Tomorrow will bring festivities to our little house. There is a little boy who has been counting down the days until this moment. I hope he remembers this day like I remember my childhood birthdays. I want him to feel cherished and celebrated tomorrow on the anniversary of his birth. Maybe someday reading this letter will make him smile, warm in the knowledge that he is loved and seen for all of who he is and all that he will be.
Dear Mateo,
It's been an amazing year. So many big events...your first day of Kindergarten in August, our Adoption finalization in September, visits from Nani and Owie, traveling to Seattle and California, learning to read and do math... so many more I'm sure. I've been so blessed to watch you try new things like African dancing, speaking and reading Spanish, basketball, soccer and hula hooping. You are such a kind friend and a thoughtful person. I love to watch you share with your brother and your friends and take care of your beloved dogs. You are developing an amazing sense of responsibility and you love to see tasks through to the end. You've become quite the jokester this year too. I love to see your silly sense of humor lead to flights of imagination. You are a born leader and sometimes struggle when others don't follow quite as closely as you like. We've worked hard this year on self control and regulation. You've listened, you've learned and you are applying those skills. It makes me giggle a little but I'm so proud of you when you get upset and I see you struggle to take deep breaths ("to get oxygen to your frontal cortex"). Your vocabulary is unbeleivable and I'm so in awe of how quickly you learn things. Your sense of inquiry and creativity has really blossomed this year, thanks in part to your fantastic school.
Sometimes I wish I could have seen you take your first steps or hear your first word, but this year as I watched you swim across the pool at Jenny Jen's for the first time and read a book cover to cover, I realized I am the luckiest mom on the planet. I'm proud of you. I love you. I'm here and I can't wait to see what the next 365 days brings us. Happy Birthday, baby!
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