You wanna know what's crazy? I started blogging a few months before I was pregnant with Nicky. Today is Nicky's 18th birthday.
What?!?
How cool is it that I've documented his entire life? It's not all in one place, but it's all there (my earliest blog posts no longer exist digitally, but I printed them out. I regret shutting down my first blog, Weekday Wisdom. I should have just left it floating out there in internet space).
Anyway, Nicky is 18, and I'm in denial. This just can't be. You give birth, and then they turn 18. It doesn't feel like that's how it's going when they are still pooping their pants every day at age five, but it happens in a blink. The last four years have been especially fast. High school? Gone like *that*.
To celebrate my son's inevitable adulthood, here are 18 facts about his life accompanied by a series of photos that Nicky reenacted and put in an album for me for Christmas:
Fact #1: He did not want to be born.
It took two years for us to conceive him. Then I had a series of false negative pregnancy tests (one via blood work at the doctor's office). Then he was born a week late via induction and still didn't want to come out, so we had to do a vacuum extraction. He cried for an hour straight after he was born.
Fact #2: He had a "Thomas."
This was when Nicky swallowed a magnet while Scotty and I were watching Lost. We thought he might have eaten one, and we confirmed it by sticking a magnet on the outside of his belly.
His "Thomas" was his blanket he was attached to when he was little. He never watched Thomas the Train. Never cared about the toys or the merchandise. But for some reason, this was his blanket of choice. But it wasn't really a blanket. It was just a scrap of fleece with unfinished edges. At one point, my mom tied up the edges, and he got upset, so she went and bought him a new, fresh scrap of fabric.
Nicky with his "finished" Thomas that needed to be replaced
Fact #3: He wanted to be a chicken farmer.
We called the photo studio that was doing our family photos and got permission to bring a chicken
At age four, he announced at his preschool graduation that he wanted to be a chicken farmer when he grew up. We got him chickens for Christmas when he was 8. He said he wanted to be a chicken farmer until about two years ago. Now we're not sure what he wants to be.
Fact #4: He never invites people over.
Not much time passed between these photos (junior year vs senior year)
Nicky will never host people or invite friends over to our house. This has always made me sad because I want his friends to come over. I can count on one hand the number of times he has had people at our house, and most of those have been spontaneous drop-ins where someone has shown up at our house and basically invited themselves in (and one of those times was today when two friends dopped by wih a birthday cake).
Fact #5: He had terrible anxiety as a child.
You would never know now, but when he was little, Nicky was so shy and anxious. He was scared to have his own bedroom. We had to shelter him from the media and news footage because it absolutely terrified him. He couldn't talk to people. I had many desperate conversations with his pediatrician trying to figure out what to do. We ended up putting him in Tai Kwon Do, and I don't know if it helped or if he grew out of it naturally, but during that year, he became a new person. The big turning point was one day at Culver's, we needed a spoon, and Nicky said, "I'll go ask for one." He left our table, went to the counter, and came back with a spoon, and I started bawling. He had never done something like that before.
Fact #6: His face was mangled by a slap bracelet.
Nicky earned his Eagle Scout during COVID
Nicky got a slap bracelet from the prize box at the dentist, and while he and Daisy were fighting over it, his face got sliced.
The slice
Fact #7: His ankles pop.
The biggest thing that changed between these photos was how wrinkly his clothes got (August vs December)
We always know if Nicky is nearby because his ankles pop when he walks. It's supposedly harmless, but it's always been a little disconcerting since it's so loud and creaky and just doesn't sound right.
Fact 8: He's frugal.
How could we forget the Hawaiian shirts and gym shorts phase? (A three year run)
Nicky has always been careful with money. He buys most of his own clothes second-hand and has a knack for finding great shoes at the DI (like Vans and Nikes). He often finds things in the garbage can or on the side of the road. He has a knack for finding free credits in vending machines and arcade games. When he was little, he was always pulling stuff out of twisty machines for free.
Fact #9: He's great with kids and people with special needs.
Nicky with Zoe (two weeks) and Daisy (3)
Nicky teaches children's rock climbing classes, and all the kids love him. He has also worked a lot with his peers with special needs. He truly has a gift for it. I've watched him help Zoe with her homework, and he is a wonderful teacher.
Fact #10: He is a perfectionist.
Freshman vs senior - shorter tie + Crocs
This is a trait people might not see in him unless they know him very well, but he puts very high demands on himself. I have to check up on him a lot because I don't want him to take his perfectionism too far. It's easy to overlook because he hides it well.
Fact #11: He's like a dog that constantly needs to be walked.
Nicky has lived most of his life in motion blur
Nicky gets a little stir crazy, and I often compare him to a high energy dog breed. He always needs to be going. On a family vacation earlier this year when the rest of us were tired and wanted to just lay around the condo, he was outside climbing from balcony to balcony and bouncing tennis balls off the wall. He has always been up first thing in the morning dragging our butts to Disneyland and pushing us to stay until closing time.
Fact #12: He delights in simple things.
The original photo is from when Nicky snuck his way into the Fiesta Bowl tailgate party and got a free breakfast burrito
Nicky is always excited about little things. In most areas of life, he's easily entertained and not highly demanding. Sometimes this is to a fault because he doesn't advocate for himself. For example, he did a side job for someone over the summer, and they never paid him, and he'll never say anything.
Fact #13: He is very grateful.
Nicky sobbing at the end of our Disneyland vacation because he didn't want to leave
Nicky has always been quick to express gratitude and is truly thankful for what he has. He often feels unworthy of what he is given.
Fact #14: He is very creative and funny.
He ne'er fears mud
Nicky has always been quick witted. He comes up with stuff on the spot and is always good for a laugh. He's very inventive. As a child, he was always making elaborate things out of the recycling. He's good at writing parodies, creating things from Legos, and pottery. He can also build and fix things.
Nicky with his pottery wheel in our shed
Fact #15: He talks about politics a lot.
Nicky is in a poli-sci class, and it has been interesting to hear what he is learning and how he feels about things. He has also taken some AP history courses, so his brain has been stirred in historical and political things.
Fact #16: He has a very strong testimony.
Nicky before his baptism
Nicky has always been very close to the Spirit in a way that has not been taught. He is just naturally faithful.
Fact #17: He is a peacemaker.
Making donations to Operation Christmas Box
Most of the time, Nicky is very non-contentious (he tends to stir the pot with his sisters on the daily). If ever he gets competitive, it's just with himself. We learned early on that competitive/contact sports were not for him. One time he was playing basketball with the deacons, and he stole the ball from the other team, then apologized and gave it back. It was the sweetest thing, but entirely wrong for the sport of basketball. I laughed so hard but also got teary eyed because that is my son at his core!
Fact #18: He can still be a stinker.
Truth
I've said a lot of good things about my son, and he is absolutely wonderful, but he has his naughty side too. I'm always finding out later about some of the trouble he causes. He'll be like, "Mom, remember when I told you that Travis peed in our garbage can? It was really me." Or, "I hit my friend's dad's truck with the Jeep and never told you."
When he was little, he was really naughty. Sometimes I watch old video clips of him, and I'm shocked at how difficult he was. He used to hit me in the face and thrash and scream at me. At age four, he really shaped up, and I'm forever grateful, but sometimes his devious side resurfaces.
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It has been a joy to raise my boy. I'm so proud of him, and I can't wait to see what else he does in life.
