Oh my goodness, you, my baby Oaty Boaty, are now 5. There were times when I was in the trenches with our three musketeers all under 4 years old, and it felt like this day would never come, but now it’s here, I can’t really believe it.
It all seems to have happened so fast, yet at the same time, it seems so long ago that I brought you into the world at the Te Awamutu birthing centre.
The second you were born, I felt so complete. You were, and still are, the glue that holds us altogether. You’re our peacemaker. You’re the one who mediates conflicts, and finds a middle ground between our rational-thinking Archie and our emotive-driven Bossy.
Your arrival created a world where I really had my hands (and heart) full, so you would spend hours snuggled in the Moby wrap like a little koala bear. You loved it and I loved it. I think it helped us both find some calm amongst the chaos.
You can also have almighty tantrums. You’re not patient. You’re easily frustrated. And you’re a terrible loser, no matter what game is being played. But, you’re just as easily cheered up. With you, no mad, bad, sad moment lasts long. You find the fun in life, and spend so much of every day giggling.
You are an absolute trooper hiking and biking with “the big boys”. You’ve conquered Mt Kakepuku, Mt Tauhara, Mt Maunganui, and the Hakarimatas.
You’ve always loved doing jobs, helping others, and keeping yourself busy. You are content in your own company and I often find you outside pottering around, using your imagination to do “farm work” in the backyard.
As you’ve got older, your cuddles have decreased, and your independence has increased.
Sometimes I’ve found that hard.
I’ll miss our Wednesday home day, and I know Daddy will miss his Thursday home day with you. Even though we often had lots of errands to run and jobs to do on Wednesdays, doing it with you, always made it so much better. Your constant chat and cheeky grin brightens every day.
I know when it comes time to say goodbye to you at the classroom, you’ll be braver than me. You’ll have the love and support of your two best friends, Archie and Hugo, and you won’t need me.
Whilst that hurts, it also makes me so so proud.
So my darling, go and be a big 5 year old. Suck up the school years of sitting in a classroom, learn what you can, and before you know it, you’ll get your heart and head back outside to a life on the farm.