The Big One

I used to love watching Sanford and Son as a kid. Seeing Redd Foxx stumble around, clutching his chest and saying “It’s the big one. I’m coming Elizabeth!”

That fact has nothing at all to do with this post. It just popped into my head when I wrote down the title. No, the “Big One” in this case is, as you have probably already guessed, the first birthday. In a mere 12 days my little boy turns one. My head cannot seem to wrap around that fact.

And the first birthday seems to be surrounded with a lot of magical occurrences:

• The car seat can be turned to face forward (yes, he is more than 20 pounds)

• He can eat egg whites

• He can eat peanut butter

• He can eat citrus fruit

• He can drink milk (ok, lots of food stuff- you get the idea)

• He should start to walk any day

• He can sleep on a cot at daycare

I wonder- can I turn the car seat around the day before he turns one? Or will it cause the infant police to take away my mothering license? What about the milk? We did try to give him a bit of ice cream a month ago and it came right back up. Does he have the proper enzymes as of May 17th? What if they are late and only show up on the 18th?

Here’s a little secret...he already loves mandarin oranges {gasp}, and I’ve given him scrambled eggs {double gasp}.

But, anyway, after a ceremonial plea to the Gawds, we will be taking him to get ice cream on his birthday to the same place where I have gone my entire life and where my mom has gone for almost her entire life. Let’s hope that the magic enzymes show up on time!