This boy turned 8 on the 8th! It was a wonderful day and he was incredibly happy all day long, which made my Mama Heart happy too.
Eli's parents were supposed to be visiting us right now, and would have been here for Caleb's birthday too, but of course that didn't happen with all the travel bans. That was the one bummer to the day, but thankfully Caleb took it in stride and was able to talk with Grandma and Grandpa on the phone.
My favorite part of Caleb's birthday was how happy and excited and thankful he was all day. And I mean ALL day. Several times he came to hug me and say thank you for his gifts, for his cake, for his whole birthday. He was just so happy! All the excitement tuckered him out by the end of the day, though - he fell asleep before I finished singing at bedtime, which never happens. That kid is usually awake for a long time after we turn out the lights, but apparently the birthday joy wore him out!
The day included this fantastic find. Three chameleons on one morning! Clearly there was some birthday magic going on :)
Caleb's cake was a yellow cake and he was particularly excited about that. We bought a cake mix at a store a few months back and that's the flavor he chose. When I have to make cakes from scratch, I always make chocolate (for obvious, chocolately-goodness reasons). So this was the first non-chocolate cake we've had in awhile and it was a success.
Caleb told me several months ago that he wanted a jungle cake. I told him that'd be great, but there was plenty of time to think about and change his mind if he wanted to. He never changed his mind. He really wanted a jungle cake! So this is what I did. Caleb has so many animal toys that it was easy to find some jungle animals to include on the cake (and Legos never fail to make great cake decorations either).
I can scarcely believe it's been 8 years since this boy came into our lives. He's changed our lives in so many ways and we are beyond grateful for him. It's because of this boy that we are so passionate about the animal kingdom and conservation efforts. It's because of this boy that we see and notice so much more around us than we used to. It's because of this boy that we've come to appreciate the power of reading and storytelling afresh.
It's also because of this kid that we've found ourselves on our knees more than we ever anticipated. Caleb has struggled with many things, including social anxiety, sensory issues, learning to read, and over-emotional responses to things. But in the midst of these struggles, he's also experienced incredible victories this past year. One of the biggest victories: Caleb started reading last summer. It was a huge victory because it had been about 3 years since he'd started learning the reading process, and it was just so hard for him. Things weren't clicking, he'd forget concepts even after we'd gone over them a hundred times, he'd literally fall on the floor in tears when he couldn't figure it out. All the while he loved looking at books and being read to and telling stories of his own. We debated dyslexia, we thought his other issues were interfering with the reading process, we felt helpless to know how to move forward with this whole reading thing. BUT, by God's great grace and mercy, Caleb started reading last summer, a couple months after he turned 7. It happened suddenly, and soon he was reading everything and reading very well. It's truly a testament to God's grace because we hadn't done anything more than we'd already tried with him, and were even losing some hope. But God was so good to our son, and God helped Caleb start reading. And it has changed everything. Homeschooling wasn't such a struggle this past year, he reads for hours every day, and his love for storytelling has only increased. It has been a journey of joy to watch our son read this past year. I can only imagine how much he'll read this next year!
Another huge victory has been Caleb's increased comfortability with new people and new things. Last summer my jaw dropped when Caleb greeted a stranger at the hospital. I remember countless times when he would literally hide in my skirts whenever someone said hello to him because it was just too much for him to handle. And now he greets people like it's normal. And he makes friends with other kids much more easily than he used to, and wants to invite friends over to our house. A few years ago I couldn't have imagined that day! It's been an amazing step forward for him, by his own choosing, and we are so incredibly thankful to God and so incredibly proud of Caleb. We can already tell that God has great things in store for this boy this upcoming year!
Caleb has always been a thoughtful and affectionate kid. He's always spoken words of encouragement to me and come to hug me just because he wants to encourage me and tell me that he loves me, and I've been overflowing with gratitude for his kind and sweet nature. We're so blessed to call him our son and so blessed to be on this journey of watching him grow into who God has made him to be. Wholehearted. That's what his name means. And he loves God and follows Him wholeheartedly, truly. And I know God will continue using that beautiful part of Caleb's character to form him into a godly and righteous young man in the days and years to come.
Happy Birthday, Caleb!
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