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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Pour Your Heart Out: A Birthday Glass

If you need more info about Pour Your Heart Out, see THIS post.

But, really, it's anything that YOU consider pouring your heart out.

Be sure to check out some of the links- you will find some amazing stories out there.
Again, just a brief reminder that everyone linking is pouring their hearts out and we should all be respectful in our comments. ;)




 

Dear Monkey,


this weekend, you turn 6. Six. How did that happen? I still remember the day you were born like it was yesterday.


It has to be hard to be the oldest of three. There wasn't a very long time when you were the only child. When you were a baby, you HATED sleep. And only slept for 1.5-2 hours at a time until you were almost 6 months old. You must have thought your mama was crazy because I was often upset. It was the sleep-deprivation that did it.


You eventually slept better, though, THANK GOD. By the time you were 8 months old, we knew you were going to be a big brother. Even though we wanted it that way, I was still sad to think that you wouldn't be my only baby any more. Don't tell your brother, but I remember rocking you shortly before he was born and crying because I knew I'd miss those moments with just you and me.


You started climbing over the furniture shortly after that(which is how you got your nickname of "Monkey") and could run around by the time you were 10 months old.


Right before you were 17 months old, your younger brother was born. I'm sorry, my sweet boy, for how Mommy expected you to be a big boy then. You couldn't be carried and I expected you to listen to me and be good while Mommy took care of the baby. And you did. But, I'm sorry that you weren't allowed to continue being a baby for longer than that.


About a month later, you started speaking in sentences. Before you were even 2 years-old, you could hold complete conversations with people. You started speaking in essay-form. I don't know whether to apologize for not realizing that this was highly unusual or to be glad that I didn't know any better. If I had known how unusal that was, I might have been one of those obnoxious, bragging mothers. But, now I understand why others would give you weird looks when you could talk to them like that.


Everything seemed to come so easily to you. You loved adventure and trying new things.


You became a big brother again when you were 3.5 and took it all in stride. Shortly after that, you went to day camp. In the woods. Four hours a day for two weeks. I look at your younger brothers and think that there is no way that they could do that at that age. But, you were up for it.


Starting preschool was a breeze for you. Even when we had to move a year later, you loved the excitement and the beach.


You've made the transition to kindergarten so easily, too. I remember when you were a baby, thinking you would be starting in 2010 and that seemed so far away. But, now, you're almost halfway through kindergarten and on your way to being a first grader.


Time passes so quickly.


You are the child who is most like me. It's probably why we butt heads so often. We're both so strong-willed and stubborn. I love you so much and hope that you don't hate me for the disagreements we get into you. Even Daddy will listen to you, shake his head, look at me and say "He's so your child."


Daddy and I are harder on you than on your brothers. We go easier on Bear because there is much he doesn't understand and he was so sick that we constantly worry about him. And Cub is the baby of the family. It's not fair to you, I know. But, then again, I don't think you would tolerate us treating you like a baby anyway.


To my bright, sweet, stubborn, first-born, Happy 6th Birthday. I love you.

-Mommy

Labels: , ,

58 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

I'm crying. So beautiful. Time goes too fast! Happy Birthday to your little monkey! I woke up this morning thinkin about how my oldest was just ripped of his "only childness" in the blink of an eye. When I look at the pics of my little guy's birth, I am so sad that my oldest was so little. Sigh...If we could just stop time.

December 8, 2010 at 7:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So sweet! And I think I'm one of those obnoxious, bragging mothers. Good thing I'm not a mommy blogger...

December 8, 2010 at 7:13 AM  
Blogger Oka said...

He sounds similar to my oldest in so many ways.

December 8, 2010 at 7:19 AM  
Blogger BNM said...

awwww Happy Bday Monkey :)

December 8, 2010 at 7:22 AM  
Blogger Sorta Southern Single Mom said...

Oh Shell, your comments about Monkey becoming a big brother made me cry. With mine children being 18 months apart, I share(d) many of the same feelings! When The Boy was 15 months old, I had to hold his hand across the parking lot because we were meeting his dad for lunch and I was too pregnant to manage carrying both the food and the baby... gracious I cried at how big I was making him be... he thought it was great! :)

Happy Birthday Monkey!

December 8, 2010 at 7:40 AM  
Blogger ~✽Mumsy✽~ said...

Oh Shell, this is so sweet and wonderful. I hope your daughter can read this, and realize how deep your love was and is for her. Happy belated birthday to Monkey!

December 8, 2010 at 8:02 AM  
Blogger chele said...

That was such a beautiful letter. Happy birthday to your Monkey!

December 8, 2010 at 8:07 AM  
Blogger Kmama said...

What a sweet letter.

I was just harassing my hubby for being harder on Buddy than he is on Buster. It's funny how we do that to our first born children!

When is his b-day? Buster's is on Sunday.

December 8, 2010 at 8:25 AM  
Blogger Evonne said...

How sweet!

I think most of us tend to be harder on our older ones.

December 8, 2010 at 8:40 AM  
Blogger Renegades said...

I planned on my first born having longer to be a baby too. Isn't it something how sometimes even with all the planning in the world plans just don't go as planned.

December 8, 2010 at 9:03 AM  
Anonymous heidi @ wonder woman wannabe said...

First borns really do have a different road to travel than the rest of their younger siblings, don't they? Probably why they end up being such awesome leaders!

Hope you have a sweet day with your 'big' boy, monkey!

~h

December 8, 2010 at 9:11 AM  
Blogger Amanda said...

Such a very sweet letter! Happy belated birthday to Monkey!!

December 8, 2010 at 9:14 AM  
Blogger The Random Blogette said...

Aww....Happy Birthday to Monkey!

December 8, 2010 at 9:15 AM  
Blogger Dee said...

Aww! It's so hard watching them grow up. My son turned 21 this year and honestly...I was devastated! He's "officially" not a baby anymore, he doesn't need his Momma like he used it. It's heartbreaking to see how grown he is, but it's amazing at the same time!

Happy 6th birthday little man!

December 8, 2010 at 9:18 AM  
Blogger Sherri said...

Shell, that was beautiful...just beautiful.

Your son sounds so much like my oldest with the talking...and since I was a first-time mom, I didn't really get that there was anything amazing about it at the time!

He's 16, and he hasn't stopped talking in essay form....be prepared!

December 8, 2010 at 10:00 AM  
Blogger Jenn said...

This is so sweet and beautiful ... I'm crying!

December 8, 2010 at 10:29 AM  
Blogger Helene said...

OMG, such a sweet post!!!! Happy birthday Monkey!!!!

December 8, 2010 at 10:45 AM  
Blogger Heather said...

Isn't it amazing how those first borns manage to turn out ok despite cluenessless? (At least I was clueless.)
He seems like a real keeper! Happy Birthday to him.

December 8, 2010 at 10:48 AM  
Blogger Tina L. Hook said...

I was really touched about you rocking your first and crying when the second was born. Thank you for always being real.

December 8, 2010 at 11:36 AM  
Blogger Liz said...

Happy 6th birthday!

December 8, 2010 at 11:38 AM  
Blogger Go Mommy said...

You made me cry!
It is crazy so much of what you wrote sounds like my oldest (of course we only have two right now).

December 8, 2010 at 11:41 AM  
Blogger Tammy said...

Perfect post Shell! Happy Birthday to your sweet little monkey boy! ;)

December 8, 2010 at 11:55 AM  
Blogger Macey said...

Beautiful.
I get sad when I remember that I expected my baby to big a "big boy" when his brother came along. :(

December 8, 2010 at 12:09 PM  
Blogger Jen said...

As a oldest child myself, its tough but totally worth it in the end.

Great letter. :)

December 8, 2010 at 12:21 PM  
Blogger Charlene Juliani said...

Awww, that was so sweet!! My oldest is only 12.5 months older than her younger brother, so I can relate to a lot of what you said about not being treated as a baby anymore. It's always harder on the parents...it's the guilt that we let eat us alive lol. Kids are always more resilient than we think.

Happy Birthday to your monkey!

December 8, 2010 at 12:26 PM  
Blogger Tylaine said...

Beautiful letter Shell! It is so important to cherish the time we have with them when they are young because they do grow up so fast!
Happy birthday Monkey!!

December 8, 2010 at 12:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

AWWWWWW! Happy Bday Monkey...I got teary eyed here...Damn you Shell! ;)

Linking up this week--on more of a comical note.

December 8, 2010 at 12:55 PM  
Blogger KristinFilut said...

Our babies grow up entirely too fast. Happy birthday to you baby boy!

December 8, 2010 at 12:56 PM  
Blogger Joey Lynn Resciniti said...

6!!! Happy Birthday Monkey! I hope you enjoy your special day!

December 8, 2010 at 1:03 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

What a beautiful letter! JDaniel never slept either. I remember crying about the need for sleep for both of us.

Bet he loves being the big brother. Hope he has a wonderful day.

December 8, 2010 at 1:13 PM  
Blogger Sugar Bear said...

I can relate to this in so many ways...how ferociously we love our little men.

Happy Birthday to YOUR Monkey.

December 8, 2010 at 2:10 PM  
Blogger TheBabyMammaChronicles said...

Happy Birthday to your Monkey! What a fantastic letter Shell. So well thought out and written. You will have to share it with him some future birthday. Maybe 2020? :)

December 8, 2010 at 2:21 PM  
Blogger Daisygirl said...

Time does seem to disappear more and more....He sounds a lot like my 6 year old with the sleeping issues. Strong willed and stubborn are good qualities!
Happy Birthday to your lil guy!

December 8, 2010 at 2:22 PM  
Blogger Jessica said...

Beautiful post, so tough to think that they grow up so fast. As much as my kids may driving me crazy, I still hope that the time does not move too fast! Happy Birthday to your little guy.

December 8, 2010 at 2:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sweet and beautiful. Happy birthday Monkey!

December 8, 2010 at 2:54 PM  
Anonymous Ashley said...

Just wanted to say this was a beautifully written letter.

December 8, 2010 at 3:02 PM  
Blogger Mimi N said...

My son was my 3rd child, but was a lot younger than my girls so when I found out I was preggers w/ my 4th child I cried because I didn't think there was any way I could love the next child like I loved this one.

Of course I do, and I still talk to my son about how important his role is as a big brother (he's 11).

It's so crazy how we love our kids and look at them differently!

~Mimi

December 8, 2010 at 3:06 PM  
Blogger Together We Save said...

Happy Birthday to your Monkey!! You are so right time really does pass quickly!!

December 8, 2010 at 3:19 PM  
Anonymous Kimberly said...

This hit me...
I had postpartum depression and at the beginning I had a really really hard time with bonding. I won't go into it but now two years later, I am head over heels in love with him and can't get enough of him.
Last week I was faced with another medical problem. I have chronic pain due to a back injury. I need surgery again but my doctors (my neurosurgeon, family doc, OB/GYN and psychiatrist) told me that I should probably have a baby this year before I had surgery.
It's a lot to wrap my head around.
We always wanted more than one child but because my spine is falling apart we have to have one sooner than later. I am excited yet sad because imam just now really enjoying being a mom and giving my son the love that I think he didn't get from me in those first few
Months of his birth.
Sigh...sorry this was so long...
Happy birthday to your wee one. No matter how old he is, he'll always be your baby.

December 8, 2010 at 4:01 PM  
Blogger Crystal said...

What a sweet post. I, too, am sad sometimes for my oldest...miss spending that selfish mommy/son time; just the 2 of us. Makes me reminisce. Thanx for the touching post...makes me want to hug my oldest!

December 8, 2010 at 4:38 PM  
Blogger Lourie said...

Oh Shell, that is so sweet and beautiful! Happy Birthday to Monkey!

December 8, 2010 at 4:57 PM  
Anonymous Craig said...

Shell,

Wow. I just got through reading all of the blogs in pour out your heart. I commented on the ones I thought would be appropriate.

I have to say. The depth of the emotion. The words. Wow. Straight to the heart. That's an amazing bunch of people who wrote that stuff.

Wow. I'm a writer you'd think I could find other words than wow. but...

and thank you.

God Bless

December 8, 2010 at 5:06 PM  
Blogger Cheryl said...

My eldest was just that way. Full on conversations before he was two. I thought that was normal. Then #2 had severe delay. And #3 also has delay. Then again, 2 & 3 are advanced physically, so who knows how it all works.

Happy birthday to your little big guy!

December 8, 2010 at 6:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I had most of those thoughts and feelings making Zach a big brother at 16 mo old!

Happy Birthday to your little man (he will always be your baby!) Wish we were together to celebrate!

December 8, 2010 at 7:25 PM  
Blogger Sara said...

Happy birthday to your oldest nugget!

December 8, 2010 at 9:09 PM  
Blogger Liz Mays said...

Happy Birthday to your sweet first!

It's funny what you said about butting heads. At about that age, I had the same problem with my daughter. Now she's more like my ex and so they butt heads.

December 8, 2010 at 9:30 PM  
Blogger Helena said...

This post gave me goosebumps. I could feel the love infused into your words. What a lucky little boy.

December 9, 2010 at 2:16 AM  
Blogger Di said...

I teared up reading this - so so sweet! Happy Birthday Monkey!

December 9, 2010 at 9:42 AM  
Blogger Sara said...

This is was so sweet. I think I will be a bragging mommy. Your sons are all so adorable, and you're a great mom!!!

December 9, 2010 at 10:14 AM  
Blogger Melinda said...

Such a sweet letter, Shell ... He is blessed to have you as his mom. My daughter turns 14 today. Time does fly. Last night at dinner, she talked about wanting to go to college in California. Made me want to cry.

December 9, 2010 at 10:54 AM  
Blogger Babes Mami said...

Aww what a fabulous letter!

Happy Birthday Monkey!

December 9, 2010 at 1:28 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

hi,shell!
just want to thank you for the comment. and thanks for having this pour your heart out, it's a nice breather anyway. thanks again.

December 9, 2010 at 1:32 PM  
Blogger Bibi @ Bibi's Culinary Journey said...

That was so sweet. It made me cry.

Happy Birthday to your sweet monkey!

December 9, 2010 at 5:34 PM  
Blogger Emmy said...

What a great post! My oldest is six also and sounds a lot like your son...though mine probably wouldn't mind if I still babied him a bit

December 9, 2010 at 7:54 PM  
Blogger Jessica said...

Happy (belated) birthday to your biggest little guy! My son and I have the same "simliar character" communication issues. I totally understand. It's helping me grow a lot though. I feel bad that I've had to work out so many of my quirks mothering him. The oldest always seem to be the experiement child (says a first born).

December 9, 2010 at 8:09 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Oh Shell - it was the same. My daughter is 6 and was only 20 months when my son was born. I expected so much of her. And now the 2 year old gets lots of cuddles. It can be hard on the first born (who is also SO much like me).

December 10, 2010 at 8:44 AM  
Blogger natalee said...

That was.... just beautiful!!!!!!

December 10, 2010 at 11:02 AM  
Blogger The No Wonder Mom said...

*Tears*! Your Monkey sounds like my middle son. So brilliant, so grown up, yet still your baby. I love this story! What a sweet letter to your son. LOVE IT!!

December 13, 2010 at 12:31 PM  

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