He has kept a running countdown for a couple weeks.  He talks about the cake and the friends and the presents and the ice cream but that is not why he is so eager.

Carter has been counting down to the night when he goes to bed 5 and wakes up 6.  Last night was the night.  And so this morning he awoke, six.

carter:  Momma?  Good morning, Momma?  Momma, do you know I am six now?  I woke up six!

I looked down at the foot of my bed and there stood a six year old.  His blond curls sticking up at odd angles on one side of his head, while on the other side they lay plastered to his temple, pillow creases on his cheeks evidence of a solid nights sleep.

And that is how my baby got another year older.  One night he simply went to bed five and the next morning, poof, he woke up six.

Today we had our family celebration with a breakfast of his choice, a trip to his favorite ice cream shop after lunch, a picnic dinner in our living room while we watched his new movie Despicable Me 2, and ending with carrot cake topped with 6 candles.  Next weekend he will have his party with friends.  Today was just for us to celebrate Carter waking up 6.

While Carter’s birth story was not as scary or as involved as Cody’s, he was also born premature – weighting in at 4 pounds 4 ounces – and had to stay at the NICU for about three weeks before he could come home.  I reposted his birth story last year and I will provide you with a link to it this year.

Happy birthday.  Thank you for waking up 6, my sweetheart.