4 Years

Dear Benjamin,

4 years ago, today, I fell in love.  After 18 1/2 hours of labor & an emergency c-section, you came into this world.  July 22 was a stormy evening, though we didn’t know it, & ended with a double rainbow (a sure sign of good luck).  My world as well as your Dad’s world completely changed.  We were taken with you from the moment we saw you.  Four years ago, I remember being wheeled into recovery & seeing Daddy stand over you.  He was completely smitten & so was I.

I sit here disbelief that you are actually 4 years old.  I remember those first few days/weeks with you like they were yesterday!  Here were are 1460 days later.  Those 1460 days flew by!

You have become such a friendly, social, kind, generous, loving, sensitive, spunky, talkative, & smart little boy.  You amaze me every single day.  You have a wonderfully funny sense of humor.  Your laugh is contagious.  Your smile is perfect.

Family, friends, & even acquaintances are completely taken by you.  You literally light up the room when you walk in.  You are like a mini-mayor.  Just like your dad, you know EVERYONE.  You have the ability to make a complete stranger, across a room, smile & laugh.

You are the best big brother Emilia could ever ask for.  From day one, you have been so good with her.  You genuinely care for and love her & you are excellent friends.  You are an excellent teacher for her (both good & bad).  She copies every single thing you do!  She has every reason to look up to you!  Watching the two of you play together is absolutely wonderful.  You love seeing her in the morning & saying good night to her at night.  I know, for a fact, that while you two will have your differences as you get older, you two will be quite the duo.  You will protect her to her very core & she will do the same for you.  I know the two of you are going to try to pull the wool over our eyes & will probably succeed a time or two.  But like any big brother, you know just when to push her buttons & she knows exactly how to push back.  It’s like a well oiled machine.

You are an excellent mix of you Dad & myself but you know who you are, you know what you want & you know what to do to get it.  Don’t ever lose this tenacity & determination.  It will get you very far in life.

I am completely honored to be your mother.  And I know Daddy feels the same way.  We cannot even imagine our lives without you in it.  You enrich our lives & make us better people.

Thank you for being you.  Thank you for being apart of our family.  Thank you for being our everything!

We love you so much!  Happy Birthday little man!

xoxo