A Birthday for Big D

Every year on our middle kids' birthdays, we write letters to their birthmothers highlighting that child's activities and development. We also include a dozen or so pictures of the child for her to see. The adoption agency keeps these letters in a file and passes them along if the birthmother asks about them. We have letters for all three kids from each year of their lives saved for them to read someday. They are also fun for keeping family and friends up to date about how much each child has grown and what they are doing.

Today is Big D’s birthday, and here is this year’s letter…

Dear Birthmother,

We can hardly believe another year has passed so quickly. Big D is seven years old already and is a big first grader. He reads very well and is learning basic math skills easily. He takes weekly spelling tests and usually gets them all right PLUS the bonus word. He does very careful work and his handwriting is excellent. He works very hard in school and we are very proud of him.

Big D has grown quite a bit since we last wrote. He now weighs 50 pounds and is over 4 feet tall. He went to Six Flags over the summer and was tall enough for almost every ride there. He is a good athlete, playing baseball, soccer and basketball. He also loves to run and to swim. It is fun to watch how enthusiastic he is about whatever sport or game he is playing.

Big D is a natural leader. Not only have his teachers told us that, but we have seen the way he interacts with other kids. He can get a rowdy group of boys to play an organized game of freeze tag in no time at all. We have also called him “the enforcer” on occasion. He is very good at reminding others about the rules.

Our family has grown since our last letter. Big D has a 6-month-old baby brother named Mr. H. By now Big D is a pro at being a big brother, but he’s even older and stronger this time around. He loves to pick up the baby, feed him his baby food, and he’s even changed a diaper or two. Big D also has even more cousins this year. He currently has 16 cousins, and the number won’t stop there. We sure love that our kids have their cousins to grow up with.

Big D is still a picky eater, but he is eating more and more all the time. When it comes to pizza, he can eat just about as much as we can! He asked to eat out at Applebee’s for his birthday dinner this year. He’s still interested in all the superheroes, too. He got an Incredible Hulk costume and giant foam Hulk fists for his birthday. I’m pretty sure that both Big D and C.B. still think there are real superheroes out there somewhere…and that their uncle is probably one of them.

As we have mentioned, adoption is a pretty common subject in our household. Big D is aware that he was adopted into our family and we talk about it with him continually. We want him to know as much about his birth family as possible and about the process of his adoption. Any information you could share with us would only help him understand more about you and your selfless act of love. We invite you to write us a letter back, or to write something to Big D for him to read when he is old enough.

We hope that all is well with you. You are in our thoughts and prayers in thanksgiving for your generous gift to us. We can’t thank you enough for filling our lives and our hearts with a little boy to love. May God bless you.

Sincerely,
Big D’s Mom and Dad