Clay's Birthday Post

When Clay was a baby, the Pixar movie The Incredibles had just come out. We didn't see it right away, but when it cam  out on video we rented it and fell in love. We especially loved the "Jack-Jack" character and because Clay was so like him, we started to call him "Clay-Clay". When Raley was in Kindergarten, Clay and I were at school all the time and went on the field trips and all. Raley's whole class called Clay "Clay-Clay" and when I see them now (as super grown up 5th graders) they still remember him as
"Clay-Clay". We used to go pick Raley up at school every day and Clay always went in costume. Whether it was Batman or Superman (or one time even Hellboy complete with tail) he was dressed for hero time! Once he went with me to Victorias's Secret in full Batman regalia. I have no doubt that anyone who was working there that day told everyone they know all about the cute little boy dressed as Batman. He even made up his own characters from time to time. I fondly remember "The Hider-Seeker" and "Mystery Cowboy" but my all-time favorite would have to be "Mystery Man". There was no costume for "Mystery Man"; in fact, I never saw him. When Pattie was born, whenever I needed a diaper or some wipes or her pillow or anything, it just appeared! I would ask Clay if he brought it and he would say, "No, Mommy. It was "Mystery Man" I guess." One time I asked him who he thought "Mystery Man" was. His answer surprised me a great deal. He said, "He's a spirit who lives inside me."
Clay has always been a snuggler. He's the only one of our kids that slept in bed with us as an infant. Part of that was Jayme left for Iraq when he was only 4 months old. He was my reason for getting up and functioning in any way that could be called complete. Raley was 3 1/2 but so self sufficient I often said he only needed me for changing his pants and reaching things too high up on the shelf.
I'm not sure what Clay gets from me. He is such a perfect blend of my emotions and empathy combined with Jayme's logical reasoning. He gets upset in a flash when it does happen but he usually gets over it quickly. I tend to step in to shield him unnecessarily from things that weren't bothering him to begin with.
He gets all his charm from Jayme. Before he met me, Jayme was something of a self-proclaimed ladies man! Clay regularly  has people trying to steal him and take him home to be their little boy. It makes a Momma proud...and just a little bit worried.....
He never stops talking or asking for food at home. We were pretty concerned before he started school that the principal would be on a first name basis with us and our phone number would be the one she dialed most often. He has surprised us by being the exact opposite. His teachers regale us with tales of his supreme obedience and rule following. He was even rewarded by his gym coach for being the ONLY child NOT talking in the gym the other day. He was allowed to get a toy from the treasure box. He picked out a little stuffed raccoon toy that he proudly brought home and gave to his little sister. That's just how he is. Once he won a prize in a drawing at a bank (one of the small branches inside a store). There were all kinds of kid toys in one basket and the other one had more grown up selections. He looked through the toys then grabbed a magnetic clip from the adult prizes and presented it to me to replace the one I use for recipes while cooking. I had dropped mine earlier that week and broken it.
Clay is the toughest kid I know. He can go full bore all day and then the second he is still, he's asleep. He tells wild stories and dreams up all kinds of fantastical worlds and creatures. He builds guns out of Legos and is fascinated by weaponry of all kinds. Yet at the end of the day he will gladly eat a Princess vitamin if all the Superhero ones are gone.
He shares his birthday with Hank Williams (he was born the day Hank would have turned 80), Elvira, and John Ritter to name a few. It's also Constitution Day; the day the in 1787 that our Constitution was signed by 39 rebels trying to change history. I think it fits Clay. He has it in him to change the world....