Eleven years ago, I sat in the doctor’s office, ready for my anatomy scan.
At the time, I didn’t know if the little person growing inside of me was a boy or a girl. But as they moved the wand across my stomach, we quickly discovered—
It was a boy.
Instantly, I started crying.
I think what hit me in that moment was the reality of it all. There was a little person inside of me. And not just a little person.
My son.
My firstborn son.
As I watched him wiggle across the screen, my heart filled with a kind of love I had never experienced before.
I thought about the boy he would become. The man he would someday become. I thought about the journey we were about to embark on together, and I couldn’t wait to experience it all.
And now, somehow, that little boy on the screen is turning eleven.
Eleven years of Kenton.
Eleven years of learning, growing, changing, and discovering who he is—and, in so many ways, discovering who I am, too.
Being Kenton’s mom has taught me so much about growth. As he has grown, he has reminded me to stay curious, to keep learning, to push myself, and to be present for the moment I’m in.
And when I look at him today, I am so proud of the person he is becoming.
Kenton is curious and driven. He genuinely loves having assignments at school. He comes home wanting to finish his work, and sometimes I practically have to pull him away from it so we can have family time together.
When he commits to something, he wants to do it well.
I see that same determination in swimming. He isn’t simply trying to finish a race—he wants to know his time. He wants to know if he can beat the time he swam before. He wants to keep getting better.
But what makes me even prouder is his heart.
He is friendly. He is kind. He is a good friend, and he makes friends easily. He cares about the people around him.
And he is a big brother.
Kenton, I hope you always remember how much your little sister looks up to you. She watches you. She imitates you. She wants to be around you because she absolutely adores you. Whether you realize it or not, you are already showing her what it means to be a big brother.
Today, as you turn eleven, I want to celebrate you.
I want to celebrate how far you have come, how much you have grown, and all the possibilities still waiting ahead of you.
You are one of a kind.
There is no one else exactly like you.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Eleven years ago, I looked at that tiny boy moving across a screen and wondered who he would become.
Today, I get to look at you and begin to see the answer.
And somehow, I am just as excited about the possibilities before you now as I was all those years ago.
Keep learning.
Keep asking questions.
Keep pushing yourself.
Keep being kind.
And most importantly, keep being Kenton.
I hope you always know how deeply you are loved and supported by me and Dad. There is nowhere you could go and nothing you could become that would ever change that.
Happy 11th birthday, Kenton.
What an incredible privilege it has been to watch you grow.
And what an incredible adventure it will be to see where you go next.
Love,
Mom
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