David’s birthday was February 8 and I know it’s the 23rd today but I didn’t want to not take the time to write about it so I figure better late than never.

Eleven.

Eleven.

Eleven.

That is two years away from “teen.” How did this even happen?

I cannot believe he’s gone from this to this.  Time goes so incredibly fast and if all goes well and we get really lucky, this little boy will be leaving home for college in seven years. When I think about that, I get both incredibly sad and also incredibly grateful. I am so profoundly happy for every single moment we get to have together.

My sweet David, if someone had pulled me aside when we had you and told me about the incredible person you will grow up to be, I would never ever have believed them. You are absolutely magical.

Your thirst for knowledge and your curiosity are unparalleled. Your love of learning extends from history to literature to quantum physics. There’s nothing you don’t like to find out about. No subject you are not thrilled with. It is always such a pleasure to watch you learn, hear you teach me and others, and to see the excitement you experience when you understand something deeply.

You love music and have your own taste. I love learning about new bands, songs, even genres from you. I love listening to you playing the guitar and the baritone. It’s a pleasure to watch you creating music, hearing you sing. You also love to read, which of course, is my very favorite thing to share with you. I love recommending books. I love reading what you’re reading. I love seeing how you love bookstores almost as much as I do and how you can’t resist wanting to buy every single book. I love how you can read an entire book in one sitting.

I also love watching you play basketball and seeing how much progress you’ve made. I love seeing you try new things. Seeing you stretch. Seeing your courage. Your ability to just do it is an inspiration to all of us.  You always do what needs to be done.

What’s most amazing about you, David, is your incredibly strong sense of self. You know who you are. You know who you are not. You know what you want and what you don’t want. I am always so inspired by you and always want to make sure I do right by you to ensure I can do anything in my power to clear the way for you to get exactly what you wish. You are not about what others think and want for you. You’ve wanted to study Quantum Physics for years already when others your age don’t even know what that is. We will see if that changes in the next six years and it very well might but what I know is that the next decision and the next step will not be a whimsical one. Because you are thoughtful, wise, smart and hard working.

There are no words for the amount of gratitude I feel to have you in my life. I’ve learned so much from you, so much from being your mom, so much from having you in my life. You have brought me moments of deep, deep joy and I will forever be grateful to you for the gift you give me every single day. I don’t know what I did to deserve a person as incredible as you in my life but I will never, ever take it for granted.

Happy Happy Birthday, my sweet David. Thank you so much for being you and thank you so much for being my son.

Stories from 2016 is a year-long project for 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.