Five

Dear Nolan,

Happy 5th Birthday!  You have grown and changed so much in the last year.  Your Daddy and I couldn't possibly be more proud of you!  

Your charismatic, charming, hilarious personality continues to draw people to you.  You are on a first name basis with several of the Aldi cashiers and have invited about half of the population of Rhinelander to your birthday party.  Sometimes your introverted parents don't know what to do with all the attention you attract, but we know that you have the gift of making people feel happy when they're with you, and that, my son, is a very precious gift.

You started school this year, which we predicted would be a hard transition for you.  We feared that your anxiety may get the best of you and that it would be difficult to manage all of your emotions away from Mommy and Daddy's help.  But over the past year, you have grown so much and become independent and so very brave.  You have learned that bravery is not the absence of fear, but persevering in spite of being afraid.  And the Nolan that was paralyzed by the what-if scenario a year ago, is not conquering things left and right.  

You still love snuggles from Mom and Dad and talk from sun-up to sun-down, asking a billion questions a day.  Because of your intense curiosity, you are excelling at school.  You were reading by age 4 and are now doing the math of a first grader. You also know ridiculous facts about hundreds of subjects, like space, superheroes, animals, dinosaurs, the United States, and anything else you can soak up. We know your future is so very bright.

Nolan, you are one of my life's greatest blessings.  Your Daddy and I feel so honored to be your parents.  Sometimes you tell me that "Of all of the mommies in the world, I'm glad I picked you."  Son, we're so glad your ours.  Happy Birthday, sweet boy!