Where has the time gone? I can still remember like it was yesterday waking up on March 3, 2004 and knowing I was going to meet you that day. Daddy was just getting up for work (around 5:30am) and I woke up and felt a nauseating pain roll through my body. Having never been in labor before I wasn't exactly sure that it wasn't just my imagination. I tried to go back to sleep but after Daddy got out of the shower I told him I didn't think he would be going to work that day. At 11:32am you joined our family 3 weeks before you due date. You were tiny and perfect. From the first moment I saw you I didn't want to let you go.
When the nurses offered to take you out of our room so Daddy and I could get some sleep, we turned them down every time. We just couldn't get enough of you. Of course, by about 4 weeks later we would have given anything for a solid 3 hours of sleep. But I still wouldn't trade those late nights and early mornings for anything. I remember rocking you to sweet lullabies until we both fell asleep. I also remember having a stiff neck and a sore back from sleeping in a chair so much.
You were a horrible sleeper but now that I know you sleep on your belly, it all makes sense. You would nap for 15 minutes at a time and sleep for *maybe* two hours at a time. This continued until you were over a year old. I guess we paid our dues because now it is very rare that you come in and wake us up. I must admit, hearing you say you want to snuggle with me makes me so happy even now.
My sweet baby Colin ... that's what I called you. I still call you that and it brings this wry smile to your face. You have to faintest dimple that only appears when you have a genuine giggle. If I had know 9 years ago what I now know about you, things would make so much more sense.
Your sensitivity and need for structure are things that we just didn't know about you when you were a toddler. It would have explained so much to us when you would break down in tears at the circus or cry when we wouldn't let you drag things out of the cupboard and put them in order.
Colin, you are one of the kindest kids I know. You have a huge heart and you are so sensitive to the way others feel. You have a remarkable sense to show empathy and sympathy at the exact right times. Although others don't see you anxiety, Daddy and I know it is there. You hold things in and get overwhelmed with the weight of the world on you shoulders. You always come out of those situations stronger and you have come to realize on your own when things are starting to overflow.
You are crazy smart. Although I have no idea what your profession will be, I do know that you will be a loyal friend and a person that everyone can count on to do the right thing.
I love you with all of my heart and wish a the happiest 10th Birthday a boy could have. You're still my sweet baby Colin and always will be.
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