Happy 5th Birthday Little Man!

Oh Little Man,

How are you five already? It feels like yesterday I was writing to you on your fourth birthday and yet, here we are, another whole year down the line.

I say this every year but I really think this year has been the best yet. You have grown so much both physically and emotionally and you have cemented yourself as such an important part of our family and family dynamic. You are one awesome little boy.

This year has been a big year for you. You had speech therapy through the spring and summer and it completely opened you up. You can now talk for hours and everyone understands you, you have so much more confidence and there are only a couple of words that you slip up on every now and again. It’s just not zust, Little Man.

You started school in September and I know you found this hard. The days were long and you were tired. Plus, you were still pretty shy back then – not even saying good morning as you went into your class. But, we’ve got through it and now you absolutely love school, you have a great best friend there too and you say the biggest good mornings. You have come so far and I am so, so proud of you.

In September you moved up in your swimming lessons too and are doing so well. You can swim better than you realise and when you have faith in yourself you really can just do it. Sometimes though, fear and nerves hold you back. But, you’re getting there.

You still weigh exactly the same as your big sister – which is crazy. But you are slowly but surely getting taller than her. She will be your big, little sister before we know it. You are very much average height and weight for your age. You’re in the right size clothes but with still quite little feet – size 9 as I write this.

This year you had chicken pox – a few months after your sister. We were on holiday at the time but you dealt with it so well. You missed school and you missed swimming but you loved getting new Lego as a chicken pox treat. Lego – and Thomas – are pretty much your favourite things. Actually, you also had broken arm treats when you broke your elbow after your birthday party last year – and when you broke the other elbow last week! You are proving to be one accident prone little boy.

You are still very sweet, very shy at times around new people, and very emotional. You’re not boisterous, rough or ever aggressive and you are just a very kind, nice little boy. I thought that school might change you, but it hasn’t. You are still just as you were before you started just full of even more personality and so many school based stories to tell.

Because you are so emotional you do get upset over the littlest things. You get upset by the wrong colour plate, the wrong t-shirt or not having your beloved slipper socks at bedtime. You also still come in to my bed for a cuddle every morning. This is, without a doubt, my favourite time of the day. You have done this since you were a toddler and I know one day you won’t do it anymore. For now I am hanging onto it – and you can keep having bed cuddles for as long as you want.

Little Man, you love to learn. You know your alphabet, you know numbers. You can add up and take away better than I gave you credit for. You’ve started to read and you are always so proud of yourself. And you are so happy when you see how proud we are too. You love to read with your sister, do your homework side by side and learn together. I think when she moves up to the Junior school you may be a little lost without her. But you have a few months left before that happens.

Little Man you are our favourite little boy. You light up our life, you make us laugh and you give the very best cuddles. You hold my hand all the time, you are getting braver and more adventurous as the months go by. But you are still, very much, our gorgeous, sensitive little boy.

Please never change Little Man. Keep growing, keep learning and keep seeing as much of the world as we can show you. Keep climbing, keep running and keep trying everything. Life is right there in front of you for you to go and grab with both hands.

Happy birthday Little Man – and welcome to your sixth year with us. I’m so excited to spend it all with you.

Much love,

Mummy and Daddy x