It is hard to believe that 7 years ago today I became a mother when Christopher was finally born (a week after his due date!).

It seems like both yesterday and a lifetime ago. Yes, my oldest is a big 7 year old today, and quite excited about it (as the picture shows!). This photo was shown as he opened his present from dad last night. Upon request from his son, Greg stopped by the sporting goods store on his way home from work to get new skate guards for his ice-skates. There, he saw this Alaska Aces hockey jersey, something Christopher had been asking for since last year. As you can see from that expression, he was extremely excited about Dad's gift choice.

I can't believe how much he has grown in just 7 years. 7 years ago he couldn't hold his head up, and now he is an amazing ice skater, soccer player, and has dance moves that you wouldn't believe. He's developed a loving heart and true compassion and desire to help others. He's a fantastic big brother, reads like a whiz, uses amazing vocabulary, and has a sweetness that every mother hopes to encourage in a son. He's also all boy -- zooming around at moderate to high speed at all times, and more interested in weapons and wars and robots and monsters than princesses and ponies. But all said, at this point it's hard to believe that he won't grow up to be a man we're proud of. We already are.