Bobo

"Don't wait to make your son a great man - make him a great boy."

Our oldest child, Brandon turned 14 last week. Wow! I've been a mom for over 14 years. Amazing. What did I even do before having children?
Brandon was born 9 months 3 weeks after our wedding date. We knew we wanted to have children - it was still a little surprising how quickly we were blessed. We got married, moved into our new apartment in another state the next day, spent a few days getting comfy then went on our Honeymoon to DisneyWorld. When we returned to our new home I started a new job. I worked as a nanny. This worked out well because I found out I was pregnant a couple weeks after starting and I was able to continue working while pregnant and then I just brought Brandon with me after he was born.
Brandon was born before we went with Biblical names. We named him after the actor Brandon Lee. (We saw him in The Crow - he died while filming it.) Our son's middle name is Thomas after his daddy. Soon after he was born, I heard Pamela Anderson named her son Brandon Thomas too. He was named after Brandon Lee and his daddy, Tommy. Probably the only thing I have in common with Pamela Anderson :o)
I was so happy and excited throughout my whole pregnancy with Brandon. Everything went smoothly. The only big change was moving one floor up in the apartment building Tom and I lived in. We had a one bedroom and we moved into a two bedroom. We moved from the 2nd floor to the 3rd. The real difficulty was the stairs - and no laundry. Well, there was a small laundry room, but after we found a dead rat in the dryer - we started spending our Friday nights at the laundromat. Carrying a stroller, a baby, and groceries up the stairs was kind of a pain. Taking our dog Justin outside every day and night wasn't fun either, but I love thinking about where we were when we first started together as a married couple - and parents.
Tom was an airplane mechanic when we first got married. He later found a job as a locomotive mechanic, and then as a forklift mechanic. I graduated from college 2 weeks before our wedding with a minor in Fashion (my first major) and a major in Child and Family Services. Before college I was a nanny and after our wedding and moving I went back to being a nanny.
To celebrate my job, Tom and I bought season tickets to Musicals at a new place called Rosemont Theater. We would be able to see all of the shows that season before our baby was due. I still remember the green velvety maternity dress I bought to wear to the last couple shows.
Moving to a new state was hard for me. I missed my parents and my friends back home. I was so thrilled when I found out I was pregnant. I already loved taking care of other people's children - now I was going to have my own child to love and care for.
When labor started, it was late at night. Tom and I were in bed and I started feeling what I thought were contractions. We called the hospital and were told to come in. I think it was around 1:30 am that I called my parents to tell them. I thought I'd be having our baby within a few hours. Nope. Labor was long and painful. I had a midwife, we were trying to go without an epidural. I went for many hours, but then I got so tired I just couldn't keep myself under control with the pain. I finally got an epidural and was able to rest a little bit before meeting our first son. 23+ hours later, Brandon was born. I remember holding him, being totally exhausted, and swearing never to have another child. Ha! I must have been crossing my fingers. My parents, my oldest sister and her husband, and my oldest brother were in the waiting room. They came in to meet Brandon. He was a very healthy, adorable baby boy. I fell in love with him immediately. Brandon and I had a tight bond. I took him everywhere with me! And he was beautiful. We even had a modeling agency offer him a job, but they told us we'd have to sign a 5 year contract and be able to be downtown any day and any time. We were young and couldn't afford not to have our "steady" jobs. We wouldn't be able to drop everything and go downtown. Plus, I didn't want to commit to something for 5 years. What if Brandon didn't like it? What if we didn't like it?
Brandon. "Bobo." He is amazing. He is a very kind-hearted boy. Very spirited. Very creative. He has an incredible artistic talent. His drawings amaze me! And he has such a positive attitude about his Tourettes. He likes to teach others about it and doesn't let it get in his way. I am so proud to be his mother and to have him as my son. I have enjoyed watching him grow. I used to hold this little boy on my lap - and now he stands taller than me. We have a wonderful relationship and hope we always do. I know we will. Brandon is very special to me.