Sometimes as the baby of four with a birthday right before Christmas you get your letter a couple of days late….
I knew about you for years before you were born.
Grams even dreamed about you. She was confident you were going to be a dark haired boy. She was half right.
One day, right before I had Max, I sat down to right in my journal. As I wrote I had a feeling deep in my soul that this baby, the one currently inhabiting my body, wasn’t my last one. It was like you wanted to make sure you weren’t forgotten.
Years later you were still in my head and my heart, but not yet in body. I sat in the temple, still, open, and I knew you were ready to come. Nine and a half months later you did– very very quickly.
I needed you. I’m so glad you are ours.
You delight our entire family.
You are obsessed with neigh neighs (horses) and like to tell people, “yeah, I ride neigh neighs all the time”. You are also allergic to them and break out in hives if you touch a horse and then touch your face. That fact has not dampened your enthusiasm at. all.
You never stop talking. We can now understand at least 95% of it.
You run everywhere, but refuse to wear shoes.
You hate to miss anything and constantly tell me, “I want to help!” and “I come”.
You give the very best hugs.
You make your opinions known. You have an opinion about what books we read, what songs we sing, and what clothes you wear. For some reason you have taken an instant and deep dislike to the most recent PJs I bought you.
I let you get away with too much. But, you occasionally send yourself to time out, so maybe I’m doing okay?
I set up a regular babysitting swap with a friend mostly because you need to learn to share.
For the last month you would tell everyone, “I want a bike for my birthday” and slump your whole body like the world was weighing on your shoulders. You got a bike. Your feet, my smallest child, can’t quite reach the floor yet. But when anyone tries to help, you scream, “No! I do it myself.” and then “Whoops!” as you fall over. Repeat twenty five times a day.
You love Daniel Tiger, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman and will sing on request.
You say thank you, constantly and it is the sweetest thing. We are still working on please.
It’s just us at home during the day. I watch how you live in the moment, how you love deeply and without qualification, how you are honest about how you feel, are always completely yourself, how much pure joy you find in little things, how you trust, and I learn what it means to “become as a little child”.
I love you forever,
Mom