Holden - Happy 7th Birthday!

Dear Holden,

Having my baby turn another year older is always so bittersweet. I remember so many tiny details around my pregnancy with you, your birth, your first year – I was so aware of the fact that you were (100% most definitely!) my last baby, and I tried my very best to soak in every experience (even while running after two other kids, one of them being Lexi as a toddler). So to think that my once-tiny baby, with the sweet, high-pitched voice and chubby cheeks, is SEVEN is pretty mind-boggling.

You have changed so much this past year, although of course, I still see so many glimpses of that same sweet little baby boy – the unruly curly hair if I wait too long to get your haircut, the frequent “Mommy, I love you,” the tight hugs, the adorable giggles with your sisters, the ability you have to just put yourself to sleep whenever and wherever you feel like it. But now you read, everything. You teach me about math and patterns and oceans and sharks. You are better at video games than I will ever be and you can pick out makes and models of cars from quite a distance away. You can watch Home Alone or Fast and the Furious over and over and over again. You request your own songs during our Friday night dance parties. You still LOVE sushi and fight with your Uncle Matt over all of the salmon sashimi. You put away your own laundry, help clean the kitchen, pack/unpack your school bag. I have especially loved seeing you bloom in karate this year – you were a little hesitant when you started but you have totally blossomed there. It is such a pleasure watching you listen patiently, follow instructions, get stronger, learn new moves and most of all of course, have such an amazingly fun time. Your instructors all say that you are a joy to have in class, and your father and I find it such a thrill to just watch you participate and love it so much.

You are doing so well in school, which is another not-so-small delight for me. I was worried about you at the start of the year because you were put in a Grade 2/3 split class and being the absolute youngest of the Grade 2s I was concerned you might get a bit lost. But during the annual reorganization, they actually moved you to a Grade 1/2 split, which is a much better fit. The teacher is lovely, you are with great kids, and you have learned so much just in the first few months of the school year. Your reading has exploded, and your printing and spelling have taken off as well. It’s always such a relief when I see you adjusting to change and new surroundings with ease.

Above all else, you remain our wonderful Class Clown. You still say funny things to make us all laugh – except now the jokes are just a little more sophisticated and mature. As I say to you frequently – you are my very favourite little boy in the whole entire world. And no matter HOW old you get, that fact will remain true.

Happy birthday my sweet bugs – love you to the moon and back times infinity.

Love,

Mama

Alexis - Happy 8th Birthday!

Dear Alexis,

Happy 8^th birthday! It is hard to believe that there was ever a time that you weren’t this bright, loud, curly-haired little girl, but I still remember the events surrounding your birth like it was yesterday. I remember how small and squeaky you were (we called you Pipsqueak actually). I remember how the nurses told me that just-born babies like to sleep a lot initially, but instead, all you wanted to do was eat (and eat and eat and eat). I remember you being whisked away to the NICU for a few hours after I held you for only a second and feeling utterly helpless that I couldn’t be with you. I remember your father and I sitting alone in the recovery room, feeling empty that I didn’t have you in my arms, and being so relieved when your scrawny, bald little body was returned to me. I remember introducing you to Mercedes for the first time and witnessing how quickly she fell in love with her baby sister.

As the years pass, the moments in between those first few days and the present become blurry – I thought I would always remember how you mispronounced certain words, or what your hair looked like after a nap, or how proud you were when you learned a new skill. But certain moments will always stand out in my mind so clearly – you taking off all of your clothes and dancing on the coffee table; the stubborn way you insisted on calling your brother Baby Cry when he first came home; the phase of wanting only Daddy to change your diapers (thank you for that); the way you used to growl when you ate; how you rolled over ridiculously early and the way you used to chase Duke around with a maniacal grin.

Above all else, one thing remains – the feeling of absolute delight I have in watching you grow into this amazing kid that I just love so much. I say it often, but it remains true – you clearly knew you were destined to be a Middle before we did. You have this effortless way of moving through life – easygoing and stubborn, independent and so very loving, feisty and committed to the things you love (cartwheels, ice cream, YouTube, friends, spelling, your curls, being as colourful as possible).

Your presence is a gift to us all, and we are always so very grateful to watch you walk through life with the spirit that you have. Don’t ever lose that spark!

Happy Birthday Lovebug.

Love,

Mama

Mercedes - Happy 10th Birthday!

Dear Mercedes,

Happy 10^th Birthday! It is impossible to accurately explain just how much you have changed all of our lives – myself, your father, your grandparents, your aunts. Before you, we were a family, a great family – but you are the one who changed us all. You turned us into parents and grandparents and aunts. You made us realize the full depth of love we were capable of, and just how it feels to have a piece of your heart permanently walking around outside of your body. Of course, I love your brother and sister just the same, but there will always be something special about the firsts with your first born. I will never forget how I felt in the last couple of weeks leading up to your arrival – impatient, anxious, nervous, and excited beyond belief at getting to meet you and finally learn all about you. I had no idea just how perfect of a mix of your father and I that you would be –his skin tone, my face, his body and feet, my excitement about writing, and a personality (and hair) all your own.

The downside to being the first born is that we basically continually experiment on you. In fact, I’ve told you often that just as you are learning how to be an 8 year old, 9 year old, and now 10 year old, we are learning how to parent that age also. We make mistakes, to be sure, but we always try our best and I hope you always remember that every decision we make is because we love you and want you to grow up to the best version of yourself that you can be. Not the one who gets the highest marks, not the one who wins the most awards, not the one who always wins the race… but the one who is kind, and considerate, and inclusive, and a little goofy, and can be sarcastic and take a good joke like the rest of us. You are well on your way, and we can’t wait to see what the next decade holds for you. 

I won’t lie, I am a LITTLE nervous about navigating the pre-teen and teenager years ahead, but as you will be figuring out your path in life, your father and I will always be walking, and learning, alongside you.

We love you – Happy First Decade!

Love,

Mama