A letter from January 22nd, 2019

Dear Baby Bear, It's a few hours away from the time you were born, and for some reason I'm feeling particularly sentimental this year. I cannot believe you are 5. I cannot believe you start school in just a week and a bit. You have grown up so much this year, especially in the last 6 months. Your questions and conversations are so complicated now, lots of things I'm having to look up and you have lapped me in dinosaur knowledge. A few weeks ago we went to the museum to see the whale exhibition. I asked you what whale you hoped to see and you said "a basilosaurus, that's a prehistoric whale". Yep, I'd never heard of that one. You've made some really great buddies, but particularly Raphy and Koa from kindy who you've been quite inserparapble from. You're becoming more adventurous but still seem to like to suss things out first before giving things a try. There is lego all over the house and you play with it for hours, mostly with the figures making up stories. Your and Woo's relationship has really grown this year. You play together so much now. The other day I came out to find you teaching Woo all about dinosaurs, pointing things out in your book. He absolutely adores you. It totally melts me when I see you two cuddled up together. One thing I've come to really notice in you is you have really great boundaries. You let people know how you feel and what is and isn't ok by you. But you also think about how they might feel too. You told me a story the other day about how you played a game you didn't really want to because your friend told you that her friend had been mean to her and it made her sad and you didn't want to make her sad too. Your understanding and expression of feelings is pretty incredible. You are growing up to be the most beautiful, complicated, kind, funny smart kid. I love you to absolute bits. I can't wait to see how you grow over the next year, as you start your big school adventure and make a whole world of new friends. Love you always with all my heart xxx