My sweet boy, today you turn 9. It’s crazy to me to think that it’s been 9 years since you first made your appearance into this world. I remember it like it was yesterday, when I finally got to see your perfect little face and hold you in my arms. Life was a fight from the start for you, for both of us. Little did I know, we had much bigger fights ahead and that 28 hours of fighting into this world was just God giving us a little preparation for what we would go through together. In 9 years you have experienced so much already. You have lived more heartache than I ever wanted for you to in an entire lifetime. You have done so with a strength and a compassion that astound me. For such a long time it was just the two of us and you were always my little man of the house. When your brother came into our lives with the grace of a freight train (as is his way), you stepped up to a plate that you never should have had to and I’ve so proudly watched you be the big brother that every little kid would dream of having. We’ve had a rough start to 2015, you and I. Surgery, double leg casts, more therapies, homeschooling, moving, 3rd grade math (who starts algebra in 3rd grade?! Seriously!), new responsibilities, and growing pains. We’ve finally hit that transition where I’m forced to be your parent and not your friend. You’ve started asserting your independence and opinion. Every moment that I want to get mad or frustrated though, I keep reminding myself that this is the boy turning into the man that I have aspired to raise. The one who fights for what he believes in and follows his heart. The one who doesn’t follow the crowd and who loves everybody around him with grace and understanding. I’m sure we have many more fights to go in this life, but I am so grateful that God chose to give me you to do it with. You will always be the first love of my life!
You don’t often like your picture taken. So I planned ahead this morning before I asked you to give me 5 minutes of picture time. I can always count on chocolate when I need to cheer you up and make you amiable to my plans :-P. Cookies and cream cupcakes for breakfast on your birthday is not a bad way to start out being 9.
