The Pizza Guy Turns 7

David turned seven today.  And as much as I was hanging on to my beloved Davey, his little boy nickname, when I was writing his name on his birthday card today, I consciously chose to write David.  This is the name he uses at school and with all of his friends.  Davey is a pet name, a family name, and somehow he seems to have outgrown it, although he will always be Davey Bear in my heart.

So what does a grown up David want for his birthday?  When it comes to presents, a remote control helicopter and some spy gear (night vision is so cool to a seven year old!)  When it comes to food, pizza, pizza and pizza.  I would describe David as a selective eater. Joe just calls him a picky eater.  He currently eats cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese sandwiches, yogurt, smoothies, peanut butter sandwiches, dry cereal (milk on the side), green beans, peas, pears, apples, baby carrots, french fries, bagels, donuts, cereal bars, popcorn, nutella, waffles, bacon, sausage and...pizza.  Lots and lots of pizza.  Last year David would not have anything to do with hot lunch at school.  In fact, the one day that he forgot his lunch in the car, the principal called to ask me to bring a lunch to school because David was having a mega-meltdown about being forced to eat hot lunch.  This year, about a month into school, he announced that he was going to try hot lunch on a breakfast-for-lunch day.  "Are you sure??" I asked him, remembering the phone call last year.  He was sure and decided that he loves the breakfast sausage the school serves.  Not sure what is in the sausage, but around here, we call this progress.

So on his seventh birthday when he asked me for breakfast pizza, I was envisioning a pizza with eggs and sausage on it.  "Where did you try breakfast pizza, buddy?" I asked, proud that he was trying something new again.  "No, mom, I want regular pizza for breakfast!...It's my birthday, you know?"  Right.  Like father, like son.  Not only was Joe a (much more) picky eater when he was David's age, but Joe also thinks pizza is the perfect food and has been known to eat it for breakfast.  So David had pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner on his birthday, lucky boy.

Joe is in Chicago for work today and was sad to miss David's birthday.  When I sent him these pictures, he thought David suddenly looked very old.  I told him I had the same feeling back when AJ turned seven.  Must be something about seven that is grown up.

David showing off his new spy camera gear.

The cool birthday boy.

So glad that he still has that dimple!