Sulaiman doesn’t ask for things. But this year he asked for a calculator. I didn’t buy him a calculator. Calculators are weird birthday gifts for 6 year olds.

Sulaiman was supposed to be born on Valentine’s Day but he came out one day earlier. My mum says he insisted on coming out early because he’s so kiasu like that. I think it’s true. Since then he’s continued to hit every milestone early and surpasses his peers academically. My little nerd. A super bright child. He tells me his brain is GINORMOUS! I believe him.

This post is for you Sulaimomon.

It’s not easy being the middle child

Your older brother dictates the games you play and how to play them. He’s faster, stronger, and more agile than you. But that’s just because he’s older. Plus, Ayub is super confident and loud and shines bright in the limelight, while you are gentle and soft-spoken and introverted.

It’s even harder when your older brother has special needs and therefore requires more attention and care from… well… everyone. And to top it all off, Ayub gets to go to an awesome private school, while you have to stick it out in government school.

I’m sorry sweet Sulaiman. But you are so incredible and I know you will excel in any academic environment.

Then there’s your little sister. Demanding, assertive, type-A personality, Aisha already knows how to manipulate people and always get her way. When I asked her who made the mess at her car seat, she blamed you. Don’t worry Sulaiman, I know it was her, and not you.

She’s a clingy koala baby and doesn’t allow you to cuddle me or even talk to me. She’s naughty. You’re a good boy.

Sulaiman has been my joy since the day he was born

Bringing you home as a baby was the easiest and most hassle-free of my litter. You’re my fastest birth, labour only lasted 20 minutes before you popped out. Then, because you were born at 3am, we got to go home at 3pm. So we didn’t even have to suffer through one night in the hospital together. 🙂

Oh, and you were born with your umbilical cord wrapped around your neck and across your chest, making you look like one of the X-men which is awesome. I mean, it was terrifying at the time because you were turning blue and the doctors and nurses were in emergency mode so that you would live. But it’s all good. You were fat and cute and blue.

Throughout your babyhood, you hardly ever cried. Always smiling and happy and chatty with your tiny dimples showing.

All the many wonderful things you do

You don’t even try to be the best, you just are naturally always the best. Walking from the time you were 8 months old. Saying your first words soon after. By the time you were 2 years old, you could sing multiple nursery rhymes, knew your numbers to 100, knew your shapes from circle and square, to trapezoid and octagon and rhododendron, and lots of other cool stuff.

Around this time, Mr Ninja showed up. And you used to fight with Ayub over who gets to hold Mr Ninja’s hand. Even though, you know, Mr Ninja has two hands.

At 3, you taught yourself how to read and write and started journalling and was on your way to being trilingual.

Then when you were 4, we moved house, changed schools, and Aisha arrived. It took you a few months to get used to the annoying lil fella but eventually you both became besties. Now you’re inseparable. Even though she’s still annoying, you always treat her with respect and love.

You say the funniest things all the time. Like this:

Me: Sulaiman, did you watch YouTube today?

Sulaiman: No Mama.

Me: You can tell me the truth, I won’t be angry.

And you’re such a lovely, simple, wonderful person who never asks for anything. On your 5th birthday, I pestered you for days to tell me what you wanted as a gift. You finally replied with “a red velvet cake and a Pokemon toy.” And you were the happiest boy in the world that day.

Your journals are the best thing in the world

Your journals started in 2015, when you were only 3. You would write about numbers, shapes, planets, countries of the world and their capital cities, then translate words from English to BM, and spell out all the colours. Not just the regular colours, but cyan, magenta, and maroon. Violet was your favourite.

Over the years, your journals have become even more impressive and complicated. Now, you use them to document mathematical games that you’ve come up with. We are in awe of you, Sulaiman.

Your current game that you’ve been working on for months is called ‘Rainbowsecathlon.’ I don’t know how it works. But it looks cool.

First in class for reading

At the beginning of the school year, we had to buy you a bunch of school books. That included two English reading books that were supposed to last the year. You finished them both within the month of January.

When you finished the first book, your teacher gave you two prizes.

A couple weeks later, you came home with more prizes for finishing the second book.

A week later, you finished reading the BM book. You didn’t get a prize. Instead your teacher allows you to bring home a new story book every day to read for fun. You’re the best Sulaiman.

All you wanted was a big calculator for your birthday

The current calculator you’ve been using only goes up to 100,000,000. I think that’s a pretty big number. But it wasn’t enough for you because you wanted to calculate the number of seconds you’d been alive.

Here’s a picture of you with your calculation of how many seconds there are in a year.

Anyway, a scientific calculator didn’t seem like a very fun gift for a 6 year old. So I bought you a bunch of little toys instead. Foam swords and Pokemon cards.

Then I got him a few more little presents that evening.

Sulaiman was all happy with his velcro dart board and remote control car when suddenly…

Mr Ninja came home from work with a special gift

A scientific calculator. And it’s your favourite thing in the world now.

Seriously, Sulaiman brings his calculator everywhere with him. I don’t even know what he does with it. Just calculates stuff. Fast forward to like the 8th minute of this video to see him opening his calculator. He’s so cute.

Happy birthday Sulaiman! May you be blessed with love, happiness, and scientific calculators for the rest of your life <3

You will always be my bebe fat fat.