19 years ago, one very small baby boy named Jacob Witt entered this world. We were not expecting him, at least, not quite that soon. He was supposed to arrive in early May, but Jacob has a ‘thing’ with being late, and clearly didn’t want to miss out on anything by not arriving in a timely fashion.

Looking back, it’s remarkable to see how each child’s personality really was with them from the start. Jacob was serious from the beginning. If we gave him stacking toys to play with, he would stack them. Sammy would have turned the stacking toys into a ball game and tried to throw them, Emmy would have thrown them at us, but Jacob would dutifully stack the crap out of those toys.

Jacob – you have been such a joy to have in my life. You have kept me on my toes from day one. You are one of the most driven, resilient and intelligent people I know, and I admire how you approach your life.

Thank you for always remembering to text me when you arrive safely somewhere. Thank you for taking care of your siblings and watching out for them when you’re around. Thank you for being open-minded enough to listen to suggestions the adults in your life may make to you, and thank you for knowing when to say ‘you’re right, mom’.

I’m going to resist getting nostalgic…I have your high school graduation coming up, and will hold off until then to note the passage of time. Until then, know I am, and always will be, your number one fan.

Hope you have an amazing day today…happy happy!

xoxoxo