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
No comments:
Post a Comment