Today You Are 4

Dear Marino,

Today you are 4 years old. As always, Daddy and I are so grateful for the happy, healthy and fun little boy that you are and all the ways you've grown and matured in the past year. Sometimes I can't believe you are only four...your vocabulary is amazing and you sometimes say things so poignant, I forget I am talking to such a young child.

You continue to be very snuggly and loving, especially with your mommy. You usually need a little while to warm up to people, the exceptions being your grandparents and your "best friends" at school. I love to see you hugging and kissing your friends, knowing that you will soon be "too cool" for that (although, hopefully not too cool to snuggle with Mommy).

You love super heroes and Transformers. We love to watch you play with all your action figures - you always crack us up. You love pretend play and you are always announcing you are a robot, a dog, a knight, a super hero, a builder, a vet, etc. We hear a lot that you are "all boy." You also love animals and have extensive knowledge of sea creatures. You get excited every time you see any animal, even sparrows and worms. You love your dog and sometimes scold me if I ask him to move when we're snuggled up "No, Mommy! Max wants to snuggle, too."

As always, you are very active and never stop moving until bedtime. You are a very fast runner, even compared to kids much older than you. You love to climb and jump (on and off of everything). We've acquired a large collection of books and every night you choose a different one for Daddy or I to read to you. You love reading and have an amazing memory...you can usually recite most of the books to me as I'm reading them.

You enjoy school and your teachers say you love to do puzzles when you are there and learn about geography and space. You've just begun coloring inside the lines and drawing with purpose. It seems you are friends with all 35 of your classmates and you enjoy telling us who you played with each day.

You often announce "I'm shy" but that only lasts a few minutes in most situations. You tend to be a leader and love to make people (kids and adults) laugh. It's rare for you to hear music and not start dancing. You love music - Hot Peas N Butter and The Fresh Best Band are your favorites. You definitely enjoy attention and the more people laugh and compliment you, the more you ham it up.

Marino, you are an amazing miracle. Daddy and I love you so much more than we could ever tell you. Happy 4th Birthday, Baby. We're looking forward to this next wonderful year with you.