And we have a Gene-ager

He was born among friends and family in a birthing room in Kentucky, on a sunny spring day in 2005. They placed him in my arms and we gave him the name Bright Eugene Rupp. Happy tears spilled from my eyes. He was so solid and warm, breathing in and out, so complete. Another life, another person in this world, and this person was mine. I was now a mother.

Before he was out of diapers he was memorizing the countries on the world map. Before he was five he was addressing adults like equals. Before he was nine he had dropped his first name and embraced his "more sensible" middle name, Eugene. We've joked that he is a grown up trapped in a little boy's body.

And now he's no longer a little boy. Now he is 13. It's as if he was meant to be this age all along. The calendar is finally catching up to his personality and his heart. This young man of ours is the genuine article, a fine leader in the making. Did we ever think he'd be anything but? We're very proud of our son, our smart and witty, pragmatic, sincere, and staunchly independent Gene.

Happy Birthday, Eugenius! I love you with all my heart. - Mama