Happy Birthday Daniel

Dear Daniel,
Happy Birthday my sweet boy!
Today you are ten years old . It's hard to believe that ten years have flown by. The first time I heard the sound of your cry I smiled. The surgeon in the room said,"look at the color on this one!" because your skin was pink and your lips were red. Today you turn "double digits" as you say. You are tall and you are wise beyond your years. You are always thinking, always dreaming. I love you and I love everything about you. You were shy as a toddler and you had imaginary friends. I watched you as you became confident in preschool and you became a leader. This year you were elected into student council and you took pride in the responsibilities that came with the position. You love to collect rocks and your shoes are always full of sand  because you are searching for fossils in the school yard. Your smile lights up a room and lights up my life. You write and you paint. You are creative in so many ways. When you grow up you aspire to be a scientist and you want to find the cure for Cancer. We read and we laugh and we have conversations at bedtime. You tell me about the Bey Blades that you play with and about your friends. You help others and in your room there's a jar of money that you collect for charities.You make up jokes and I laugh because you are funny and I am your greatest fan. You swim like a fish. You gracefully do your Kung Fu forms. You are sensitive to others and on your night table there are mementos from grandpa. You have watched me mourn the loss of both my parents. You make sure to tell me that you miss them. We devour books together and even though now that you read long chapter books, once in awhile we enjoy reading an old one like" The Kissing Hand" or" I Love You Forever". You are a fisherman at heart, like your father and your grandfather. I have pictures of you fishing when you could barely hold a rod. You love to explore for hermit crabs and shells,you love it all. You are amazing, kind, sweet, smart, simply charming. I will tuck you into bed tonight and rub your back while you hold your bunny. I will wonder how long he will remain under your arm.I will wish that you stay a boy a little longer. I will savor this moment. I will try to linger in your room as you fall asleep. I will kiss you goodnight and I will be thankful that you are my son.