Lewie-isms (An Interview with my Son after his Ninth Birthday)

My sweet "Little" Lewie turned nine yesterday.  It's hard to believe that nine years ago, he came into this world and for eight years, I've been blogging about his antics on a weekly basis.  I never understood what parenthood or unconditional love felt like until the day I first met him...innocent, wide eyed, and such a little miracle from God.

From that day forward, I vowed to protect him, to teach him, to guide him, to be there for him (both physically and emotionally), and to be the best mom I know how to be.  I chose to be a stay-at-home mom for the first year and then worked only on a part-time basis until he was five. (I wished I could have continued this schedule, but finances forced me to take a different route.)  

His "Harry Potter" costume at Camp 565.

This year, my nine year-old will be going into third grade.  He says he can already tell he's grown taller and gotten stronger in the past day.  He's not too far from the truth.  He did grow--wearing a size 5 1/2 shoe and an XL (12-14) boys for most shirts and pants.  (This is way different from the size 8-10 he was last year.)

He's a smart kid that loves everything technology related.  He loves computers, video games, Google, YouTube, Music Videos, etc.  Over the years, he's asked me how to use PowerPoint, Photoshop, and Blogger.  Like most kids his age, he's constantly changing his interests, but there's no doubt, he will work in some sort of technology field.  Just a few days ago, he said he wanted to teach computers in college.  (This is probably because he knows that both Mommy and Daddy work and teach in higher ed.)  

Of course, there are his days when he's still fixated on trains.  Whenever he hears a train in the distance, he requests for us to stop and find it.  He also won't pass up a chance to go to a train station, train museum, or any other train adventure.  Trains were his first passion and may just stay until the end.

Last year, I asked him the following 14 questions.  In some cases, his answers are the same, and in other cases, they are different, relative to, of course, getting older.   (Sniff.  Sniff.) 

Q:  What is your favorite color?

A:  Orange (Same as last year.)

Q:  What is your favorite book?

A:   The Magic Tree House series. He loves all of them! 

Q:  What is your favorite cartoon?

A:  "The Amazing World of Gumball" and "The Odd Squad"

Q:  What is your favorite movie?

A:  "The Avengers Age of Ultron," he answers, "Vision is my favorite character."

Q:  What is your favorite song?

A:  "When I Met You in the Summer"  ("There's never a favorite because I love lots of songs," he says.) 

Q:  What is your favorite board game?

A:  Chutes and Ladders (Although, we also like Sorry, Pop the Pig, and Slapsies.)

Q:  What is your favorite computer game?

A:  "My head is hurting; I like so many games.  I might say Minecraft like last year.  No, my favorite is Portal 2."

Q:  What is your favorite place?

A:  Camp 565

Q:  What is your favorite thing to do at school?

A:  P.E.  (Gym)

Q:  Who is your favorite teacher?

A:  Ms. Drayton (his teacher from second grade)

Q:  What is your favorite sport?

A:  Tag

Q:  What is your favorite food?

A:  French Toast (same as last year) "Who doesn't love French Toast?"

Q:  What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy?

A:  To take walks and jump on the trampoline (same as last year)

Q:  What do you want to be when you grow up?

A:  "There is just so much stuff.  I want to be a YouTuber, a college professor, an engineer, a game programmer, and a coder."  Lewie also wants to be a camp counselor after having so much fun with Camp 565 this year. 

Sayings - "Want to play tag?"  (He asks about this in the trampoline, on a hike, in the park, in the pool, etc.  This is, by far, his favorite game.  He also created a new game for us to play on the trampoline called "Battle Tag.")

"Don't judge me."

"Can I just have two more minutes to watch videos?"  (I hear this a lot when it's time to do homework or practice our reading and writing.)

"I have a 'crunch.'"  (He means "a cramp.")

"I feel 'fluttered.'"  (He means "flattered.")

"I put it in the 'hamster.'"  (He means the "hamper.")

"I just love my life."

There are days that I wish Lewie would enjoy school more and understand the importance of his writing, reading, and math homework.  (Getting him to complete homework assignments can be tough.)  Still, by far, Lewie's good qualities outweigh the bad.  He is a sweet boy that speaks kindly about everyone.  He doesn't like to play favorites and finds good qualities in all of his friends.  He's outgoing, friendly, and aims to please.  He shares his things and will even let friends do things (such as playing a favorite video game) before him.  "Mommy, I just love to make people laugh," he said to me after one play date with his friend, Samara.

Thankfully, Lewie is a "young" nine year-old.  He sees the world in terms of good and bad and always wants to do good.  He loves his family and wants nothing to change.  (He gets teary-eyed when he thinks about changing the duckies in his room.)  He'd rather keep things (like his backpack from last year) instead of buying something new and has an aversion to throwing anything away.  I suppose this is something he will need to learn, but for now, the sentimental value he places on people, things, and experiences is endearing.  I am so lucky to be a Mommy to this little love bug.  Happy 9th birthday, Lewie!  You are my sunshine!