Ch-ch-changes

Today, in honor of my older son's 12th birthday, I'm thought I'd play a little game I like to call Then and Now. Here are some of the ways Derek has changed since he made his debut--3 weeks ahead of schedule, I might point out--on April 16th, 2000:

Then: He was a scrawny peanut of a boy, at just under 6 pounds, and 18-1/2 inches long. When he was a newborn and for most of his first year, his pediatrician voiced ongoing concerns about keeping his weight gain moving forward, since he struggled to remain in the 25th percentile or so.
Now: He reaches my forehead (5 foot 1-ish?), and weighs in at a solid 88 pounds. This means he has packed on about 24 pounds in the last 2 years. Suffice it to say, his pediatrician is no longer worried. (Any angst now rests firmly with his mother, as she trots to the grocery store every few days to purchase enough food to satisfy our "growing boy".)

Then: On a related note, Derek suffered from reflux during his first 18 months, causing him to spit up frequently and be an understandably (but nevertheless frustratingly) fussy eater.
Now: Anyone who sits down to a meal with Derek has learned to guard their own plate and not turn their eyes away for even a second! Derek loves food, all kinds, and the more there is, the more thrilled he'll be.

Then: a cautious-but-curious baby, Derek spent a great deal of time standing up, holding onto furniture, taking in his surroundings. We believe this is why he never crawled--he had absolutely no interest in looking at the ground or being down that low. As soon as he learned to walk by holding onto mine and Husband's fingers, that's all he wanted to do...for five, looooong months until he at long last worked up the nerve to do it on his own. A mini-perfectionist, he put off the attempt until he felt completely ready...but once he finally let go, he cruised around with complete confidence, never seeming to stumble or fall down.
Now: I wouldn't call him reckless, exactly, but he's game to try just about anything. He climbs trees, practices skateboarding tricks, conquers ziplining courses, scales rocks, and leaps fearlessly over deep crevices while hiking. The careful toddler has stretched into quite an adventurous pre-teen.

Then:  And speaking of adventures, as a munchkin, Derek enjoyed taking rides in the stroller. To Starbucks, to CVS, around the neighborhood--he was content to relax in his little chariot while Mom did all the exercising.
Now: Derek hasn't met a workout he doesn't like...although to him, it's more "fun" than "something I must do to stay in shape". During his school's monthly timed Fun Runs, his fastest mile is 7 minutes, 11 seconds. (I can state with a great deal of certainty that I have NEVER covered a mile that fast in my entire life.) He joined Husband for a jog one day, and they completed over 4 miles, with Derek breathing just as easily at the end as when he began. Last night, he rode his bike with me for more than an hour. And 5-mile Appalacian Trail or State Park hikes add up to "Family Weekend Strolls". (This gives his parents all the incentive we need to maintain our own fitness...gotta keep up with the whippersnappers!)

Then: Always interested in music, Derek loved listening to hip kiddie classics by such notables as the Laurie Berkner Band (bless her, she made boppable tunes that even I would sing along to in the car, without wanting to cover my ears or tear my hair out). Then, very early on, he picked up the words to some Clash songs. (He once sang Lost in the Supermarket...you guessed it: in the supermarket! And proceeded to earn a few startled looks by spontaneously breaking into Bank Robber--"Daddy was, a bank robber, but he never hurt nobody".) His other favorite was some guy named Jimmy Buffett. (This prompted him to request Cheeseburger in Paradise from our favorite family-friendly-outdoor-playing-cover-band, on more than one occasion.)
Now: With a full-sized drum set and an iPod, he can be heard (from two floors away, mind you) banging along to the likes of AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and the Scorpions. It's like...experiencing OzzFest...in our basement (but fortunately, without the TicketMaster service charges...or raucous fans...or inevitable Police presence!)

Then: Derek had simple tastes in entertainment: give him an episode of Elmo's World, the Wiggles, or Go, Diego, Go and he was satisfied. Read Horton Hears a Who to him every night before bed (maybe mixing in a little If You Give a Mouse a Cookie for parental sanity) and he'd blissfully drift off to sleep. And when he got his own Leapster, the educational handheld toy that acts as a very first video game, he was positively giddy. (Match upper and lower case letters! Uncover facts about animals! Add and subtract! Learning can be HOURS of fun, I tell ya!)
Now: Derek is likely to be found hunched over his iTouch, completing super-secret missions in one of his action/strategy games. Or in front of the TV playing a virtual game of soccer or baseball with the Wii. His viewing tastes tend to lean toward European Soccer matches, Food Network (as long as it's a competitive show, with Winners and Losers...you know, like a...sporting event...with stuff to eat) or Discovery Channel documentaries (penguins and polar bears, sharks and whales, lions and tigers, chimps and gorillas: we're total suckers for the entire Animal Kingdom). And when it's time to curl up with a good book, he's likely these days to tackle the Lord of the Rings or Hunger Games trilogies--and you'd better be prepared to analyze and discuss them when he's done, so be sure to do your homework before Family Book Club Meeting!

Yes, it's true he's grown quite a bit--both literally and figuratively--over the past dozen years. But even when he's officially taller than me (which I am resigned to admit will almost certainly occur by his next birthday), he'll still be my baby...and be required to obey his Mom!