He is half-way to adulthood.

My middle child turns nine today.  I can hardly believe it.  Little Dude is nine.  Where has the time gone?  When I started writing my blog, he was barely one.  And here he is half-way to adulthood.  He is so bright in school and life and is a gifted learner.  Many things come easy to him.  He loves math and science; building things and is more curious than anyone else I know.  His mind works so differently than mine.  He can figure out a Rubix cube in minutes and understands how my phone works better than I do.  He enjoys performing science experiments at home and making his own Lego creations.  He breaks things so that he can “fix” them and reassemble the pieces.  He reads manuals step-by-step and if he misses a part of the process, he will start over so that is done correctly.  He loves to test limits – but he is truly a rule follower.

Even though he is a growing boy, he loves to be a part of my day and loves my attention and affection.  Sometimes I am reminded that he is that “middle child” and should not get lost in the family’s birth order.  I try to give him my attention and carve out special time with him – because he needs it and craves it.  He pretends to be tough, but loves to have sleepovers with his big sister on the weekends and loves starting our day together over “coffee”.  He’s my early riser and was always my easy sleeper.

I enjoy learning from him and how his mind works.  My interests are different from his.  Because of this, it is fun to step outside of my comfort-zone with him and try new things together. 

I hope that he never stops being curious and can one day learn to redirect all of his energy into a more formal outlet.  He is going to do amazing things someday.  All of that energy and determination that he harnesses will someday provide him with the initiative to succeed in life.

Happy ninth birthday, my Little Dude.