132 things i love about you: a birthday letter
March 1, 2007
1) That you were born on February 29th
2) You laugh at my joke every year that you don’t have a birthday this year, so no presents
3) And that you are not even three yet
4) Though this year you pointed out the false reasoning behind that statement
5) “I may have only had two birthdays, but I have still been alive for 11 years.”
6) That you love all things electronic and gadgetery
7) That you read all the manuals of everything that ever comes into our house
And then you explain them to me
9) The way you change the ringtone on my cellphone
10) So that I don’t recognize that it is my phone loudly ringing in public
11) and am all huffy and looking around to see who it is that is so rude as to not answer their annoying phone promptly
12) That you put absurd ringtones on my phone like birds chirping
13) or embarassing ones like the song, “I like big butts”
14) And then I pretend it isn’t my phone even if I realize that it is
15) That you read the entire tivo manual and set it all up
16) And then when you were explaining it to me you put your hand on my arm and said, “I know. It’s hard to learn new things at your age.”
17) The way that you sprang back to life so quickly after I killed you
18) That you know where everything in this house is,no matter how obscure
19) And if you don’t you will not be able to rest until you locate it
20) That every day you tell me the exact temperature outside
21) Several times a day
22) That you never get any joke we tell the first time
23) The way you get so angry if we dare to talk in the front seat to each other and you can’t hear
24) Which makes us whisper
25) Just to bug you
26) Your ability to laugh at yourself
27) Your self confidence
28) though it borders at times on delusions of grandeur
29) How you spent hours rigging up a system of strings and pulleys so that you wouldn’t have to get out of bed to turn the light off in your room
30) That it actually worked
31) though anyone over 4ft tall had to walk through your room hunched over
32) You have the biggest heart
33) And your capacity for compassion and forgiveness is immeasurable
34) For that I am thankful
35) I am counting on it
36) The way you sleep in bed with the covers wrapped around your entire body, including your head
37) like a cocoon
38) Though I really wish you would learn to make your bed
39) The way you prefer vegetables and fruit to junk food
40) You will turn down cookies in favor of celery with peanut butter
41) You are clearly your father’s son
42) That you want to bake your own birthday cake this year
43) A carrot cake
44) To the horror of your siblings
45) And you will do it all by yourself
46) And it will taste delicious
47) You love every present that you have ever been given
48) Including the time we gave you a wooden remote control holder as a joke
49) You unwrapped it and proclaimed it to be just what you always wanted
50) So the joke was on us
51) But we gave you your real presents anyway
52) You still have that wooden remote control holder next to your bed
53) It holds your ipod, palm pilot, electronic suduko, and other assorted little things
54) like gum wrappers
55) You have an endless amount of patience for your youngest siblings
56) You let them sit around you when you are working on your computer
57) You find them things to do on your computer
58) That you are a leader, not a follower
59) But you are not bossy
60) You are quick to apologize
61) and mean it
62) You will help around the house with anything you are asked to do
63) And almost never grumble
64) You bedroom looks like a cyclone went through it
65) But you oddly know where all your stuff is located
66) We can spend half a day cleaning up your disorganized and messy room
67) And within half an hour you would never know it had been cleaned up
68) You need very little sleep
69) And stay up reading until the middle of the night
70) I have learned that parenting different kids differently isn’t favoritism
71) it is meeting their individual needs
72) I know what it feels like to have a child drive you bat shit crazy
73) The joy and relief of coming out the other side of that
74) That I am not a perfect parent
75) And that’s okay
76) No one is
77) I have learned the child who is the most challenging is also the one who teaches you the most about yourself
78) I guess I had a LOT to learn
79) That you won’t care if I can’t get to 132 things
80) You won’t think I love you any less
81) You have beautiful big brown eyes
82) And an infectious smile
83) You are incredibly athletically inclined
84) Without even trying
85) Again, your father’s son
86) Maybe I am not really your mother
87) You potty trained yourself
88) Before you were two years old
89) because your brother who is a year older potty trained
90) And your competitive nature took over even at that age
91) You used to think that one day you would be older and bigger
92) I think you still do, secretly
93) You walked at 9 months old
94) Were talking in sentences at 12 months
95) But were completely bald and had no teeth
96) And were on the small side
97) It was pretty freaky
98) Everyday I am thankful that you are my son
99) And I am happy I didn’t toss you out the window during those colicky days
100) That lasted for nine years
101) You have a personality that other people gravitate towards
102) unlike me
103) You don’t take yourself seriously
104) You refuse to eat at fast food restaurants
105) Because you read the book Fast Food Nation
106) You are very particular about your clothes
107) A few years ago you went through a phase where you would only wear blue button down oxford shirts
108) Your wardrobe is slightly more varied now
109) Slightly
110) Your father and I fully intend to live with you when we are old
111) We used to say it was going to be payback
112) But now I think it might be because your heart is so big you would welcome us with open arms
113) Please live somewhere tropical
114) I
115) love
116) you
117) very
118) very
119) very
120) very
121) very
122) this is starting to look like essays you are forced to write
123) very
124) much
125) I am lucky to have you
126) So are all the birds in our neighborhood
127) that you keep well fed with all your bird feeders
128) If not for you I would never have known
129) that my phone has a calculator
130) and plays tetris
131) I probably wouldn’t have cared
132) But still.
Phew.
Happy Birthday Capooh Bear.
Posted by Chris @
11:16 am |
