Tag: step son

My Step Son is More Awesome Than Yours

With all of the pre-fab furniture assembly on this weekend’s agenda, Jen figured it would be a good idea to offer Harry some money in exchange for getting a jump on things tonight. He was up for it and as I type this he is in the dining room putting together a humongous pantry that’s bigger than he is. It might be bigger than me.

Sure there’s a little bit of a bribe involved, but that doesn’t change the fact that my step son is awesome for doing this. He pretty much rules. My step son is absolutely more awesome than yours. It’s a certifiable fact.

Birthday Part 2

I don’t know if I’ve told this story here or not… I’ve probably told it 100 times but I can’t even remember what I had for lunch yesterday never mind if I wrote a blog post about something that happened 14 years ago or not.

Back in 2007 when Jen and I first started dating, she had a rule that we needed to stick to. Anyone she dated had to be around for six months before they were allowed to meet the kids. I liked that rule, not because I was insanely nervous about meeting the kids (I was, of course) but because it was a sign to me that she cared more about them than anything in the world including any potential new relationships she might find herself in. It meant that the kids came first, and she wasn’t going to let them get attached to someone who might not be around for the long haul.

Six months later we were still going strong and the day came when I was to meet Bellana and Harry. The plan was to go to a Chuck E Cheese near my office in Framingham after work. Obviously I was terrified. I had zero experience with kids and if they hated me right off the bat it was all going to be over for me and Jen. She told me that Bellana (age six) was a little more outgoing and probably would be more interested in me. Harry (age four) was a little more shy and would probably clam up.

We met outside of the building so that we could all go in together. It went exactly the opposite of how we expected. Bellana hid behind her mother and was very shy. Harry, with all the confidence in the world, walked right up to me and asked if I wanted to see a paper he had worked on in pre-school that morning. He was completely fearless.

By the end of the evening both kids seemed comfortable with me and I was already loving them. They accepted me right away, and they accepted the idea of me and their mother being together right away. I can’t thank them enough for that. Even now, 14 years later, I am pretty stunned at how well that night went. I will never forget it, and I will also never forget that Harry was the first one to welcome me into the family. I love both of those kids more than I ever dreamed I could love anyone.

Once again, happy 18th birthday, Harry.

Birthday

Today is my step son Harry’s 18th birthday. I am so proud of him. He has grown up to be a fine man. He is smart, he is kind, he is caring, he is considerate, he is funny, he is charming, he is woke like a boss (which is nice). The last year has been a complete shit show but he’s managing it well. He’s going to be leaving for college in August and that is painful to think about so I don’t think about it, for now. I love him more than I can express and I can’t wait to see the great things he accomplishes in the future. Happy Birthday, Harry.

Procedures

We are a touch less than a year and a half on from my step son’s type one diabetes diagnosis.  That was the scariest thing I’ve ever been a part of.  Since then he’s had frequent check ups and his handling of his blood sugar has been closely monitored.  A few weeks ago his doctors saw something that deserved a closer look, and today he went in for a couple of procedures.

He was nervous about the IV, but he wasn’t nervous about being put under, or about the procedures themselves.  My wife and I were nervous enough about those for all of us.  The staff treated him well.  They explained everything they did at every step of the process, and worked very hard to make sure the IV process went as smoothly and painlessly as possible.

In the end, everything went by the book.  We have to wait a couple of days for the results, but the doctor who handled everything said it all looked good to him.  My step son is incredibly brave and unbelievably tough.  The universe keeps dealing him a weak hand and he keeps rolling with it and turning the lemons into lemonade.  I’m very proud of him, as always.  Good job, bro.

What an Interesting Day

Today, February 4th, is a very interesting day.  There are many important birthdays.

My step son turns 11 today.  He was four when he and his sister decided that I was good enough for their Mom.  I will forever be grateful to them for that kindness.  On the day I first met him, Jen warned me that he would be super shy and would probably hide from me.  I was ready for that.  Then when we all met up outside of the Chuck-E-Cheese’s in Framingham, he strode right up to me without any hesitation and asked me if I’d like to see something he did in school that day.  The little man liked me from the word go.  I have no clue how I got to be so lucky.  Seven years later and he still doesn’t mind me hanging around.

My nephew turns three today.  I recently got my hair cut.  The woman chopping my locks asked me if I had any kids, and if so did they get my red hair?  I told her that I was step father to the two best kids imaginable, but that I had not passed on my glorious red head.  I also told her that it was okay because my sister has the same hair and her son, who turns three today… just making sure you’re paying attention… was fortunate enough to get the same color.  The red hair has been passed on to the next generation!

Facebook turns 10 today.  Yup.  The last nail in myspace’s coffin… The Accidental Billionaire… Millions upon millions of pictures of people’s dinner (I am as guilty as the next nerd)… it all started 10 years go today.

See?  I told you February 4th was an interesting day.

World Series Game Six in Progress

I’d like to say something about the game, but I won’t because I’m afraid of jinxing it.

I will say that while driving home tonight I got the goofy idea of printing out a blank score sheet so that I could keep score of the game. I was thinking that it would be a nice distraction from the constant heart attacks and vomit fits that were sure to result from the stress of watching game six of the World Series.

What I didn’t expect was that my step son would get super excited about keeping score and want to do it with me. It turned into a really cool male bonding experience. Complete with my step daughter thinking we were being total nerds.

It made tonight’s game 100000000 times more enjoyable than it already was.

Thanks, buddy! I love you!

Double Digits

Today is a truly momentous day. Today is the day that my step son turns 10!

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear best step son ever,
Happy birthday to you!

Double digits. 10 years old. Wow, it seems like yesterday he was just nine, right?