Dear Jake

Kait:
Dear Jake,
  You are amazing.  You are awe-inspiring and wonderful and adorable and bewildering all at the same time.  It has been 23 weeks and 2 days since your first x-ray, and since you have had 6 rounds of inpatient chemotherapy, 3 ER admits for chemo related illness, 3 surgeries (biopsy, port placement/bone marrow aspiration/radical resection of the tibia), 2 EKGs, 2 echocardiograms, 2 more x-rays, 3 blood transfusions, an MRI, and 2 CT/PET scans.  You have been sedated 3 times and put under general anesthesia 3 times.  Your port has been accessed 13 times.  At the beginning I thought that having an MRI was a big deal and, thanks to cancer, an MRI is now a walk in the park.  We keep wondering why you were chosen to have cancer.  I say it's because your wonderfulness is going to change the world.  You are so easy going and accepting.  You went to sleep one day and woke up with a huge bandage on your leg, yet you didn't question it.  You trusted us when we said the doctors fixed your boo-boo and then you asked to watch cartoons.  Jake, you are so smart, sweet, lovable, and hilarious.  Your laugh makes me burst with a laughter of my own.  While you are perfect in my eyes, remember that no one is perfect by the definition of the word.  Perfection is boring and you, my sweet pea, are always full of surprises.  You can be quick to anger and can throw magical tantrums.  I have to keep reminding myself that you are still only 3 because you are so mature and strong.  You are someone to be looked up to and you have taught me so much. 

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always.  As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." Robert Munsch

Mommy

Prelude to the letter above:
I wrote a letter to each of my boys before Aubrey was born last year and I plan to write one to them every year around their birthdays.  Every word means even more to me now, and I want nothing more than to write these letters for years and years to come.  Here is what I wrote to Jake last year:

Dear Jake (age 2 1/2),
  You are my sweetie pie in every way!  I love getting to see your personality grow as you have become a little person.  You have a voice and something to say and you deserve to be heard.  I am amazed at how smart you are, independent, courageous, hilarious, and sweet.  You are going to grow up to be an incredible person and I am so proud to be your Mommy.  I love you so much and I love spending time with you.  You must always remember that I love you no matter what and always will.  You are my littlest boy no matter how big you grow.  I know your childhood will pass by in the blink of an eye for me, but I hope you (and I) will enjoy every minute that we spend together.  It's hard to say that I can't wait to see who you become because the truth is that I want you to be my little boy for as long as possible.  I love you so much.

Mommy

Fun fact: Jake weighed 12lbs, 7 ounces and was 22.5 inches when he was born!