Tween.

For those of you unfamiliar with the definition of a tween, it refers to the brief period of time between the ages of 9 and 13 (at which point one becomes an official teen).  We didn't make such distinctions when I fell into this category (three thousand moons ago), but it truly is a remarkable time. You're not quite a kid, and not yet an adolescent. You still like a lot of the toys you grew fond of during childhood, but you're also doing crazy stuff like taking ballroom dancing at school where you have to (eek!) touch a girl's hand (and you kinda think she's not all that icky). You still need your parents' help with a lot of things but you also think you know way more about cool music than they do and you're surprised that yes, in fact, your mom does know what Gangnam Style means.

Long story short, I love this little gentleman-in-the-making. I've always believed he was amazing and it's a privilege to watch him morph from little boy into young man.  

(And yes Cavan, mommy is crying tears of joy again.)