The Great 8

Y'all...how is my baby 8 years old today? It seems like just the other day I remember excitedly driving to the hospital ready to meet him. (Little did I know it would be a whole 20 something hours later...but it was well worth the wait and the emergency c-setion.) I thought I would have no trouble transitioning into being a mom...I had 5 younger siblings and knew all about how to handle babies and change diapers. What I didn't know was how much different it is to be a mom than a big sister to 5.

Becoming a mom was the best thing that ever happened to me. I've been stretched in ways I didnt know possible...more exhausted than imaginable...and felt more overwhelming love than I know I ever could have possibly deserved. I'm so grateful for this baby boy who was the first to fill up my heart. I cannot believe he's lived 8 years already...they've flown by way faster than I'd like to admit.

He doesn't look like a little boy anymore. He's starting to have that goofy older kid look and the mind of his own to go with it. He is every day growing into more and more of his own person, and it breaks my heart and makes me so proud all in the same breath. How to learn to let go while still giving him all he needs to face the world is a tall order, but I'm ever so grateful that I was the one chosen to do that. That I was the one chosen to be his mom. I can't imagine being anything else.

Merrick Wilder is so many things. He is fun. He is literally the sweetest boy I know. He cares for others. He never stops climbing and running and jumping and moving. He looks like his daddy. He will be the first to comfort me if I'm upset...rubbing my back and tucking my hair behind my ear. He constantly makes me laugh with the unique way his mind works. He wants to be a good man...he is already a good man. He loves his God and his family. He is irreplaceable and has taught me so much about love.

I always say this, but I mean it so much. I know birthdays are about the person having one, but I can't ever help but feel like I'm the one who is getting the gift on my kids' birthdays. No gift I could wrap up and give to you today, Boogie, would ever compare to the gift I was given when you were born. I am so grateful and humbled to be your mom, and I love you more than I can say. I'm so proud of you, and can't wait to see how you grow this next year! Happy 8th birthday, Merrick Wilder!