Six.

Dear Dylan,

Today you are six. Six! How is this possible? Yesterday, you were so tiny and new, swaddled in my arms. And now you are a little boy. A boy who has friends, goes to school, plays on his own, asks questions about everything, has his own opinions and ideas about the world, is not afraid of anything, is losing teeth and growing out of all his clothes. Watching you grow, I feel so torn between wanting to freeze time and keep you just as you are right now, and watching you grow independent and ready to take on the world.

Everyone who meets you says you are happy and funny and sweet and smart and I’m constantly in awe of you. When you were born, a part of me just couldn’t believe you were ours forever. And that same part of me, six years later, can’t believe I get the privilege of sharing my life with you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You tell me all the time you love me all the way to the moon and back, and you ask me how much I love you back. I try to tell you, but I don’t think words can really say.

This year, you’ve changed so much. You mastered writing your letters and now you’re writing full sentences. You’re learning to read and sometimes you read to me before bed. You wake up every day eager to go to school, see your friends and learn, and make your teacher happy. I hope you will always love school as much as you do now. The things you’ve learned since starting kindergarten eight months ago amaze me. You play soccer and are always a good teammate and respectful of your coaches. You don’t have a mean bone in your body. You always say you’re sorry, and you always give hugs with all of your might. You love your family and always talk about your cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents with such love and kindness. You even started to love cheeseburgers this year, and you’re becoming more open to trying new foods. You’re addicted to playing the Wii and you love to play hide and seek in the house. You don’t like to have your toenails cut, but I can usually bribe you into it. You sleep with your four ‘guys’ every night: ‘ta’ bear you’ve had since you were a baby, a stuffed Elmo Daddy won you at Kings Dominion last summer, a stuffed Scooby Doo doll, and a stuffed dog you made at a birthday party. You love to take long showers, and you love to swim. This past summer, you were one of the youngest kids at the pool to pass your swim test. You love to eat crazy things, like garlic croutons and dill pickles and hummus, but you won’t eat a bowl of cereal with milk. You love mint chocolate chip ice cream with caramel and fudge sauce, with maraschino cherries and then we have to pour some of the cherry juice over top. Because of you, Logan has adopted that as his favorite dessert too. You’re usually the last one left at the dinner table, and breakfast, lunch and snack for that matter. And I’m not saying these things to make fun of you. These are the endearing qualities that make you who you are, and honestly, I’m just glad you are no longer sleeping with candles.

I hope someday when you’re a grown man, you’ll always look back on your childhood and remember it as a happy time, full of love and laughter. You’re such a special person, and you’ve brought so much fun and love into our lives. I sure love you, buddy. Happy Birthday. I can’t wait for this next year ahead with you.

Love,
Mom