A 9 year old's birthday cake

Last Friday my first born turned 9 years old. It didn’t really faze me all that much because he is still in the 1 digit number part of his life. He woke up in the morning feeling very excited to be celebrating his birthday. It was a school day, so that meant all his friends would be able to wish him a Happy Birthday that day. I brought him to school and I went off to begin my day.

Later that day, it hit me. I had not asked my son what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday? OMG, what was I going to get him? Every past birthday he would have a theme. When he was 4 it was Spiderman, when he was 6 it was a soccer field, and last year Joseph had a hockey rink for his cake. I was a little bit in panic mode because if I waited until he got home at 4 o’clock then there would be no time to get a cake theme. I did not know what to do. I had no choice but to wait.

When he came home from school I hesitantly told him that we did not get a “special” cake. He looked at me and said...”ummm...an ice cream cake from DQ is fine mom.” “What?” I thought. “An ice cream cake from DQ?” Then I went on to explain to him that there would be no special theme on the cake, just a plain old “Happy Birthday Joseph.” He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Ya that’s ok.” Ok, so at that moment the whole 9 years of his life just flashed before my very eyes.

I started thinking back on the night when he was born and when all the family was waiting impatiently in the waiting room for Franco to come out and let them know...”It’s a boy.” I began to remember the days when he began to crawl, and then walk. I remembered the first time we took him to Florida and he flew on a plane for the very first time. I remembered the first time he rode a bike without his training wheels, and how proud we were of him. I began to think of the day I walked him into his Kindergarten class with his brand new Spiderman knapsack and his Batman cap. I remember receiving his very first report card, and the first time he made something special for me on Mother’s Day. It all went by so quickly. All the years of helping him get dressed, buying him fun squishy bath toys, and helping him get through the first Level 1 reading book. My baby boy was growing up.

Joseph was my very first experience at “unconditional love”. He is the first human being that made me want so much more in life so that I can give it to him. He is my best friend, and although our relationship is changing, he will always be my first born baby. He gave me the most important job in the world.

Joseph no longer cared to have a cake with colour and prints. He didn’t even care that he got money in an envelope from most of his aunties. No more gift bags with Transformers on it. No more gift cards from Toys’ R Us. He has somehow passed all that. He has somehow moved on to a different stage in his life. Yesterday I walked in on him shaving..lol. He literally had his dad’s shaving cream on his face and he was using a razor on his boyish face. When I asked him what the heck he was doing, he simply answered, “I’m shaving mommy.” Lol.

My husband does not understand my emotions as a mother. He just thinks I am crazy half the time. He tells me to leave him be, and to just let him grow up. And I know that to some people it’s not such a big deal that he didn’t ask for a soccer cake or a hockey cake on his 9th birthday. But to me, asking for a plain old ice cream cake from the Dairy Queen means a lot more than just a birthday cake for a 9 year old boy.
That’s my peace today!

Chicken thighs with sauce and potatoes
1 pack chicken thighs
2 cups sauce
4 cloves garlic (whole)
6 peeled and cut in chunks potatoes
fresh basil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup beer
5 tbsp olive oil

In a large skillet, place garlic and oil and heat. Add chicken, brown on both side. Add the potatoes. Add the beer and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add the sauce, salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes. Add fresh basil.