A Bicycle Built for Three

Little Man is officially five years old! He has gotten to enjoy a week of celebration with a birthday party, family visits, gifts, and more. The day after his birthday we had our final Parents as Teachers visit, and in his apparently new mature fashion he casually lounged with a new book (courtesy of his school's book vending machine) rather than bouncing around as usual. He is leaning into his new big boy status hard. Little Man, you have made the last five years such a beautiful ride. You live freely and laugh loudly. To see you process the world is refreshing. You learn so quickly and share your thoughts so proudly. Friends and strangers alike are drawn to you, and you charm them all. To hear you say without prompting that you love me is a gift every time. Happy birthday, boo -- keep.being you because you are exactly who you are meant to be.

Little Man's birthday has always coincided with Mother's Day; he was born the Wednesday after Mother's Day, which has always been a happy memory for me. That Mother's Day before his birth was filled with uncertainty. We knew his due date, and we had shared with a few people privately that he was on the way. However, we also kept the news under wraps because we understood the unpredictability that the birth could bring. I had been away on a lovely weekend with friends that Mother's Day, where only one friend was aware that he was even a possibility. To hear them talk that weekend of what they loved about motherhood while also enjoying a little bit of time away was such a surreal feeling for me. On the one hand, I felt so certain that the following year that would be me, but on the other hand I protected my heart knowing how easily certainty can hurt ( as I wrote about before Little Man was born ). To now be just a few days away from his fifth birthday seems unreal. A...