS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Happy Birthday to your baby boy!!!
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happy birthday to your baby, to you….. what a sweet looking fellow, all the way through the years. it’s wonderful when they make us so happy to be proud.
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What a handsome fella. Hard to believe they grow up so fast isn’t it? Man, it seems like just yesterday mine were little.
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Very nice! Both my sons learned early that they could get their own way if they could make me laugh!
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Happy birthday to him 🙂 (I followed you from another diary!) ~ajaye
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How sweet. That second picture is especially precious. I’ve seen that same impish grin on my own sons. 🙂 A very happy birthday to your son.
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awwwwwww, happy birthday young stud!
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Young Stud is most handsome. Happy Birthday to him and congrats to you. You did a good thing there, Sunshine Wolf. My grandboys did the blond thing too. I still have stains on the carpet from one of their dye jobs. Don’t ask. LOL
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awww that was cool! Love the I AM POWER one, reminds me of my Son. The closeup one… well thank goodness it was just a phase. Amazing how they grow up and change over the years I see he has dark hair again. Happy Birthday to your Son.
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How wonderful… RYN: Oh I understand that I’m not responsible for all that happen except leaving a toxic lifestyle behind and Heaven knows I needed to go, maybe just maybe he really did understand. Lael
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Yay for moms and their first babies. You love the subsequent ones as much but not the same. I don’t think there’s ANYTHING a handsome man with a dimple can’t accomplish. Happy 25th anniversary of motherhood!
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OMG Don’t tell me I’ve been reading you for THAT long?? I remember a lot of those growing up stories! Hugz
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I remember He-Man! Hahahaha. That takes me way back. You’ve done a good job. You wrote a lovely tribute. The pictures are great. : )
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And so he would come out of the bed yelling, “He-man!” and I would yell back, “Sheera!” That was to let him know that mom had a sword too and he wanted to be careful where he started poking his! How precious, thanks for the memories and… Happy Birthday to a very Studley Baby Wolf
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Sun, I love you, I really do. But you’re a scorpio too, right? Would piffle scare you back into my briefcase? Trust you, you say. Okay, I’m going to piffle all day tomorrow. Let’s just pray it keeps the critters away!
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sun rise Sun set. Sun rise, sun set.. I love that song from Fiddler on the Roof..they grow up fast..your invited over but you gotta bring those shoes..you know the ones.
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thanks for this wonderful trip down memory lane, young stud is a charmer, you have much to be proud of…a happy birthday to him ..
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What a delightful birthday tribute…I enjoyed it.
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your shoes? as in THE SHOES? I doubt they would make the story actually. Men don’t write well about what a woman is wearing in a novel. I’ve noticed that. I can tell without looking at the name on the cover if the writer is male or female by the way they describe characters..
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ryn .. LOL.. ahhh it’s apple! ;o)
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I’m still recovering from the Cursillo weekend. With a smile…
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Had very little reason to piffle today, was puny from the getgo. I think I hit tilt….yep, that’s right, its bubble bath and chocolate night!
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Very handsome young man.
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What a wonderful collection of photos and memories. How you love your baby boy, all grown up! I’m glad that you and this lovely young man’s hearts are still entwined closely. My own oldest son’s birthday is in on Mother’s Day this year…I don’t know if I can do the same kind of entry.
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He wouldn’t have won the Best Dressed category had the He Man photo ever been seen by those judging!! He’s a very handsom young man 🙂 I LOVE those nostrils!!
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ryn: You are so lucky your entries don’t scramble the way mine keep doing. Some day you may see an entire entry in asterisks, ampersands, and exclamation points, and anything else I can type to vent my disgust at having to re-enter every entry so many times! That one will probably come out perfectly !!!!!
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my baby is 26. They grow up way too fast. He was the Basketball King when he was a senior. He was also the President of the student body and got some of the votes because he looked good in a pair of jeans. Your son is a very good looking young man
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What a great bunch of pix! You done good Mama Wolf.
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What a happy baby (in the first pic). He is just adorable. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
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Happy birthday to young stud! My own baby Chass (also a young stud) will be 25 the end of May. I can honestly say that I like him as a human being as much as I love him. Pretty incredible, these young people we bring into the world and then just jump on the ride of life with, isn’t it? I may jump on a plane with my massage table and come visit.The touch therapy institute is near you! I love you 2
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Also I have to giggle because I’ve got photos of Chass very similar to the ones that your young stud took of himself! *****ROFL***** Almost frightening, the parallels in our lives! Take good care and be good to you…or I’ll come down there and show you how! *Snickers* (((((((BIG HUGS)))))))
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it’s hard to play well with other children when you are busy writing their book reports and term papers, but I felt like I was going to spend more of my life in librarys with people like Will and Ariel Durrant, or William Shakespeare, then I would playing tag or hop scotch.. so I opted to sit the games out.
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Happy birthday indeed – I love the photos! What a nice idea!
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He’s a very handsome young man and you have every right to be proud of him. I hope he had a wonderful birthday. And I know he has a wonderful mom. *with a warm smile*
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My firstborn kid turned 24 on April 10, so I can relate to a lot of your nostalgic feelings.
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