This is my nephew Braxton. He is 8 years old today! I can't believe that it was 8 years ago, we drove up to NC to welcome him home from the hospital. The same day he was born, I found out I was pregnant with Graham. I was so excited that my sister and I would have babies so close together and I really hoped Graham would be a boy, so they would be close. He was a boy and they are close -- well, actually, they argue quite a bit when they are together, but I am sure that that is because Graham is number four in his family and Braxton is an only child. It creates some real differences in the way they each solve problems! However, my sister and I KNOW that one day, they will be VERY close -- we keep telling them this over and over and over.
Anyway, Braxton was my sister's first, and as it turns out, only, baby. Graham was my number four, so when I found out I was pregnant, Stan and I decided not to tell anyone, even our children at first. This was because I didn't want anyone talking about me being pregnant when my sister just had her first baby. It was her day! It was really silly of me to think that it would be an issue, and even more silly of me to think I could hide it. My mom has the weirdest "mother's intuition" of anyone I know. I was barely 5 weeks pregnant, not even sick yet, certainly not showing and when we walked in the door her eyes lit up. As soon as she could, she cornered me in the kitchen as whispered, "You're pregnant, aren't you?"
Unbelievable.
She still can't answer how she knew. She says she "just did."
Anyway, Braxton is the cutest thing ever. He looks a lot like my Joshua did when he was younger, but Braxton definitely has some of his daddy in him, too. He is exactly 8 months older than Graham, and truth be told, he prefers Lyndsey and Joshua. That is because the three of them are peas in a pod as far as personality. They are the calm ones in the family, quiet, sensitive, and compassionate. Graham and Bryce are....well, they are the strong ones in the family, driven, passionate, and intense in whatever they are doing. All of these are strong, God-given traits that will work well for them in life when channeled in the right direction, I'm sure.
Today is Braxton's 8th birthday and I truly wish we were there to celebrate it with him. We spent last week in the mountains together, so that was a little consolation. He calls me "Big" and if he is talking about all of my children collectively he calls them "the cousins" -- it is so cute!!
This summer for the first time, he asked to be able to come and stay with us in Florida for a couple of weeks. I think it caught his mom off guard, and it hasn't worked out yet. It is hard to let your kids go away. Maybe next summer we can plan our first annual "Cousins Camp" and invite Braxton and our new cousins from Alabama.
Happy Birthday Brackie -- Big, Uncle Stan and the Cousins love you very much!!
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