11 Years Ago Today...

11 years ago today, July 5, I had a 7lb, 12oz chicken legged baby boy. Since I already had a boy and a girl, I hadn't bothered to find out the gender during ultrasounds. Although I was pretty sure he was a boy. When I'm pregnant with boys, I grow facial hair. I'm not kidding. My doctor told me it was the boy's testosterone rushing through my own body. So when I started sprouting a beard in my third month, I already knew. I had a useless girl name picked out anyway, lol.

I wish I could say I was excited about this birth, but I was not. I was 23, having my third baby. I was a waitress at IHOP. A good tip day meant I had enough money for a pack of diapers and a gallon of milk. Missy was almost three years old, and Tiger was fourteen months. I was overwhelmed in the baby department. People were kind and asked me what I needed for this new baby, and I said, "CASH."

My mom, all the way from New York, offered me what I thought was a golden ticket. $100. Which was big money back in 1998. But, I had to use it in one way. Either a tubal ligation for me, or a vasectomy for Mr. R. Frankly, after having three kids in less than three years, I opted for Mr. R to go for it. And he did, on Labor Day weekend 1998, when Bucket was about two months old.

Honestly, the only reason why we did it, is because I figured it was cheaper than birth control. What an idiot, idiot decision. I was thinking in the short term, and not for the future. All I could think was, I'm sick of being pregnant, I'm sick of being poor, and I'm sick of bottles, diapers, stupid nursery rhymes, horrifying puppet shows on TV and constant sleepless nights.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my little guy, now 11 years old. My, how I grew to love him. He was the funniest looking baby ever, so different than my first two. He was not plump at all, and had a head full of black hair. I dressed him up as Superman on his first Halloween and slicked his hair back. He was quite convincing. I'll have to find a photo of that. But until then, here is what an 11 year old boy looks like when he's scarfing down chicken wings at the local bar. Yes, I brought him to a bar. They have a kids menu! So sue me...