Ollie is 11: The birthday blog

Another year has flown by and somehow you are eleven.  Your life has now spanned across three different decades.  Crazy.  So let me tell you some of the things that I will remember about you at this age.

-        You love reheated food for breakfast – pizza, sausages, any kind of leftovers.  We call it your University breakfast.

-        You played your third season of AFL.  This year you faced the challenge of moving up to a full sized field but still had the best time playing along with your mates.

-        You have started to read Stephen King books.  You’ve been asking for years but finally we relented and eased you in with some more tame ones.  You are onto your third one now and somehow we’ve only had one nightmare so far.

-        You wear the same size clothes as me.  A size 10 shirt in our house could end up in anyone’s washing pile and I have found you wearing my t-shirts around without even knowing it.

-        You received an academic medal for the second year in a row, meaning five or more As on your report card (it was actually six).  You’ve had a teacher who really challenged you this year and saw through your crap. You butted heads a bit but I know she expects great things from you.   There is not enough wine that I could give her.

-        You absolutely despise swimming lessons. Each week you fake an injury in an effort to get out of going.  You spend the whole drive there wishing out loud that a baby will poop in the pool so your lesson will be cancelled.  But when you get there you absolutely smash out your laps for the hour and love it.  

-        You stayed awake past midnight on New Years with your friends.  You were so excited that nothing would have stopped you from making the countdown, but you were super shattered the next day and kept asking if you could finally try drinking coffee.

-        You want a dog.  So much.  You wrote a three page persuasive argument highlighting the benefits of dog ownership.  It was so good that it nearly worked.

-        You are still so loud.  I keep wishing you had a mute button. 

-        You’ve taken to wearing sleeveless shirts, aviator sunglasses and slightly coiffed hair.  You look a bit cool and you know it.

-        Nick has been showing you how to DJ a little bit and you love it so much.  Every single day you are asking if you can get on the decks.

-        You had a story published in a book.  It wasn’t half bad either.  We are super proud of you but the constant ribbing about being a “published author, something many grown ups will never achieve, at 10” is starting to wear a little thin.

-        Your taste in food has widened with you loving a nice curry or a tiny bit of spice.  Sashimi addiction is still real but you’ve been willing to keep trying natural oysters, although you’ve not enjoyed one yet, you still persist.

-        Deodorant.  It’s a real thing now.   

-        We finally relented and let you play Call of Duty on Xbox (for like 30 minutes).  I got a total kick out of you realising that I’m not awful at it and that your love of gaming might run from my side.

-        You stood up in front of a whole hall full of people and delivered a speech.  You were nervous but you absolutely killed it.

-        Your love of film is coming along nicely with Nick sharing some more of the classics with you.  You are also enjoying making films and animations of your own, with you plotting your YouTube channel with millions of subscribers.

You were once a tiny little baby who relied upon me for every single thing.  I could barely get away from you for a few minutes to even take a shower.  I was the most important person in your universe and no one else could even compare to your Mummy.  Our days were filled with cuddles, singing songs and reading books with me beside you as you achieved each and every milestone.   Now you are this giant boy who won’t let me hold his hand in public, gives a serious contemptuous eye roll and wears the same sized shoe as me.  The years have flown by and so much of your days aren’t shared with me but your friends and your teachers.  My questions of how was your day don’t elicit the same excited responses as when I’d pick you up from kindy.  But I am seeing a beautiful young man that you are becoming and (most of the time) I am incredibly proud to be called your Mumma.  I know you may not need me for all the little things anymore but I have to admit my heart absolutely bursts at the seams when you forget about being the cool boy and take a few minutes to cuddle up with me on the couch (even if you are nearly as long as me!). I hope that as the years keep passing by that we will always take these occasional but lovely moments together.

I love you my Ollie Bear.