from one pumpkin to another

Ah.... my oldest son turned second oldest son. My first little man.... affectionately called Punkin or Punk as he prefers now. I really debated how best to introduce him but I couldn't resist this picture. Even if its not my favorite or even his favorite, how could I NOT feature Punkin with a pumpkin of his own carving/choosing?

My son that made me a mother.... Not the first in the line, not even the first of all his siblings... But my first. He will always hold a special place in my heart and I really hope that he knows it. Punkin came roaring into the world in April of 2000, about 11.5yrs ago now. And he is still the same as he was then, laid back, passive, but hyper and passionate.

Punkin is the quintessential boy. He loves sports, especially soccer. He loves riding his bike and coming home filthy from fishing or catching frogs. He protests reading or writing or anything that requires him to sit still but at the same time, he loves his video games. As a small boy, Punkin told me that he wanted to move to Japan to become a Pokemon master. He also wanted to become a fireman. Talk about broad sweeping goals.

Punkin was my first in almost everything.... My first real experience as a mom (though I was a stepmom three times over when he arrived), my first breastfed, co-slept, home schooled little guy. I often joke that I made my most parenting mistakes with him but looking back, I think that we cut our teeth (figuratively and quite literally) on each other. Yes, I made decisions that I regret with him but I also learned the most from him and Peanut.

I don't feel that I did too bad with him though. Of all the pea plants, he is the most nuturing, the most tender-souled, the most willing to help and pitch in. Which might not be a fair assessment since SweetPea is just a toddler and PorkChop a baby but for now, he is definitely the most loving. And that totally fits his personality as well. For an Aries baby, he totally lacks the self-centered "number one" persona and instead, is the little dad. Punkin totally wears his heart out there on his sleeve, would give his shirt off his back to help someone, and really makes people feel welcome.