July 9

Today is Caleb's third birthday.

Three years ago, I paced the halls of a hospital, hoping I would progress enough to be admitted.

Three years ago, I labored for twelve hours to deliver my sweet child. I had no idea how empowering a drug-free birth could be; three years later, Caleb's birth is still a defining moment for me.

Three years ago, I had no idea whether the child I was working so hard to meet would be a boy or a girl. When he was born and they shouted, "It's a boy!" I asked, "Are you sure? I could have sworn it was a girl."

Three years ago, I heard Caleb's first quiet little "mew", and fell in love. His personality has always remained constant: quite, thoughtful, observant, and clever. Oh, so clever. And we knew it from day one.

So today we celebrated our little boy's birthday with a low-key breakfast with the family. Though a few family members may have grumbled about a Monday morning birthday celebration, it was perfect for our little boy. He loved it.

Before we went to bed last night, Chris and I hung a bunch of balloons in front of Caleb's door, so that when he opened it, he would walk through a curtain of balloons. We hoped he would love it, but were concerned that it would freak him out.

He loved it.

 Look at that swagger. The boy knew it was his birthday.

Caleb was tickled to sit "criss-cross applesauce" in front of his birthday message on our chalkboard wall.

Breakfast seating ended up with us in two groups: 

the "Caleb and grandparents" table, and the others.

Caleb was pretty happy with that arrangement. I was happy to see that he got to sit with all of them at once. What fun!

We stuck a birthday candle in his homemade cinnamon roll (I used this recipe for brioche dough, and this recipe for the actual rolls. Both came courtesy of the midwife who delivered Daisy.), and he was plenty happy. Caleb even blew out the candle all by himself!

He was absolutely delighted by the "silly version" of the birthday song. His favorite line was, "You look like a monkey, and you smell like one too."

Then we got down to the business of opening gifts. Caleb kept trying to open the one big gift that I wanted to save for last. Each time, he went back to that gift, and each time, we told him no, save it for later. Finally, Chris put it aside and Caleb set in to open the other gifts.

I love this little boy.

Finally, he got to open the big present: 

A sweet little scooter!

(We decided to get him a scooter while helping my friend Sara and her family move back in April. Sara's boys had scooters, and Caleb loved them. In June, we noticed that all of the neighborhood kids seem to have scooters, which they ride up to the pool and leave in a big pile in front of the entrance. As we passed the pile one day, I asked Caleb if he would like a scooter. He replied, "Yes! And Daddy can have a scooter and we can wear helmets and we can ride our scooters together."

I promptly went home and purchased scooters for both boys. How can you say no to that?)

Daddy and Mommy with the birthday boy.

After everyone left, Chris and Caleb tried out their scooters.

Our nervous little boy was clearly terrified, but he quickly warmed up to it.

After naps, Chris took Caleb to visit the local fire station. 

I love that Caleb immediately grabbed his camera and put it around his wrist. I don't think he actually took any fire station photos, but I love that he thought about it.

This is what he calls his "rusty face", after the Fred, a rusty old car in the Cars movie. I love this face because it's hilarious, but also because Caleb knows it's funny and can only maintain it for a few seconds before he bursts out laughing, with a genuine smile.

That is what my happy boy looks like.

When the boys got back home, Daisy and I played on the front porch while Caleb practiced his scooter-ing. Daisy's sweet outfit was a gift from Auntie Grace, who sent gifts for both kids.

Hey - look! He's not so scared anymore!

"I'm doin' it, Mommy!"

This is perhaps my favorite of the day. Caleb is on his scooter, and looks so happy and proud. I love my boy.

And even later, we got this happy smile as Caleb prepared to share a cupcake with his GREAT Aunt Maggie. What a special day for my special guy! Happy birthday, Caleb!

If you still want more, take a trip down memory lane. Here's:

Caleb's birth story

Caleb's first birthday party (there's also this post from his actual birthday)

Caleb's second birthday party (there's also this post from his actual birthday)

What a blessing this little boy is!