Happy 6th Birthday Cooper

I woke up and my baby was six years old. How in the world did this happen?

Six years ago today I was watching Michigan State play in the their Final Four game (like today). I was ready to "push," but my doctor – a Michigan State alum – was trying to watch the last two minutes of the game. When the nurses called to say I was ready to go, she asked me if I could to hold off on pushing until the game was over. Thinking I had no choice, I said yes. Within minutes of the final buzzer she came running into my hospital room, I pushed and Cooper arrived.

It feels like yesterday, but it also feels like a lifetime ago. My life is so much better thanks to Cooper. He brings joy and laughter to our family. And he has the most amazing ability to make me feel relaxed and at ease. He's so good at focusing on the positive and staying in the present.

Now that he's six, he's definitely become his own little person with likes and dislikes. His favorite book is "Put Me in the Zoo." We could read it a 100 times and he'd ask for it again. This is the first books he's really LOVED. It's pretty cute to watch his face as we read it.

His favorite foods are bread with butter, mac 'n' cheese, pancakes, PB&J and cereal. He does like some fruit, but he can't stand veggies. Ask him what he thinks of broccoli and he'll go on a passionate tirade about how cooked broccoli burns his mouth.

His favorite toys are ones that allow him to build: Legos, Magna-Tiles and Tinker Toys.

His love affair with Green Blankie is still going strong. He's going to love that thing until there is nothing left of it.

He likes to fall asleep snuggled up against me in Mommy + Daddy's bed. After he's been asleep for awhile, I scoop him up (barely, he's so big now) and put him in his own bed.

He's really into meditation. We have a book about meditation and we use the CD that came with it all the time. At bedtime he asks to "sit still like a frog."

He takes drum, gymnastics and dance lessons. He loves them all. Ask him to do his "jazz walk" sometime, it's hilarious.

He's super close to reading and his writing is getting clearer each day. He's about to finish kindergarten (gasp) and is excited to start first grade.

When he grows up, he wants to be a daddy and a teacher. He says he wants to teach kids all the things they need to know.

He's still just about the friendliest, happiest person I know. What a treat it is to know him, love him and call him mine.

Happy birthday my sweet boy. I'll love you forever and then some.