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Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

Ready or not — starting on Thursday, we will have a teenager in the house!

Can you believe it, my sweet boy is turning 13. I can’t really call him my little boy anymore as he is quickly approaching my height, and soon enough I’m sure he will pass me. He already has a relatively deep voice, but soon enough it will deepen even more. He’s growing up right in front of my eyes.

Landon has a developmental delay so oftentimes when I think of him, and where he’s at developmentally, I still seem him as being younger.

If you walked into my house, you’d still see lots of toys scattered across the house, especially trains and play food. The last couple years he has also taken on more puzzles, so we usually have a puzzle or two on our dining room table, too.

Landon loves setting up his little ice cream/hot dog cart and pretending like he’s selling food, and in the last few years he has started taking on more of an interest in occasionally helping in the kitchen, especially when it comes to making a frozen pizza or a pizza from scratch. He has also learned to use the microwave to heat up simple things.

By far Landon’s favorite thing to do is watch or play with trains. Whether he’s watching them on his iPad or seeing them in-person, you’ll definitely know if one is coming. Even in these below zero temps, if we came across a train while driving, he would request that we roll down his window so he can wave at the train; and not just the front — he waves at the entire thing!
How sweet it is to see him be amused by something so simple.

If you know Landon, you know he usually has some type of toy in his hand — usually a train — that he can’t leave home without, and if you see him out and about, sometime he will have his iPad with him, too.

Despite him still being a child at heart, little by little he’s transforming into a teenager.

The last six months, I’ve seen him want to sleep in more than ever before and not want to go to sleep as early as he has in the past. I’m not sure the cause of that, but I try to laugh it off and say it reminds me of how a teenager stays up late and sleeps in late, too.

He’s also always been a good eater, but lately he seems like a bottomless pit if he finds something he likes. I have to remind myself that we have a true teenage boy on our hands.

I’m excited to see how he will continue to learn and grow in the coming years and for all the fun we will have together.

To my boy who keeps me on my toes around the clock: Happy birthday! Mom loves you!

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Wednesday.