Six Years

Six years ago today, I met someone who changed my life.

Six years ago today, I made eye contact with the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen.

Six years ago today, I fell utterly, completely, and totally in love with a boy.

Six years ago today, I became a mother.

Six years ago today, Bryce Geordon Kwiecisnki was born and I became the happiest woman on the planet.

Last year, I wrote about his birth story here, so I won't bore you with the gory details again. Go back and read it only if you have a strong stomach.

And now, another year has past. Like the past six years, it has gone by far too quickly. Each year, I think, "this is my favorite age", and yet, he keeps surprising me.

Let me tell you about the boy I fell in love with six years ago.

His name is Bryce, but he always has been and always will be my Love Bug. I call him Bugs or Buggie. Sometimes, I call him Brycie. He answers to most anything, though.

My Bugs is smart. Not just brain smart, but heart smart. He is loving, compassionate, and empathetic. He is quick to give you a hug or a kiss and apologizes the instant he thinks he has upset you in some way. He looks out for his little brother and other kids. He wants to make sure everything is fair and everyone is happy. He is going to make a great social worker someday.

My Bugs is intelligent. He is able to reason, hypothesize, test, and conclude in ways that most adults aren't able to. He is going to make an awesome scientist someday.

My Bugs is beautiful. He has these huge brown eyes that are framed by the longest, darkest lashes I have ever seen. His cheeks are always rosy and his smile never falters. He is going to make an awesome model someday.

My Bugs loves all creatures, big and small. He knows facts about the smallest of insects and the biggest of mammals and is eager to know more. He loves everything about them, from their heads to their tails and then some. He is going to make an awesome veterinarian someday.

My Bugs loves music. Any kind of music. He loves the classics and classical. he loves to sing and dance and years to learn an instrument. He is going to make an awesome musician someday.

My Bugs loves to write. He will sit down at my table with his pencil and his paper and write his letters, all of them in upper and lower case, and then spell all of the words he knows in a list. He will then use all of those words to make sentences and then uses the sentences to write stories. He is going to make an awesome author someday.

My Bugs loves to draw. After he writes his books, he draws pictures for his stories. The pictures are very detailed and original. He then staples the pages all together with his writing and gives me his beautiful new book. He is going to make an awesome artist someday.

My Bugs loves to play on the computer. After turning the computer on, he knows where to go for his games. He knows his log in name and password to his Webkinz account. He can log in by himself. His password is very complicated. Most adults aren't able to manage this simple task. He is going to make an awesome systems analyst someday.

My Bugs is very health and clean conscious. He knows I hate clutter. He knows I like a clean house and hate germs. He is always so helpful when I am doing my chores and is amazing in his ability to do the simple tasks I ask him to. He also knows how to pick up after himself and put things where they go. He is going to make an awesome husband someday.

My Bugs is an amazing charmer. He is quick to tell me how nice my hair looks, how pretty I look in my raggedy yoga pants and over-sized t-shirt, or to thank me graciously for doing some small little thing like helping him put his socks on straight. He tells me how much he loves me multiple times a day and loves nothing more than to surprise me with a quick kiss and a hug "just 'cause". He is going to make the perfect husband someday.

My Bugs is an amazing big brother. He loves to play with his Bubba. Sure, they fight and get at each other, but Bugs is always there for Brady, no matter what. He often puts Brady before himself and is willing to give up things I am surprised he is willing to give up, just to make his brother happy. I love listening to them play. I often hear Bryce guiding Brady in how to do something, how to act some way, or how to behave in a certain situation. And the "I love yous" between them melt me. He is going to make an awesome father someday.

I can't tell you how often I am in awe of this little boy and all of the things that make him who he is. I can't tell you how proud I am to be his mother. As his mother, I know I am biased, but, honestly, he really is the sweetest, cutest, most amazing child I have ever known. And, he gets better and better with each passing year.

So, my dearest Love Bugs, happy birthday to you. You have changed my life for the better and continue to prove to me that goodness and light really do exist in this world. You amaze me, you melt me, you make me proud in ways I never thought I could be. Thank you for picking me to be your mama. I like you, I love you, I will always, always be here for you.

I love you to the moon and back, baby. Happy birthday.