Happy Birthday Little Bear!

            I have started and stopped and re-started this post a dozen times. Nine years ago today I first met this guy:

            He came in to my life nine years ago today, shrieking because someone took him out of the place that had been his warm and cozy home for forty one and a half weeks. Fortunately, he stopped screaming after he was in my arms for a while. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And before I could blink, he looked like this:

            Soon he was sitting up and crawling and getting into mischief:

            It seems like only ten minutes later he was ready for the first day of kindergarten:

            And today, he’s nine. He can dress himself, read, write, ride a bike, make a sandwich, drive me crazy, talk my ears off, and make me laugh. He is funny, affectionate, warm, bright, honest, strong and a great big brother. But he’s still my baby. Happy Birthday Little Bear.