the signs are all there...

With Kyle's 11th birthday approaching there is no way for me to ignore the signs that pre-teenhood is fully upon us.  And I can't help but think about how many things have changed...

At 4 years old Kyle discovered computer games and never went back, he's been very proficient on the computer ever since and is good at finding interesting games.  Now he is no longer happy to just play games on the computer, Kyle is often playing online with classmates and on google video chat at the same time (on a related note, listening to 10 year old boys talk to each other while playing video games online is entertaining!). 

As a little boy he listened to Dan the Music Man and other various children's entertainers.  Recently while driving with a friend of his in the back of the van, Kyle and Davis spent the whole drive with an ipod between them and each having an earbud in...they were listening to Hedley and discussing the various songs and their albums.  In general Kyle is more up to date with music than I am.

I remember buying the tiniest of plaid shirts for my handsome little 1 year old boy, I could hardly stand the cuteness.  And now almost all of his clothes from last summer are too small and I find myself buying the biggest sizes for him from the children's section for shoes and shirts (does this mean soon I need to shop in adult stores for him, eeek!). 

I remember many (MANY) nights being up with a little boy who did not want to sleep, who needed constant comfort.  And now he stays up late with Jeff and I watching action movies or Dragon's Den.

There's deoderant, the need to shower frequently (especially on gym days) and he's getting very close to catching up to me height wise...not too much of an accomplishment seeing as I'm only 5'4" but still it will be strange when he passes me.  And last but not least he recently "liked" a girl in his class and was writing her name in his notebook (I have since been informed he is no longer interested...but it has begun!).

Of course there are still bits of the little boy in there...I won't embarass Kyle by listing them, but it means the world to me they are still there.  I hope there's always a bit of that enthusiastic and sweet little boy in Kyle.