Happy 6th Birthday, Brayden Lee!

My Sweet Brayden,

Today is your birthday! Your 6th birthday! Happy Birthday to you, my little love!! I truly cannot believe you have been mine for 6 years already.  I can still vividly remember receiving that first positive pregnancy test and how excited I was to tell your Dad.  I still vividly remember that first ultrasound where I saw a tiny little blob on the screen and was already so in love. I can still vividly remember when the ultrasound tech told us you were a boy and how happy my heart was in that moment.  I can vividly remember the day you were born, and how nervous and scared I was but how excited I was at the same time.  And I vividly remember that first day with you in the hospital, I had a feeling of true happiness and contentment as you laid on my chest.

not the most glamorous picture but I remember being so happy here!

While I may not remember everything over the past 6 years as vividly, I will always remember those moments and cherish them forever.

Now you are no longer my baby, no longer my toddler, but my little kid who is getting closer to being a big kid.  My sweet, handsome little boy. I love you more than you will probably ever know and as much as things are changing with you getting older, that will never change.

I love that you still want to snuggle with me, still want to hold my hand, still want to play with me and always want me around. I am very aware that these moments will only start to fade into fewer and fewer which is why I am really soaking up these years.  I know that right now in this stage of our Mother/Son relationship, you love me more than you probably ever will and for that reason alone, I wish I could freeze time.

You wear your heart on your sleeve and that is where you and I very alike! Both of us are very emotional and can become easily upset.  I try and understand this about you and treat you with sensitivity (or as your Dad would say, I baby you, but he doesn't know what it's like to be like us) I do try my hardest to help you gain confidence though because I think it's important to have a nice balance of being emotional/sensitive and confident.

You are such an amazing little boy, Brayden.  You finished your first year of Kindergarten earlier this year and you succeeded far above my expectations! Your Dad and I are so proud of everything you accomplished this year.  You have started reading and for the most part, you really enjoy it.  Except when you get stuck on a word, then you are quick to want to give up.  We are constantly working on teaching you to keep trying and not to give up.  Right now you are really into the Magic Treehouse Books and we usually read 2-3 a week at night and the other days you read a book or two a day by yourself.  We are constantly going to the library to check out books.

You are really into baseball! You took to it so fast this year and that made me so excited!! Your Dad and I always knew you would play (given at 6 months old you could throw a ball overhand so perfectly) and it was so fun to watch you in your first year.  You progressed so much throughout the season and we are so proud of you!!

You still have quite the attitude at times (I'm still hoping this is a phase....) and we try so hard to work on it.  You can get upset so easily and you get very aggravated quickly, especially when it comes to your sisters. I know it must be hard being a big brother, who is now into his own things and wants space, only to have 2 little girls want to be into everything you are doing.  We understand you need your own time but we could do without so much attitude :)

Even though you can get really annoyed with them, you do really love your sisters a whole lot.  I see the little moments where you and Ella are having full on conversations and playing so nicely, and when you always ask Avery to lay in bed with you.  This summer you being home all day with them I think has helped you all bond more.  It's always the three of you together wherever we go and you are really good about looking out for them. I hope you will always be their protector (although we joke that Ella & Avery will probably be the protectors LOL)


Some of your fun quirks that I never want to forget are:

• You still are always holding something, whether it's a toy, a ball, a coin, etc. You have been doing this since you were 1
• You collect EVERYTHING. Seriously, your room is a hodge podge of the most random things ranging from old hotel key cards to random keys to rocks, to key chains to empty mint boxes...and so much more. 
• You love treasure, something you and your Papa bond over
• You sleep in only your underwear, something you started about a year ago. You said you wanted to be just like Dad
• You love to wrestle 
• You schedule out when you are going to wear certain underwear and clothes - Friday you always want to wear your Batman underwear and over the weekend you wear your Hulk tie dye shirt and then your super mario shirt. 
• Usually all of your pictures include you flexing your muscles and being silly - I know I will miss this one day

Here are some of your favorites at this time:

• TV show: 
• Movie: Jurassic World
• Food: macaroni and cheese
• Game: Boom Beach (a game you and your Dad play together on your tablets)
• Sport: Baseball
• Color(s) : Red, Blue, Gold, Orange, Pink and Purple
• Shirt: Hulk Tie Dye
• Dessert: Ice Cream Sundae
• Toy: T Rex
• SuperHero: Hulk

Brayden Lee, you are such an amazing kid! I am so happy you made me a boy Mom.  Being your Mom is the absolute best! I love you very much!


Love,
Mom