seven

Dear P,
     Today you are seven years old!  The last seven years could not have gone by any faster if we were in a DeLorean traveling 88 miles per hour.  Where does the time go?
     Seven years ago today, my heart was so full of love for you that I didn't think it could hold another bit.  But, just as it has with your younger brother, my heart has grown to love you more every day as I watch you turn into your own unique person.
     Seven years ago today, you came into my life and changed it forever.  You are our firstborn, so you are the one who made me a mom, and that was an amazing gift!  We went to the hospital on Friday, March 2, 2007 for a C-section because your head was stuck underneath my ribs.  I was prepped for surgery, and thirty short minutes later, I was handed a baby boy.  A big baby boy.  Eleven days early, you weighed nine pounds, nine ounces and I swear you smiled up at me as I looked down, wondering what to do this brand new, rosy bundle of joy.
     Seven years later, I still find myself wondering what to do.  And you still smile up at me.  As I think about the past seven years, I realize that your daddy and I have learned a lot, as parents and as people.
     Daddy and I have prayed so many things for you since before you were born and, true to form, God has done more than we could have asked or imagined.  You are a light in this world, not just to us, but to everyone who meets you.  And now you are seven.  Just like that.  Seven.
     This has been the year that you and I have become best friends.  Maybe it’s because your first grade year has been so busy with all the Tae Kwon Do and the homework and the piano lessons and the practice and you're just ready for a safe place to land at home, but this has been our year of being in love.  You can’t get enough of me.  It’s like I’ve grown an appendage that weighs fifty-nine pounds and likes to request "cuddle time”.  And I absolutely love it.  I am overjoyed that you - and your classmates - think it's wonderful that I work at your school, and you hop out of line to give me a hug when you see me in the hallway {but always with your teacher's permission, because you are a first born rule follower to the core, like your mama}.  I am savoring these moments, and also hoping that I capture some of these moments on film so that I can pull them out and show them to you in five years when you want me to drop you off blocks away from our destination or when you are furious with me for imposing limits on your freedom.  :)  I promise, I really am looking out for your best interests.
     This year has brought its share of challenges.  You’ve had your feelings hurt, felt misunderstood and had to learn what it means to stand up for yourself.  At times it’s been hard for me to watch, but I’ve seen your character grow and develop as you’ve put into practice what it means to be a good friend and the importance of treating others with kindness.
     You are tenderhearted, patient with others, and an engineer at heart.  You love to know and are always willing to explain how things work, from the mechanical to the emotional.  You can give me an elaborate description of how and why things are, how things could go differently, and why we might need to do things a certain way no matter what scenario you're dreaming up at the moment.
     This is the year I have really seen your amazing memory in action.  You are a champion speller, because once you see a word, you can spell it.  This year one of my wishes for you has come true - you have become a reader.  Today in the car on the way home from Raleigh, you read to yourself for almost three hours straight!
     You are the dream I couldn’t have imagined.  And Daddy and I love you more than you’ll ever know.  Happy Birthday, my sweet boy.  You are going to be great at being seven.
Love you forever,
                     Mom