The Big Boy

This is all such ancient history by now I hardly remember the engagement (I was in a cold-medicine induced haze, anyway) or subsequent wedding. It's been so long that Judy is actually the size of a house, ready to pop with her first baby already. Yes, I'm finally going to be an auntie - not a Gugu (father's sister) which I would really like, but a Jiuma (mother's brother's wife). Which is all okay because Judy is expecting a girl. I'll finally have an outlet for all of the Hello Kitty things I've been wanting to buy all these years.

I've been going through old baby clothes deciding which things I can bear to part with and then passing them along. Every time Jay catches me I get a good scolding. Nevermind he can't fit even one big boy arm in whatever little article of clothing it is - he yells, "I don't want to give Gugu's baby!" and then he insists on trying to put the clothes on himself.

Jay is actually now a 4 year old school boy. It was on his birthday that we started sending him to school (I know, what kind of mom does that?). He goes to the Season Arts Educational Institute. Sound hoity-toity? It most certainly is! Notice the little plaid uniform?

Since the first day was his birthday, we'd baked cookies the night before to send with him on his big day. I went early to pick him up in the afternoon and was peering in at him from the hallway when he sensed my presence. Apparantly, they'd just passed out the cookies and, seeing them brought about a huge wave of missing me and his eyes were still red and puffy from crying. He immediately noticed me and came screaming out of the classroom as if he'd been shot out of a cannon.

His teacher came out and chatted with me as I blinked back tears myself. She showed me pictures on the digital camera that seemed to show a happy and energetic Jay running around all day having a good time. I was reassured but it was still hard to have my baby off at school.

Now he looks forward to school and scolds Jason if he's not fast enough in the morning. "Hurry Dad! They'll have put the breakfast away by the time we get there!" It's too early to tell, but I might have finally given birth to a boy who likes school. He sings the songs he learns and tells me all about the things they do at school. He's even getting the hang of ABC's. Makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth.