On the last day of this year, a year that has contained so many milestones, events, goods, bads, in-betweens, and just about anything and everything a human is capable of going through (short of having another kid - thank goodness you and Lili are enough for us right now!), I wanted to take the time and break some things down for you, and reflect a little myself for perspective's sake.
You have grown up so much this year. You ask questions now, have opinions of your own, make independent decisions, and are becoming such an individual, its amazing to be able to watch. Watching you as you grow up with Lili is another thing too - you two have this connection or bond that is so palpable but requires no words between you two. One of the moms at daycare told me about how she was watching you all from the window before she picked her son up who's actually your friend Rhys. You and he were engaged in a tug of war over some toy and you won, and instead of either gloating about it or hogging the toy all to yourself, you immediately went over and gave it to Lili. Hearing that made me so proud of you and who you very clearly are as a person. You make her smile just by being around her, you are protective of her, but you two also fight like siblings. She tries to copy all of the things you do, she likes the toys you like and Im pretty sure she likes them because you like them and she looks up to you. Hopefully throughout the years you'll form a solid trustful relationship that will be a major source of support for the both of you as you grow up and face some of the less awesome parts of life.
This year you've prompted me to focus on how I can be a better person, parent, and member of our family. I want to make sure I am trying to be the best that I can be because you and Lili deserve the best mom. Full disclosure though - even the best moms make mistakes and don't do the best thing the first time around but as long as they learn from it and use it as a teaching experience and not something that discourages them from trying - its all good. Right now you are having a hard time with getting frustrated and figuring out how to handle that in a way that doesn't get you in trouble. It's pretty age appropriate for you and I want to make sure Im doing my best to teach you what you need to learn to be able to handle being mad and the increasing amounts of independence that you're demanding from yourself, and us. This year, we've had a marriage and a wedding, Lili's baptism in NJ, your first trip to the ocean (Lili's too!), overcome your attachment fears when you were dropped off at school, started pre-school, and made some really awesome friends (the group of you four - Wesley, Rhys, and Liam are the cutest group of friends). You've learned so much, good lord you've learned how to do so many things by yourself, you've known your ABCs for months now. I'm sure I can write more and I want 2016 to be a year that I visit this more and talk about important stuff that you'll either want to know or be able to look back on from another perspective. I love you baby boy, so much and I am so proud of the person you are becoming.
Happy New Years Sam -
