‘How old are you turning, Harvey?’ we asked him in the lead up to his birthday.

‘Four,’ he would reply solemnly, holding up an indeterminate number of fingers.

Actually, yesterday the ‘baby’ of our family turned three, which makes me feel thrilled and wistful in equal measure.

Three is an amazing age for birthdays.

There is such an unbridled sense of joy and anticipation, with no sense of what one might be missing out on by having a so-called ‘iso-birthday’ instead of the usual experience.

As soon as his clock turned yellow, Harvey tore into the living room followed by a bleary-eyed Ivy – hands raised up above his head celebrating himself. ‘It’s my BIRTHDAY!’ he yelled out, not caring if he was waking up his older brothers.

The enthusiasm was contagious and each sibling took it in turns to hand him a present, with exclamations of ‘oh my goo-ness!’ each time as a new and wonderful gift revealed itself. We took video footage to share with family to capture his raw excitement and then there was a scrambling to find all the batteries and set up his new toys.

Harvey has been such a gift.

His sense of humour is already rivalling his siblings, with his penchant for repeating everything they say, and he even issues a ‘get wecked’ of his own from time to time. With his ability to sleep without any intervention from us (even putting himself down for a nap last week without either of us realising!), his laid back and easygoing nature, and his all-round sense of fun; we are pretty thrilled he is part of the family.

Three years ago, after an exhausting and slightly terrifying labour (I blame Dave for passing on that significant head), Harvey emerged into the world and slotted into our family as if he had always been there. I really noticed that feeling of completeness when he came along – a sense of balance and contentment that this is what our family was meant to look like.

Harvey’s dominant state is made up of happy and calm (although there is an older brother – who shall remain nameless – with a particular talent of winding him up like a clockwork figure and setting him off careening through the house). He is a willing participant in all the imaginative games that his siblings play, content to play whatever part is going (to a point), a keen puzzle-completer, and an obsessed player of cars/planes/trains. Harvey is cheeky (I had to chase him down the street in his undies twice yesterday), polite (using his manners more reliably than the others already), determined (‘Mum, don’t help me!’) and very sweet (telling Ivy all he wanted for his birthday was cuddles).

An iso-birthday might be confining for some, but Harvey has forgotten what it even means to go out of the house anymore (apart from escaping and running down the street, of course) and was more than happy to stare at his train cake (blueberry sponge with very blue buttercream), play with his presents and do ‘online learning’ with his siblings. There were many phone calls and messages and he reliably went crazy each time with the overwhelming excitement of it all.

With a quick drive-by to say hello through the car window to Grandma and Grandpa, a dinner of burgers (his choice) and the Cars 3 movie to finish, it was a day of pure wonder and celebration for this new three-year-old.

…

Dear Harvey,

You make me smile. Your unbridled joy for life, your exclamations and enthusiastic entrances in the mornings, your love of telling stories (‘because…. and then…. like that’) with a tiny shrug of your shoulders to finish…you bring such light and life into our family.

I love that dimple in your right cheek. The way it creases whenever you smile or talk. I love the way you pronounce words (‘E-why’ for Eli, ‘ganks’ for thanks), how you mimic sighs and shrugs and facial expressions in conversations. Chatting with you is the best.

You have a fierce sense of determination. You don’t let your siblings push you around, although you are willing to compromise if they ask nicely enough. You play their games but shriek loudly if they don’t share with you readily (although we are working on this one).

Cheeky, chilled, focused – you have everything you need to become who you are meant to be. It’s already so rewarding to watch you grow and develop. Sometimes you feel much older than you are – an old soul in a young body. You are thoughtful and kind, often noticing things that the others miss and asking questions that surprise. 

I love watching you walk seriously around the house, using voices for your characters and creating story lines for them. You have a vivid imagination already. Sometimes at night – way past your bedtime – we smile as we listen to you still quietly talking with your toys. 

It is a joy to know you, a privilege to spend time with you. Thank you for being the Harvey we know and love. I couldn’t imagine our family without you. 

Love always,

Mum