Five years ago today my boy barged into our lives and decided to stay. I am thrilled and blessed by his decision. I never really saw myself as a parent, but he was able to change that swiftly and decisively. At first glance, covered in goop and slime, I knew he was mine – the boy looked like family. I was glad for that because if he resembled the mailman in any way my wife would have had some splainin’ to do!

Him growing up is a joy to behold, and every single day is like a Forest Gump box of chocolates. The Dev went through phases where he cursed like he was the captain of the USS F.U., where he made up stories about his parents saying horrible things, and where he intimidated adults (or so I was told) to get his point across. All of these phases were short lived and today he is the happiest I have ever seen him. Ever since he started being able to communicate like a big boy, and started at his new school he has been so pleasant. Scary pleasant in fact. His new teachers adore him, and he them. And my wife and I adore the whole lot of them!

Had you told me that I would be semi-sane five years after Dev’s birth I would have told you that you were a lying sack of poo. And I would have been wrong. I’m as close to sane as I am likely to get. Nothing has worked out as I planned, but somehow everything has worked out. I owe a good deal to this blog, I must admit. In my effort to help others I have also helped myself. And everyone that has left a comment, or even lurked silently, has helped me to see the world a little differently. But I owe the bulk of my sanity to Dev and my wife. They have made me want to be the strong dad that I always prayed I could be.

Yeah Dev makes fun of our car , my boring job, our inability to come up with a good jokes, my belly, and countless other things. However he tells his mother and me on a regular basis that he loves us, and I believe him. He probably couldn’t define love any better than the rest of us but I know love when I feel it and he loves his parents as much as we love him. And that, my friends, is a truck load of love.

Happy Birthday Dev! And may you have a thousand more!