James

After rubbing off lottery tickets and not winning, James said to me: "I'm so embarrassed we didn't win."

Who IS this kid?!

Well, he's almost 5. He's smart. Funny. Happy. Imaginative. Responsible. An amazing listener. Almost a kindergartner. Five years ago, we moved back up to Virginia from Georgia. I was pregnant. At this point we were about to look for houses. Five years goes by really quickly if you have three babies.

James was our test case. My first go at being a mom. His arrival was joyful but plunged me into the depths of despair. Weeks seemed like eternities. Days like eons. Minutes ticked away. I was sad. Lonely. But with time, I learned. I grew. I became better. Not perfect, but better.

James has remained to this day what he was when he was born: patient. Good natured. Calm. A people pleaser. A leader. I needed him to be that way and he came through. He is an awesome kid to have around. A wonderful big brother.

In so many ways we made it through the tough days together.

And now we can laugh and talk about how embarrassed we are about lottery tickets.