Happy 16th, Alex!

Today is my dear son Alex's 16th birthday. He took this picture of us in back in February with my phone camera, because I begged him for a picture and I had just helped him get some items from Godiva for his girlfriend. He seems to prefer taking slanted photos because he thinks they look more interesting. I was SO happy he not only gave me a picture but that both of us are in the picture.

Sixteen years ago today, I gave birth to this 8 pound 11 ounce baby boy without the benefit of ANY pain medication--no IV drugs and no epidural, because the anesthesiologist got busy. I had been dilating slowly for about a month already, and I was 5 cm dilated at the doctor's office that morning. By the time I got a room in Labor and Delivery, I was 6 cm, but luckily, I wasn't feeling any contractions yet. Once they started the Pitocin, however, it was only two hours before Alex decided to make his entrance. I was shocked at how big he was, and I partly attributed that to my newfound love of Sonic shakes during this pregnancy. Maybe that's why Alex loves Sonic shakes? :)

I already posted this photo on my blog a few days ago, but I still love it SO much. Natalie looks so happy and Alex looks good in his new shorter haircut.

Patrick and I can truly say that Alex has provided us with more challenges than any of his other siblings, but he has come such a long way, since even a year ago. Not only is he considerate to his siblings (like when he went to the swim meet just because Natalie asked him to), but he is considerate to Patrick and me. For example, when I buy him clothes or anything, he thanks me and really shows his appreciation.

He isn't always considerate, of course. After all, he is still a teenager who thinks the world revolves around him. A couple of weeks ago, he was insisting that I schedule his hair cut at a time that was not convenient for me to take him. I was tired of telling him "no" repeatedly. When he saw how upset I was, he apologized without any prompting from anyone else. Last year he would have just let it be and not said anything, and maybe still insist that I schedule that appointment when I had to do something else.

These are two of his presents. No, he doesn't intend on wearing two watches at the same time. I asked him to do that so I could get both watches in the same photo. The one on the left is from his Aunt Cynthia and her family. The one on the right is from our family. He has temporarily stopped seeking so many shoes and started asking for watches, apparently. He also received a book and a check from Grandma and Grandpa. He actually said he was going to read the book, and he doesn't read a lot of books nowadays, so that is saying something.

His plans for today were simple. He wanted to go to Grimaldi's Pizza for lunch. He planned on getting up late, so we weren't sure when we would get to eat lunch, but he got up by around 10:30am or so, showered, and played on the PS4, and we went to lunch a little after noon. He also requested Sausage-Stuffed Jalapeños for dinner. I found it interesting that the other kids always ask to go out somewhere for their birthday dinners, but Alex wanted me to make something. He says that is his favorite food out of the things I make. He also asked me to make Banana Pudding. I haven't made that before, but we both tasted it already and it's going to be really good. For those that don't know, Alex LOVES bananas. He eats at least a couple a day, if he can. I love that he wanted me to make him something.

After lunch, we were already at the mall, so he said he wanted to "check out" some things at H&M, which was next door. They were having a sale, so he couldn't resist. For $140, he got a blazer, a button-down shirt, a T-shirt, and two pairs of pants. That's pretty good for men's clothes. He gave me a thank you hug after we finished checking out. What a sweet boy! Happy Birthday, Alex!