Our Sweet Will

Will,

I held you in my arms last night and rocked you back to sleep for the first time in months. You have your second ear infection in as many months, and yet you calmed your tears into sweet sighs once I picked you up and rocked you in the same chair I used to sit in with you for hours in the middle of the night. You felt so big. But on this Saturday night at 10 p.m., you and I seemed to have a silent pact: let's enjoy these quiet moments together once again. So I rocked you long past I heard your breaths turn steady and rhythmic. And I thanked God for you over and over and over again.

You are so full of life now, my love. You talk in multiple voices, run circles around the first floor, splash wildly in the bath, and identify things that whizz by when we are in the car. You love to play with other kids, especially Mac, who came to visit us a couple weeks ago. You all jumped on the bed and giggled and played hide and go seek until you plum wore yourselves out while us parents watched and vowed we would all be friends for life. Your first best friend, he is.

But perhaps what I love most about you is your natural care for others. You love to play with others, but you are reserved and observant at first. You watch and smile and join in when invited, but you would never barge in on someone or demand anything from anyone. You seem to already intuit the important idea of putting others before yourself. The pictures we see from preschool show you sitting in the circle and stirring the pancake batter and painting on an easel; you enjoy whatever life brings you, and you do it with gratitude and joy. You remind me and Daddy all the time that love is all around us.

We are working on expanding your food choices these days (mac and cheese can only do so much for your growing body :)), and you still don't love waking up at 6:45 and walking out the door 30 minutes later, but who does? You are dream of a son. Daddy and I were so happy just the two of us and then you came along and you. fit. right. in. You are part of us, we are part of you, the three of us are made for each other. We're a team, and we all know it. We take care of each other, and we remind each other that love and family and time together is what it's all about.

A couple of weeks ago, I was sad. My tears seemed to shock you. And in a tender moment, you reached out to me, grabbed my hand, and said, "Mama, it's okay. It's okay." What a gift you are, my son. You make me a better person every day. So when I told you last night that it was all going to be okay, that we would get medicine for that darn ear and all would be better soon, I was taking your lead.

I love you to the goodnight moon and back.
Mama