A Letter to My First Child

In honor of this big boy's birthday today, I wanted to pull out a letter from the archives. Happy birthday, G. You have made me rediscover love, and we are SO proud of the boy you've become. We love you like crazy.

I rarely get a quiet moment with my first born because his little sister is the Hot Mess Express and needs to be monitored all the live long day. Last week, our quality time was getting his cavity filled while little sister was at school. As I watched him in that chair, calm as can be, I had a minute to really think about how much he's grown. Our first visit to the dentist at 18 months was a crazy show; and here he is now chilling while he gets his tooth fixed. Where did this kid come from?

Then I read this article about the Big Kids, and I had a moment. A guilty one at that. So many times, when I am pulling his sister off kitchen cabinets or out of my make-up, I take for granted how cool he is. With 5 years separating the two of them, he can get lost in the shuffle of the toddler circus. My baby boy (yep, still call him that) made me a mama, so I wanted to write him a little something to let him know how awesome he is.

Dear G,

When your little sister got here, your world completely changed. You spent 5 years of your life right between your dad and me. You made our world go round - you were a great sleeper, you didn't fuss; you were a dream. You were an early talker so I loved our conversations, and I loved taking you on adventures. 

Enter your 5th year, and here comes our newest member. You adored her from the beginning; carefully loving on her and taking care of me too. Since she was not quite exactly like you in the sleeping and fussing department, you could tell I was tired. Sometimes, you took the fall; I'm so sorry. There were times you would ask if I remember life without her - I'm sure because she made us a wee bit crazy, and I know you felt a little lonely. Never in that time did I ever want you to feel that way; life just got nutty for a bit. Thank you for hanging on with us as we figured out our new normal. 

Now that she's older (and did I mentioned a bit crazy?), you are the BEST big brother and role model for her. She follows your every move - which you honor with love not frustration - and you watch her if I need to do something quick. You make sure she doesn't climb on the table, and you keep her from most of her crazy antics. Thank you, Bubba, for helping me. 

You have grown into the coolest kid - your love of music and all sports makes us smile. Sharing your love of those things with your sister is even better. When she hears your favorite song, she always yells for you. And when her friends are over and you are overcome with toddlers? You jump right in and play, caring for each of them too.

Thank you for being the best big brother. Thank you for loving your busy little sister. Thank you for making me a mom.

I don't tell you that enough, and I'm grateful for that pesky cavity for reminding me of just that.  

<3 Mom

Now that my eyes are a bit misty, I am going to count the minutes until he gets home from school. He's got a big hug waiting.