When is Your Baby No Longer a Baby?

My baby turned three today.

Last week we told him that his birthday was coming, so every day this week he’s woken up and asked, “Am I three yet?”

Today, when he started stretching in my bed, I ran in and told him happy birthday. He asked, “Am I three today?” “Yes, today you are three.” “I am three now! I am big!”

As I do each birthday with each of the kids, today I reminisced about what was happening on the day of their birth. I was out and about today, so I would just glance at my watch and think, “Three years ago right now I was…” Usually, I will pipe up and tell the kids what was happening on the day they were born, giving them moment-by-moment commentary (i.e. “...right now I was emailing Daddy to tell him that I was heading to the hospital).

Do all mothers do that? I know my parents have called at 1:53am some years to say happy birthday. My mom has told me my pre-birth story several times (not necessarily my birth story…I’ll have to ask her about that). I know that when the kids are older I will tell them their pre-birth, birth, and post-birth stories.

Because my memory isn’t like it used to be, I decided to write down all of my prenatal thoughts, feelings, and appointments while I was pregnant with Jensen. I had a calendar that I wrote special moments on when I was pregnant with Jake and Jolie, but nothing that recorded my thoughts. I thought the journal would be a nice memento for Jensen. I’m not sure that he’ll appreciate it. I hope some day he will.

I have done a pretty good job of keeping up with all three baby books. They are five-year baby books, so I only have one left to keep up with (although I didn’t write down Jolie’s weight and height last year, so I’ll have to ask the Dr. at her next appointment so I can finish up the book).



Jensen requested green frosting on his cake. Since we are trying to limit our “unnatural” food colorings, I went out and bought natural food colorings (and spent a bundle on them). Yellow and blue usually makes green, but when using natural food colorings, it turns out sort of yellow-brown. Jensen didn’t seem to notice, although Jake and Jolie did (“that’s not green!”).

He helped us sing happy birthday and blew out his candles on cue. I didn’t even have time to take the traditional pre-blow picture (I hate the delay on my digital camera). He was pleased with his new scooter and Indiana Jones hat and whip (I didn’t really think that one through…he’s going to take someone’s eye out with that thing).

He’s a happy BIG boy now. I asked him if he felt three now, and he said he did. Just because he feels big, doesn’t mean I think he’s big. He’ll always be my baby…I sure hope he doesn’t mind.