ManCub.

Ch-ch-changes.. my cub is becoming a ManCub. I am in shock over the changes in my boy over the last several months.

First of all, and I will be brief about this.. he has noticed girls. I'm not going to say anything more on that due to a contractual obligation b/t Jake and me to zip my lip. What is scary is that he is actually one of the last boys in his class to figure out girls rock.. who would've thought 3rd grade would be a late bloomer? Sheesh. I can say this.. because he is so open with me, I have had the priviledge of explaining so many aspects of boy/girl relationships to him. So much so.. that one of his friends came to him last week and asked him about the 'emotional stuff' when it comes to girls. He told me, "hey, since I know a lot about that now and he didn't, we got to talk about the emotions." HILARIOUS. Ahem.. but so cool. Another friend kissed a girl on the playground (they were "going together"..where, in the 3rd grade? I have no idea..), but she broke up with him shortly after. And Jake said, "See, now, he has wasted his first kiss on just some girl." Be still my heart.. he is so right! And it just opened up an opportunity to talk to him more about why we save the sacred stuff for later.

Secondly, to some degree, he is starting to care about how he looks when he goes out. Every morning, he fusses over his hair now. His bangs have to be 'just so'.. not too off the forehead, but not too flat. If he can't get it right, he asks me to do it. The other day, he said" How come you can always make it look so good?" hehe.. I just told him years of practice. On the flip side, I am not allowed to go clothes shopping without him anymore. Apparently, I am not as cool as I thought I was (which I still totally disagree with). I bought him a pair of khaki cargo shorts from the Gap, which are very cute, but he refuses to wear them. Something about the way the pockets lay? Anyway, he told me it would be best to bring him along next time. I'm fine with him taking charge of his clothing, it's good for him. But, I refuse to believe that I'm incapable of cool.. it's not like I'm over here wearing the 'mom jeans' or anything!

Lastly, this summer is going to be a huge growing experience for him. He is flying (by himself) to Madison to hang out with Becca for a week and to NY to see his grandparents. It's taken me a year, a lot of research and prayer to get to this point. Oh yeah, this is about Jake growing.. not me. Ha! Anyway, he is very excited and I believe he is ready. However, bigger than that, he is going away to camp for a week in August. He is going to Pine Cove! When I first brought it up as a possibility, he said 'NO WAY.' I said, "I think it would be fun.. it would stretch you a little, get you out of your comfort zone.." He said, "Mom, I think my stretching for the summer is going to be the fact that I am going on a plane alone for the first time." Touche. I left it alone.. he asked more questions about it, we discussed details, looked at the website.. and he decided he really wanted to go. He is SO like me in that respect.. he just throws out a NO, but if you give him a minute..he is on board and excited. I think it will be an awesome opportunity, and I am thrilled to watch him step out into some adventures.

Prayer for the Weekend: Pray that I focus on enjoying my mommyhood rather than the loss of mine.. I want this Mother's Day to feel different than the last two.. I am ready to love her without sadness.