Happy 5th Birthday David!

Dear David,

Tomorrow is your fifth birthday! It doesn't seem like that could be possible. I remember vividly the days leading up to your birth, and how excited Daddy and I were. You were born on a Sunday, and that weekend the weather was beautiful! I had finished working on the Thursday before you were born, and I was so excited to have (I thought!) at least a week off before you came. SURPRISE! I remember going to Target and waddling around the store looking at baby things and buying some books and magazines to read while I waited for you. We got new patio furniture the Friday before you were born, because I was INSISTENT that we get it before you came. Why? Did I think you were going to sit on it?! You have a crazy mama.

Daddy and I spent that Saturday sitting outside enjoying the nice weather. We went to J. Alexander's for dinner Saturday night with Nan and Gramps. I was so excited to eat my Key Lime pie the next day. . . another surprise! Not long after we got home that night, I started to feel different. You weren't due for almost another week, so I really didn't think much about it. I had one big crampy pain, and then my water broke. I was shocked!

After a long, long night and a long, long day the next day, you were finally born a little after 3:00 PM on Sunday March 28. Daddy and I were so happy to see you! You seemed so tiny and sweet. You had a wrinkly face, like a wise little old man. You still act like a wise little old man a lot, but your face isn't wrinkly anymore! It was such a strange feeling for me to be someones mother. To know that your daddy and I were totally responsible for you, and that the decisions we would make would forever in some way mark the course of your life. I have to admit, that's still a strange feeling for me some days.

Today, as you turn five years old, I am so proud of the boy you are. You are a very smart, precocious boy. You have a wit and sense of humor that seems far more mature than your age. You may have started slow and had some stumbling blocks along the way with your speech, but you have more than caught up. You talk all day long! Your questions never cease. Although that sometimes drives me crazy, it also makes me proud. You have an unending desire to learn, and you do so through questioning. You can read and write all of your letters and numbers. You will call out numbers whenever you see them, and your favorite place to do so is at Target in line! You can spell your name, your brothers' names, stop, no, and go. You are very interested right now in, of all things, anatomy. You have a surprising amount of knowledge about the human body for a five year old! If you fall, you say things like, "OUCH! I just hurt mine patella!" You want to know how things work and why. You want to know why and how decisions are made. I often refer to you as the negotiator or counselor, because everything is a debate. You are a feisty one!

You like to tell jokes, play games, and do "tricks". You have an amazing memory, and can pretty much repeat verbatim things that you've heard. You are sly and sneaky sometimes, most often as the ring leader for the schemes you and Henry come up with! Henry is still your best bud, and the two of you are inseparable. You fight like crazy most of the time, but still can't stand to be apart.

Your favorite things to do now are to play outside, play with your trains and cars, play Indiana Jones, and ride your bicycle. You love to play in the sandbox with your trains and cars. You are happiest when you're outside. You love to watch movies with Daddy, especially Indiana Jones, Thomas movies, and Spongebob. You are crazy about Spongebob!

Your favorite foods are: carrots, cheese, cereal, oatmeal, fruit snacks, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, pancakes, waffles, apples, peanut butter sandwiches, pizza, granola bars, and ice cream! We're working on that. . .

I can't believe you'll be starting Kindergarten in the fall. You will love it so much - but right now you are very nervous about it! You are a very considerate boy, and you don't like to hurt people's feelings. You are (generally) polite and kind. You tend to be a bit apprehensive about things, mostly because you think so much about everything. You are such a great boy, and we are so proud of you!

Happy Birthday David!

Love,
Mama