Happy Birthday, Mr. Mayor!

 Eight years ago, The Mayor was born by Caesarean section.  An ultrasound predicted a weight of 11 lbs. 10 oz., so I was not given the option of waiting for a natural delivery!  Imagine my disappointment when he was "only" 9 lbs. 7.5 oz.!   As Mrs. Cosby used to say on The Cosby Show, 9 pounds of it was head!

Although he spent some time in the Special Care Nursery with high blood sugar common to big babies, he came home at the normal time.  And we went straight to the beach for our annual 4th of July picnic with the grandparents and cousins. 

He was welcomed into the family by two adoring older sisters...
who have since become the bane of his existence.

Even though I dropped him on his nose when he was 4 months old, he has turned out alright.

 

 At three, he climbed the lowest of the Adirondack high peaks, Cascade, without a complaint or a carry (except when we wanted to carry him in a certain place).  We were impressed.

 At four, he became a big brother.  Usually, he loves to play with and take care of The Princess.

The Mayor earned his nickname at Easter a year ago, when we went our to dinner with Grandma, Grandpa and Great-Grandma.  We walked into the restaurant and he took over, telling the hostess exactly what we needed and where to seat us.  He was very charming about it.  He is, like his sisters, very friendly and talkative, and has never met a stranger.  So the nickname fits because he is always willing to have a dish of conversation with someone and tell them how it's going to be.

he attended public school kindergarten for about half a year, and has been home-schooled ever since.  We started homeschool because we were moving around a lot, but I think it's really beneficial for him because he can move at his own pace, which is fast!  He took of reading very quickly, and now read, spells and does math way above grade level.  I think if he were at school, he would do his work quickly and then talk to other students, which is what happened in kindergarten.

One thing homeschooling has done for him is to ignite a love for birdwatching.  Once while bike riding near Philadelphia I told him I thought I saw an oriole and he told me what sound it would make if there was one; something we had learned months before, but he remembered.  Moments later, we heard it call and his eyes lit up!

Today he is packing to go off to Pirate Camp on Sunday, where no doubt he will charm everyone again.  It's exciting because this is his first year to stay a whole week instead of half! He was ready to stay longer before, but camp wasn't ready for him!

Things sure will be quiet around here while he's gone, and I predict the Princess won't know what to do with herself without her big brother. 

After camp's over, we're going to see a Pediatric GI doctor to find out once and for sure whether he has celiac disease or not; he's been on a gluten-free diet since he was about a year old.  We were hoping that he would grow out of his sensitivity, as I did, and genetic testing was inconclusive regarding celiac.  He's been on a "wheat test" all this week and so far, I have not seen any reaction which is great.  He is not even cranky.  But I am not sure he would tell me if he did have a tummy-ache, because he likes eating the wheat.  So we'll leave that up to the medical professionals. I would love to see his "special tummy" go away!

What other special events await an 8-year-old boy?  Can't wait to find out.  I've never had an 8 year old boy before!