Three

I remember the day you stuck into my belly. I was sitting at a meeting and felt a giant ouch! in my belly. That was you!

Sure enough, the next week I felt funny. A few days later I was in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and I stopped at a Walgreen's. I splurged on one of those digital pregnancy tests, and the magic word popped up on the screen... Griffin! Just kidding, it said PREGNANT.

I hoped you would be a girl. But I knew the second I knew you were in there, I knew in my heart that you were you. All boy. When I was just twelve weeks along, Daddy and I went to the doctor for our high-screen ultrasound. They do that for mommies who are a little long in the tooth. There you were, swimming around like a tiny little Polly Pocket dolly, doing backflips. The doctor said it was too soon to tell if you were a boy or a girl, but I saw you.

And sure enough, a few weeks later when we had our big ultrasound, there it was!

Your birth story is just like your life story - easy peasy lemon squeezy. You came out big (9 1/2 lbs and 22 inches long) and happy as a clam at 3:45 in the afternoon. You slept long and often, and I can't thank you enough for that.

You really loved being a baby. During this past year, I would call you my big boy and you'd say "no, I'm a baby." You hung on to your binkie as long as you could, and even now you'll ask for it if you're really upset. Too bad the Binkie Fairy had to give it to a teeny tiny baby who really needed it. You resisted potty-training for real until a few weeks ago. And now, when you go on the potty, you say "I'm going on the potty because I'm a big boy now." I can't tell you how sad that makes me.


Since you could walk, and maybe even before that, you've been chasing after your big brother, just dying to do what he's doing, to be where he is. Today you asked me "when is Cooper's birthday coming up? When I eat my birthday all gone, is it gonna be Cooper's birthday?" Cooper's so lucky to have you. I hope when you're both grown your friendship stays strong and positive.

You're the fresh air our family needs, Grif. You're rough and tumble and have a black eye roughly 50% of the time. Just today, in fact, you tumbled head over heels down the porch steps and then a half hour later took a line drive from a Frisbee to your cheek. Black eye? Check!


Today we had a little family get-together for your party. You opened your presents and played outside for a polite amount of time, then you came to me to be held. You said "I'm tired of playing, I need to rest." And you turned to your aunt and said "when are you guys going to leave?" Just like that, the party was over. I will laugh about that for years to come.

Thanks for being you, Griffin. We love you so much. Happy Birthday my big boy! You'll always be my baby.

- H