Dear Dylan

 My dear, sweet Dylan. The child after my heart. You will be seven and a half in just 4 days. It feels really late to be starting this for you. There are lots and lots of reasons why you are seven years old before I started your blog. And I am really pretty sad to think of all that I have missed writing about. But I can't go back. So I will start here. 

It hurts me to know that I missed recording the days when you slept with me almost every night. And the days that we spent so much time together playing. 

But life has been a joy with you in it. And it continues to be. I don't know if you are like me, or not. I can't really tell. But I do know that the Lord knew that I needed you when he gave you to me. You speak to my heart in a way that nobody else can. You love me so much it takes my breath away. It feels wrong sometimes. Allowing you to love me so much. More than a child should love his parents. But at the same time I wouldn't trade it for anything. And sometimes I need it because you can be absolutely a headache to deal with too. I've never seen someone able to create his own sense of reality and justice like you can. 

But anyway. You are in second grade. Your teacher is Mrs. Petit. She loves you to pieces. Really everyone that meets you does. You are just a really sweet kid that is easy to love. 

You enjoy your homework most days. I'm afraid it is about to get difficult and that will be problematic. The competitiveness between you and Owen is so strong, that you are usually not wanting to admit when you don't know or understand something. It makes me sad. Everyone knows that you are really smart. But you seem to always want to prove it and get really defensive when you don't understand something or already know something. I tell you that you are seven and you don't have to know everything. But it doesn't seem to help.

You are really funny. You REALLY enjoy the attention that it gets you. You are the comedic relief that this family needs. I have people tell me all the time how BIG your personality is. I say, it really is. Haha. 

Anyway, that's an update on where you are right now. You are about to be promoted to a big brother. I am having a baby in just a few short months. I am really worried about how that will change our relationship. I am praying that you and I will be able to handle it well. I'm thankful to have the opportunity to have homeschool days with you. Although they are about to get more complicated with a baby. 

But I just wanted to take the time to start this for you. Because you deserve it. And I want to remember what we had. I tell your dad a lot that I know one day this will transfer to someone else. And it should. But it will be hard. So, I will write down how it is now. When you leave me love notes and pieces of candy. And you wait for your dad and Owen to go upstairs to read so we can have our private cuddle time. Those are the things that just make my heart swell. I love you baby boy. Thank you for being mine.