Emerson Flynn Codding

My oldest boy is 10 years old today.

 I can hardly believe it.  We stared at you moments after we brought you home from the hospital and had no idea what to do with you- we were in absolute, undeniable AWE.  Dad and I looked at one another and like so many parents said, "Now what??!!"  We stared at you, you stared at us, we attempted to eat a normal meal at the table, yet you had other plans for the night.  At 10pm you started to wail and didn't stop until 2am. Were you hungry?  In pain?  Tired??  No, you were just cold, or so we thought. Your Dad wrapped you up tight in his signature swaddle (that he had been practicing for weeks) and put an adorable knit cap with green frogs on your fuzzy head and pulled you into bed close against his chest. There we were- a little family.

 Instantly, overnight, you made us a family.

Emerson Flynn Codding.

 My contemplative, cautious, caring boy. Handsome, soft spoken, and sincere, you made me a Mother and trained me well. Your gentle manner and insightful words often make me stop and pause- you see the world differently than most. You are like a Buddha, taking it all in, churning it around in your head and feeling it in your heart before you comment, before you take a step, before you react. You are the only human I know that can catch a bumblebee, a fly, or a lizard with your bare hands and whatever said creature will let you hold them in your palm for inspection and examination. You are my nature boy- connected to the universe on a wavelength that most are not privy to. You commune with creatures, trees, mountains, and water like some kind of Whisperer of the Woods. You are amazing to watch every day, but especially when you are in your element.

You are a planner, already deciding that you want to go to college in California so that you can drive to The Cabin to spend your summers. You want to be a chef (you are already talented in that department!), you want to travel, you have an amazing joie de vivre for someone who is only 10. You are accomplished (climbing and summiting Mt. Tallac at your age!), steady, stoic, and loyal. Your sense of humor is sophisticated, your musical tastes eclectic (Tupac to The Dead), and your imagination active and amazing.

I love you. We love you.

 I can't believe you are 10. I wish you the happiest birthday my sweet, firstborn Buddha child. Thank you for being my baby, my Flynn.

I love you!!