Dearest Birthday Boy!

At this very minute, you are turning three-years-old. THREE! I just cannot believe that we are already celebrating three amazing, wonderful, perfect years of your life.

It seems as though only yesterday that we were checking into the hospital with so many emotions - anxious, excited, beyond thrilled. You decided to come into this world with just a tad bit of excitement. Your umbilical cord was wrapped around your neck, which caused your heart rate to drop below an acceptable range. An emergency Cesarean section was needed to get you out of distress. I thought my heart would explode as we waited to see you for the first time.

You were perfect. Beautiful! Healthy! PERFECT! At the very moment that my eyes met yours for the first time, a feeling of complete harmony & peacefulness swept over me - all things were as they should be. All the apprehension, all the weariness from the day entirely faded away. You were my only focus. I found the one thing in this world that I knew that I was made to do.

You have quickly grown into such a little man. You are are growing up more quickly than I ever imagined. I am not quite sure if I am prepared to be the Mommy to a THREE-YEAR-OLD. I wanted your baby days to last longer. I have savored every single moment that God has given me with you. Every single kiss, every single breath, every single cuddle.

As bad as I wish I could hold onto those days, the truth is that you are growing up. Your long slender fingers that still wrap around mine are no longer tiny, tight grasps. Your perfect cheekbones are no more hidden behind those chubby baby cheeks and there are no signs of pudgy knees that used to scoot across the living room floor. The baby fine blond peach fuzz atop your gorgeous round face has transformed into a coarser golden reddish blond with amazing texture.

You are no longer that little baby that I rocked & snuggled with so many nights. No more evenings, pacing the floors with a colicky infant. You have outgrown biter biscuits & baths in the sink. But, you have grown into a handsome, facetious, brilliant little boy. You have so much personality. You have so much curiosity about the world. You have a great memory & your learning capacity still astounds & excites me. You have a huge imagination full of excitement & adventure.

You have great compassion for others. You have so much love & so much happiness to spread. You have the biggest, brightest smiles and the warmest hugs. Your "I love you's" make my days the best days. You are tenderhearted. You are sweet & sincere. You are playful & funny. You love to sing & dance. You have your Mommy & Daddy wrapped tightly around that three-year-old finger.

Everyday brings new adventures and more possibilities. Everyday you make me smile. Everyday you amaze me with your words, your thoughts, your questions, your actions. Everyday you make me proud. Everyday I thank God that he picked me to be your MOM. Everyday when I wake up, your face is the first thing that fills my head and the last thing that I see before I fall asleep. Every night after you have drifted off to sleep, I sit beside you and whisper in your ear how much I love you & how proud I am to be your Mommy. I cannot sleep until I have kissed you goodnight.

You have filled my life with more joy, happiness and love that I could have ever imagined. Before you were born, I loved & wanted you so much; but until I held you in my arms, I didn't know how much. Before you, I didn't know that it was possible to love another person so much.

My sweet baby boy, these have been the three greatest years of my life. If it is at all possible, though, for you to slow down on growing up, I would love that. I don't know what life holds in store for you, but I hope and pray everyday that your life is filled with as much happiness as you have brought into mine. I long for all your dreams to be as big as you imagine and that your life fulfills you in every way you desire. I will always love you, Sebastian.