A whole hand.....

My sweet baby bubalah, Max,

Please do not mind mommy silently weeping and breathing into a paper bag over here in the corner. It may appear as though she is having a panic attack at the thought of you turning "5" today, but the truth is, she is incredibly happy and proud of you.

I wish I had a long list of things to include here about how much you have changed and what a different person you have become, but you are and always will be my good ole Max. You notice everything, you remember everything, and you remind me of everything I have ever said right around the time I tend to be saying the opposite of what I originally said. You are not one to accept things the way they are, because according to you, everything can be challenged. There have been many a time when we have been caught in a game of wits, you challenging every statement I make, and I find myself uttering the age old phrase (that I swore I would never say to MY children), BECAUSE I SAID SO, THAT'S WHY!

You are officially left handed and this information is the 1st of many challenges you have had to face and overcome. This year you started pre-k, which is more structured and academic than you have ever experienced before. We hit some major walls in the beginning because you were having great difficulty taking what was being taught to you and translating that into your left handed reality. This combined with your ever increasing need for perfection, led to many crying nights sitting at the table working on your homework. You would get very frustrated with yourself because the letter or numbers were not perfect, so we began the first steps on the long life lesson of "It doesn't have to perfect every time, you just have to TRY every time".

Your teacher Mrs. Rosa, is one of your biggest fans. She has told us on many occasions that you are the creative story teller and engineer in her class. She said you have taught her more about "space ships" and "lasers" with your lego creations and stories of space adventures, than any child she has ever had. I know this to be true since our lego playtime is never a discovery of what we can make, but rather a carefully thought out and calculated approach to building the design in your head which I know you have been thinking about for days. One mis-placement of a red lego where a blue lego should be, has you shaking your head and telling me, " No, no, no, mommy.... not there.... THERE!!"



I am sitting on the fence as to whether or not you are going to grow up to be an engineer or a chef. You have evolved into quite a little Emeril, even requiring a towel to drape over your shoulder when cooking like daddy and that "cooker guy on TV" does. You have made scrambled eggs, toast, waffles, koolaid, soup, tuna fish... you even made your own birthday cake we are going to enjoy tonight. You have a great sense of combining things... little macaroni and cheese, little crouton crumbs, little ranch... poof... Macaroni and Cheese ala Max.



You and Ben.... oh my goodness.... you and Ben. Well.... you have created your own little world. It is a world that on very few rare occasions, Daddy and I have been invited to join, but mostly, it is a super secret special place for just the two of you. You have mastered the art of answering together in perfect unison (Boys? What are you doing?......Nothing...followed by uproarious giggles) You camp together in your tent in your room. You make up a game and Ben follows with complete abandon. Wrestling ends up in hugs and kisses, and even when you are mad at each other, in a blink of an eye, you have made up and moved on to the next game.



Oh my Max.... you have no idea how much I love your sweet adorable red head and each one of your little freckles that have started to pop up. You are gentleman who opens doors, you tell me I am beautiful when I walk into the room after getting ready, and follow it up with a wink and shot of the imaginary "gun" in your hand. You even comforted me when I was reading a book that made me cry, by coming in the room, sitting at my side and gently patted my leg, asking me to stop reading the book because you didn't like that book for making me sad. I say silent prayers every day that this magical bond we have lasts just one more day before you are too cool to be a mama's boy! I don;t ever want you to be a REAL mama's boy, but I hope that I still get a wink and a kiss when you are 30.

I love you, baby boy... I truly do.....Happy Birthday!!

Love,
Mommy