Happy Number 6 Caedon!!

I remember what I was doing at this time exactly 6 years ago. I was rocking in the hospital rocking chair, squeezing your Daddy's hand and trying to breathe through the pain. I was trying to calmly tell myself that this would soon be over and the reward, my new son, would be worth the pain I was going through. Six hours later, it was over and you were here.

Our first child was here. Life hasn't been the same since. Life has felt harder and more difficult than ever before. The world is a scarier place than I ever thought it could be. My desire to put you in a protective bubble gets stronger everyday. I would do anything to keep you from feeling pain...ANYTHING! At the same time, life has also never felt more full, complete, wonderful, funny, and amazing since you've been here. When I get to see the world through your eyes, everything seems brighter, more exciting and I am awestruck.

You are so smart and come up with the most amazing things everyday. Just the other day, you and your brother were discussing how "real" and "actual" meant the same thing. Then you quipped, "Yes, but the word actual doesn't flow well with the word school, so I'm going to say my real school, not my actual school." This morning, your Grandma Renee called to wish you a Happy Birthday and Gavin was interrupting you as you talked to her. Finally, you told Grandma to hold on and found out what Gavin wanted. Then, you calmly said to Grandma, "Ok, where were we? My brother just interrupted our talk." Excuse me, when did you turn into a little man and what happened to my baby boy?

Six seems so old. You are not in your "first five" anymore. You are not a preschooler. I've joked with you so many times this year that you need to stop here, just stay five forever. But, you keep on growing up with such determination, just like you do everything! You are a school-ager now. Your kindergarten teacher told us that you are doing so well in school and not having transition problems at all. Once again, you have surprised me with your ability to grow and change.

Your Daddy and I quite frequently find ourselves looking at each other, shaking our heads as we laugh at this crazy brood of kids we are raising. We have a bustling, crazy, chaotic household most days. But, we wouldn't trade this life for anything else. We have a beautiful bunch of kids and you are the leader of the pack! Life would not be complete without you Caedon. Our family wouldn't be complete without you! Now that I'm looking back at myself in that rocker six years ago, I would tell myself with all certainty to push through because the reward is SO WORTH IT!!!!

Happy Birthday Boo Bah! I love you more than the whole world!