My First Born

December 12, 2000 at 3:01pm

11 years! My gosh! Where did all the time go? I was sure that only yesterday you were a little boy and now, here you are, almost a teenager! It has been quite the adventure, that's for sure! Being the oldest, you have been our guinea pig, of a sort. In may ways, your siblings have benefited from all the mistakes we made, and hopefullly learned from, with you. And yet, despite our inexoerience, you have grown to be such a wonderful kid, no, young man. I remember holding you for the first time and being amazed that you were here and ours. And you were HUGE! All 9lbs of you squashed into 20 1/2 inches. You were a very happy baby and I loved to snuggle with you and take naps with you. You were also the only one of the kids to get to meet your Grandpa Larry. How he adored you! He was such a proud grandpa. I remember on the day of your blessing Grandpa just holding you through most of church. Sometimes he would call and ask if you could borrow the van and come visit him in Manhattan. He loved you so much! You were a very precocious child. You started walking at 9 months and haven't slowed down since. One of my favorite memories is of you standing up rocking on your rocking horse on your first birthday. You had no fear! Crazy boy! You have always been imaginative, making up "games" of some kind or another. Or creating some thing out of paper and tape. You are a great big brother, playing with your little brothers and sisters and looking out for them. You are very smart and love to read and learn. You also love to play sports and dance. And what a dancer you are! We are so proud of you and grateful to be able to call you our son!

We love you so much! Happy Birthday Sterling!