8 Years Old and Growing Up

Somewhere, somehow, 8 years has passed since our 5lb, 6-week preemie surprised us with his arrival. He's at that stage now which is the perfect balance of still wanting to snuggle in at night and give kisses and hugs before school, but just old enough that his friends are becoming a very important staple in his day, fashion is top of mind, and he's even spoken of a "girlfriend" (although she doesn't know!) This week, it was clear... he's getting bigger, he's growing up, and oh-my-goodness there are definitely some things that I need to be more prepared for.

It all started when he needed the nut cup last weekend. With dad gone for a short time, I talked the neighbor into taking his boy and Cade on a field trip. Off to Dick's they went (no pun intended) and home he came with compression shorts and nut cup insert. He was so bashful about it, that it was precious. He asked me to wash the shorts and have them ready for the game tonight. Sure, I can do that. Well, I can, but then I wasn't sure how to put it all back together. I tried hard to ensure I was doing it right, like any champ-of-a-mom would.

I inserted the V-shaped nut cup upside down, assuming that the bigger portion would cover the bottom of his [ah-hem] stuff. The poor kid. He stood in the laundry room, wiggling his little butt, and trying to make it comfortable, before asking me if I maybe put it in upside down. Bless his heart. I nearly took a picture of the thing at that point, and emailed Jarin in China for help, but then I was determined. I can do this, I thought. I flipped that sucker around, and reinserted it into the shorts, and ta-da! Comfort!

He ran out the door tonight, with a nut-cup and new glove. And he even tried playing catcher for the first time, just like his daddy did back in the day.