My first born, my sweet baby boy, the one who started me on the mom journey, turned 16.
{gulp}
How can he possibly be this old?
{Chaz around a month old and me}
Why is the newborn stage so short? I can barely remember him being so tiny. I loved snuggling him. I held him all the time and I loved every minute. He took to nursing so easily and I was relieved we didn't have issues. He was a mama's boy from the beginning. I was so shocked when he was born with a head full of dark black hair. He was such a beautiful baby.
{Chaz around 3 months old and his dad}
Daddy and Chaz hung out and played video games together. He was so smiley and loved when family played with him. Wen was so nervous to hold him and feared he would hurt him.
{Chaz around 7 months old and me}
Once he learned to crawl, he was happy being let down to explore. He would examine things and try to figure things out. He was such a happy little guy. He loved his grandparents and aunts and uncles so much. He loved to giggle.
{Chaz at 1 year old}
We spent most of our day outside walking around the neighborhood when he was a toddler. He would walk so slow, stopping to examine every rock, bug, flower, and talk to everyone.
{Chaz at 2 years old}
He loved to paint and color as a toddler. He was always so messy and loved it. He spoke so well as young as 1 year old. He would amaze people with his knowledge and clear speech.
{Chaz at 2 years old and his aunt Mei}
Chaz was always excited to see his GooGoo Mei.
{Chaz at 3 years old and me}
Chaz was/is so smart. He hung out with the adults a lot when he was really little. He was the only little one around for a while. He would just join in on the discussions and ask more questions. It was fun watching him make friends at his daycare/preschool.
{Chaz at 2 years old with Aunt Jenn and Nana}
He adored his Aunt Jenn and Nana so very much! They spent so much time together. Aunt Jenn would take Chaz everywhere with her and they even wore matching clothes.
{Chaz at 4 years old, me, and his dad}
Chaz pretty much had the full attention of everyone with him being the only grandchild for a while. We moved into this house just after he turned 4. He hated that long hallway. He wouldn't walk down it for the longest time without me holding his hand.
{Chaz at 4 years old with his grandparents}
He loved playing with his YaiYai and NaiNai. They had such a special bond.
{Chaz at 5 years old and me, first day of kindergarten}
Chaz learned to read about halfway through his kindergarten year and he was reading chapter books by the end of the year. He soaked it all up and loved learning so many new things. He showed his competitive side in kindergarten as well.
{Chaz at 6 years old and Brijet}
Chaz was a super sweet big brother. He was gentle with his baby sister and really helpful. Chaz hung out with his Aunt Jenn all the time at this age. They did everything together and even dressed alike.
{Chaz at 7 years old}
Chaz loved Legos as a young kid. He would make many interesting creations. He also liked to play with coins and make designs with them. He read constantly.
{Chaz at 8 years old and Ainzley}
Chaz had this adorable toy iguana. He put a fake leash on it and tortured his sisters with it! It looked so real and they were terrified. He had so much fun with it. He was really sweet to his sisters though. He would read to them, help them play, share things with them.
{Chaz at 9 years old}
Chaz learned to swim easily when he was about 5 years old. He loved going to the pool and had fun going off the diving board. He would easily make friends and then just swim off for a day of fun.
{Chaz at 10 years old with his sisters, Brijet and Ainzley}
Chaz was a little adventurous. He would play in the woods a bit at the end of our street. We would all go out and dance in the rain together. He learned to take care of the lawn and worked hard at getting that done. He ended up mowing a few neighbors' yards to make some money as well.
{Chaz at 11 years old}
Chaz loved origami! He would do all sorts of fun stuff with paper. He was so good at it. He made the cutest things and some weird things as well. He learned to make balloon animals and wowed people with them. :)
{Chaz at 12 years old with Ainzley, Brijet, and me}
Chaz loved playing board games and video games. What preteen didn't? He also found a love of chess. He learned to play pretty easily and tried to teach his sisters. He was also fond of magic tricks and enjoyed showing his sisters.
{Chaz at 13 years old with Brijet, Ainzley, cousin Micah, and Dax}
Chaz taught himself to juggle. Dax just loves watching him juggle. He was such a good cousin. He would play with Micah and make him giggle so much. He is good at getting the deep laugh from the little guys. He also has no trouble saying no and being done. He never lets the kids get away with anything they shouldn't be doing.
{Chaz at 14 years old with his dad, Brijet, Ainzley, and Dax}
Chaz really didn't like music as a little kid. It was funny how he would always ask me to turn it off but he loves music now. Maybe he just didn't like my taste in music.
Chaz at 15 years old with the family}
Chaz amazes me with how smart he is. He learns so much in school and then he tells me all about it. He explains things so well and remembers the smallest details. He loves learning about psychology, history, and different cultures. He currently speaks a little Spanish and loves practicing.
{Chaz at 16 years old with his friends, Kaylin and Hanna}
Chaz has been such a fun teen so far. It has been fun to teach him to drive and see him interact with his friends. I am so proud of this young man! He was invited to go to the Missouri Scholars Academy 3-week summer camp for his excellent test scores and IQ. He is so bright. He currently mows yards with a friend of a friend and recently got hired on at Sonic to start after camp. He is thrilled to be earning money of his own and plans to save up for a car as soon as possible. He is joining swim team this school year and taking 5 AP classes. He has big plans for the rest of his high school years.
He went to prom with a friend and has been to a few other small dances. It was fun seeing him all dressed up with a friend. I wish I could have attended the dances and seen how he danced. LOL
I want to do it all again. I want to start over with the pregnancy, birth, nursing, newborn stage, toddler stage, the hard parts, the good parts. Everything. I want to relive his life again and soak it up better, take more pics, write more down. It is hard to watch the kids grow up. I miss him being so small yet I love watching him grow and learn. Being a mom to this young man truly is a gift.
I look forward to seeing what this year brings him.
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