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| Newborn Christopher. |
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| 5-year-old Christopher. |
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| 10-year-old Christopher. |
Ten!
I was feeling very nostalgic before Christopher's birthday this year. Partly because of the double digits, and partly because it feels like the end of an era. I have been an at-home mom (aside from various contract projects) for so long, and now both of my babies are getting older. (Also, I now have a job "outside of the home" even though I work from home 99 percent of the time.)
I made the mistake of telling Christopher I was feeling sad about him turning 10, which meant that I later found out that he was also sad about his birthday. Because that is the kind of sweet, empathetic boy that he is. Empathetic to a fault, sometimes. I quickly went into overdrive assuring him that I was very excited to celebrate him, and he ended up having a fun birthday. (I mean, who wouldn't like laser tag with a BFF and sister; a trip to the Rainforest Cafe, or Jungle Cafe as he calls it; and pizza and ice cream cake with the in-town cousins? Yes, it was a lot of birthday, but I love celebrating the kids.)
Christopher is in 4th grade. It has been a bit of a rough transition. He had the same wonderful teacher for the past 3 years. And they were tumultuous years, starting with first grade in the fall of 2020. This year, the expectations for classroom work are much higher, and he misses his friends who are no longer in his class. I know this will be good for him, though. Clare had the same teacher for fourth and fifth grade, and she was more than ready for middle school. (Although can I credit the teacher here? It is Clare, after all.)
Christopher struggles with transitions, but we try to ease the way for him where we can. Some of this he will just need to figure out on his own. Ah, growing up.
Some of Christopher's favorites at 10: video games, video games, video games, and oh did I mention video games? (Current favorites include Minecraft, Pokemon Sword, Super Smash Bros., Fortnite, and the OG Super Mario Bros and Age of Empires.) He also loves reading (especially Big Nate and Diary of a Wimpy Kid), drawing, swimming, riding his bike around the block, playing board games, our new kitten, stuffies, and legoes.
Dislikes at 10: Being told to turn off the video games, basketball, school (sad), Harry Potter, cleaning the cat's litter box, when Clare gives him a "fresh cut".
Christopher still loves all animals. Not coincidentally, he is also still a vegetarian. (14 months and counting!)
He is full of random facts from books he's read, so I always believe him when he says something is true. He said this to me the other day, "I used to worry about all of the stars running out of juice, but then I read that when a supernova explodes it makes 1,000 stars."
He is taking a Parkour (free running) class at a local gymnastics gym, which he loves. He is in Cub Scouts, and played baseball over the summer. We are trying to encourage him to try some other sports, like soccer, but so far he is not interested.
He told me recently that he loves our family road trips and exploring new places. This year, we went to Utah and camped near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. He likes exploring these places, but his favorite parts of any camping trip seem to be s'mores and playing games as a family. Oh, and Ghost in the Graveyard when we camp with our friends.
It's so hard to capture Christopher in a post like this, but he is just so funny. He loves to make people laugh, although he hasn't yet figured out that the joke is less funny the more it is repeated. I am sure he will get there!
Here is a conversation I had with Christopher recently, which I enjoyed and I think captures some of his quirkiness:
Christopher after his shower: I used so many things in there! Two conditioners, the body and hair wash, shampoo.
Me: I was wondering what was taking you so long.
Christopher: That wasn't why I took so long. I spent half the time putting soap into my belly button.
Me: That was a good use of your time.
Oh, Christopher. You are the best boy. I love how you still let me hug and kiss you, even though you are 10. I love talking to you and listening to all of your interesting observations on the world. Happy birthday!
