Well, this one took me 11 years and 24 hours (and some extra) to process. I mean, if I have truly processed it. I am not sure I have. But here we are - another birthday post.
You, Cooper, are 11.
You now come up past my shoulders, and the days when you are eye level, and then (gulp) that I have to look up to see those still gorgeously long eye lashes are rapidly approaching.
You stay up as late as me (or later), and I am torn between loving your company (especially when I can give you my undivided attention) and wondering if you ever heard a moment of silence that you did not think needed to be filled.
Sometimes, my sweet child, mama just needs a minute.
You know how to send gifs, and in the first weekend you had your phone, I think I received 20 in fairly rapid succession. Fortunately, or not, you then learned to play Madden on your phone, which quickly became more exciting than exchanging texts with your mom. (It stung a bit when it took you a solid week to respond to one of my texts).
You can rattle off sports stats and they are actually (usually) accurate. You will sit and watch an entire college basketball game with me, and not get bored or distracted, but actually want to talk about strength of schedule and who will be the last 4 in to the big dance. I absolutely LOVE having some true shared interests. Don't get me wrong, I loved that you loved Transformers and Pokemon, and I enjoyed playing with you, and I definitely do have a soft spot for Cars and Thomas, but those interests would not have been part of my life if you were not around - that was me getting joy out of meeting you where you were at. College basketball - that is something where you are meeting me where I am at, and that is so amazing!
You have rediscovered your love of playing basketball as well, and have managed to inspire a joy of the game in both your sister and little brother. Watching you and "Rocket" play basketball on the pop-a-shot in the game room is truly one of my great joys.
Speaking of Cal, oh my goodness how much does that child love you. There is a level of hero worship that I did not even know was possible. And what is so beautiful about it, what truly makes me fill with a pride and happiness beyond anything I ever expected as a mom, is that it is so deserved. You are so generous and gentle and engaged with him. I can see how SEEN he feels and how LOVED he feels. As his big brother, you seeing him and loving him will provide him a safety net in life beyond anything I can ever do. Thank you for that.
And you aren't just an amazing brother to your brother, but you do the same for your sister. Sure, it is a little different with Daphne - you guys are closer in age and she is old enough now that she doesn't revere you in that almost superhero way that Cal does. But she sees you as a true friend, a partner. She cares what you think, and your kindness, inclusiveness and encouragement set an example for her, and provide support for her self-confidence - something so important for a young girl. Thank you for that.
We had all sorts of presents for you this year - more than enough as you are spoiled by everyone (extended family, included), and are in need of nothing. But, nonetheless, Daphne desperately wanted to give you her own gift - from her. She gathered a few treasures from her room, and added it to a cash gift (so you could pick what you wanted most) pulled from her own piggy bank, and presented it with such genuine pride. I would wonder where she learned to be so selfless and generous, but it isn't hard to guess. When we went on our Disney cruise you insisted on making a sneak trip back to the gift shop to buy a present for your sister (and me!) because you saw a necklace you just knew she would love, and you didn't care if you had to spend your own money - you were going to get it for her. How amazing is that? From an (at the time) almost 11 year old boy for his 8 year old sister?
Your grades are amazing. You have learned sign language to communicate more easily with your best friend. You are the type of person that became best friends with a child who is hearing impaired because you take people as they are and get to know them for who they are, and this kid IS awesome, but there are a lot of kids who let differences keep them from knowing the greatness of other people. You are not that kid, and that makes me so proud.
You will be going to middle school next year. It will be exciting and scary and I don't even know what else. But I do know that you are ready for it. You have matured this past year, and you will be great. I have so many wishes for you, but none are specific, and they all center around the same thing - I wish for your happiness. I love you so much, and you deserve nothing less.
Happy birthday, my sweet child.
I love you!
