The middle is SIX!!

This guy turned six recently*

Now he's a graduated kindergartner, with one grown-up tooth and one very wiggly tooth and two siblings whom he loves to adore and torture in the way that only a middle brother can.

And yet I still remember the day he was born (he did NOT want to come out on time, even though today he makes sure we are not late for anything): the view of New Mexico's Sandia mountains from my hospital room window; pacing around the room for hours, wanting desperately to meet him; how he waited a few beats before crying and the relief in my chest when I heard him scream for the first time (not such a great sound now, buddy, if you want to know the truth, but then it was music to my ears); squabbling with Armando over what to name our new boy, and the look on the hospital attendant's face when she reminded me for the tenth time that I had to fill out the social security paperwork before we could leave and would I just pick a name already?

Fast forward six years, and our first-born boy is a continuous lesson. Science lesson, psychology lesson, crash-course in parenting, you name it and he is a lesson. He often loses patience with me as his sleep-deprived, over-anxious student, but he does the best with what he's got. He will pepper you with questions about everything from ammonites and astrology to zodiacs and zoology, and make you realize how much you can love someone and also want to run away from them at the same time. And then run right back, of course, because you do not want to miss his snuggles or the way he says "I love you, you're the best."

No, buddy, YOU'RE the best. We are so lucky to have you enriching our lives every day. You will continue to do great things as sure as you grow each day.

Happy birthday, buddy. Love you more.

* days ago? weeks ago? June 25th, however long ago that was, buddy, and I promise we had a great day celebrating you. Even if you get the short end of the proverbial stick being the middle child and all, this smile will forever melt my heart, and you have a way of flashing it to me in those moments when I think I have completely failed you in a way that helps me keep putting one foot in front of the other.