Are you kidding me right now? You’re 14? That’s just crazy.

Your birth was terrifying. I went to the hospital for a routine ultrasound and you arrived the next day, 10 weeks too soon. You were all of 2 lbs. 9 oz. and so small that I couldn’t fathom you would ever be as big as you are now. I still worry about you a lot, but nothing like how I worried back then.

Here you are with the lamb that watched over you for the five weeks you spent in the hospital. This was a momentous occasion, because you had reached 3 lbs. For the record, that is pretty much no weight at all. I can gain 3 lbs. if I eat too many tortilla chips.

People talk so much about how far your brother has come, but you are a miracle too. I guess you’ve always made it look so easy. You make a lot of things look easy. Mostly reading books. And, math. And, softball. And, organization. And, a lot of other things for which you could give me lessons.

I am somewhere BEYOND proud of you for how far you have come from that teeny, tiny preemie. I was about to say that you are an amazing kid, but you’re not really a kid anymore. It makes my heart hurt to say that, but I’ll be okay. Just don’t talk about going away to college or I’ll burst into tears. Fair warning.

Now, that lamb is dwarfed by your 14 year old self. See it? Up there by your head? It’s barely visible and yes, that’s the same lamb. Also the same person, but in a bigger bed and with less monitors and hospital bills.

There is something about you, though, that makes me NOT look back. With you, I tend to look forward. You have so much to offer this world and I can’t wait to see where you go and what you do. I have never been more sure of anything than I am of the fact that you can conquer anything to which you set your mind.

Except for how much I love you. I’m sure of that too.

Happy birthday, Goose. I’m so glad you were born.

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