A Year In Mill Valley

Today is Sebastian’s 5th birthday. And it’s a very big day, not just for Sebastian, but for Rachel and me. That’s because there’s always been something about Sebastian — I’m not sure if it’s his impish grin, or the way he lisps his words, that he’s always tagging along behind Nathaniel, or just his general personality — that has made me turn to Rachel more than times than I can count, and whisper, “will he ever grow up?”.

But all that’s changing. He’s losing his lisp, and the sweet way he mixes up his words (what did he say the other day? oh yes…Rachel was returning from the doctor’s office where he’d had the last of his shots before school and he said “Mom, did you know that people don’t get the weasles anymore?”). He’s becoming more self assured. And he’s starting to become a little more independent from Nathaniel. And just the other day I turned to Rachel and said, “did he just grow up?”, because something big had changed, seemingly overnight.

Ever since I can remember, from the time he was a little baby, I’ve called Sebastian “my little man” and “my scrunchy-munchy man”. And as I tuck him into bed, I lean down and kiss his head and know that no matter how big he gets he’ll always be my little man.

Congratulations Sebastian…we can’t wait for the next 5 years!

Love,
— Daddy and Mommy