5th Birthday Letter

An excerpt from my letter to Bowie about his fifth birthday (I mail them to our home and store them by their postmarks, one day to give to Bowie):

"At 45.5 inches, you are almost 6 inches taller than the average 5-year old boy. You are such a big boy. Not only in your size but also in your mind. You are so smart, Bowie. Your use of language is astounding. You stammer as you create these complex sentences, full of adverbs. You tell jokes and laugh with heart-shaped smiles, making joy infectious (whether the joke made sense or not, it's impossible not to join in). People are won over by you. I love that you see each person as a potential friend, inviting strangers over, "Would you like to come sleep over sometime?" I often think back to one day at Zilker Park, before you were talking much, but signing lots. As you watched the swarm of field tripping big kids run past you, you signed "friend" over and over. You have not lost that, my boy. You may sometimes edge into people's private space, touching their faces, hugging and sitting in laps...some people aren't sure how to respond to that. As adults most of us have had decades of training about keeping away from people, but you are retaining that primal trust in people, in connection. It is such a lesson to me, your introverted, reserved Mama. My life, my community is widened as I now chat with many people who previously I would have only communicated with by a smile or glance. So at five, you are still my baby and my teacher...growing larger and more powerful each day."