My sweet firstborn son, I cannot believe that you are
turning two. This past year has gone
breath-takingly fast, and from what everyone tells me, the ride only speeds up
from here! Your birthday actually feels
somewhat bittersweet to me; this past year of your life has been filled with so
much fun, so much laughter, so much joy in watching you grow and learn that I
am sad to see it come to a close. And
yet, I know that God has so much good in store for us yet, that I have to trust
that it is only going to get better and better as the years go by. I must admit, though, that I always get a
little sad when I put away the clothes you’ve outgrown, knowing that you’ll
never be this small again. In just a
few short years, you’ll outgrow my lap and before I know it, you’ll probably be
tall enough to look me in the eye and I’ll wonder where my little boy has
gone. I’m glad that you’re going to
stay little for just a bit longer, even if you are a “big boy.”
What a year it’s been! This year you grew from a baby to a big
boy. This year you learned to
walk. Quickly that walking became
running. At full speed. Sometimes after the kitty. But you are becoming gentler too. Kitty doesn’t run the other direction the
minute you enter the room anymore.
You are learning to talk.
I love hearing your words, even “No!” which I’ve been hearing more and
more lately. I love that you have an
opinion, and yet most of the time you are happy and agreeable.
You amaze me with the connections you make. You continue to point out Nana’s favorite
brand of yogurt at the grocery store after she shared with you one
morning. Every time we pass by the
neighbor’s house, you shout, “Ball!” remembering the time we saw their teenage
sons outside playing basketball one afternoon.
I hear you say “Balloon” when we drive past Red Robin. You see trucks of all kinds and say
“WeeeYooo,” mimicking the sound of the fire truck you saw in our neighborhood a
few months back. You can do puzzles and
sort shapes on your own. Your
vocabulary is expanding daily, and you continue to surprise us with all you
understand.
You are becoming independent. You happily go to nursery, and you go down to sleep without
fussing. And yet, you still love to
climb up into our laps for a cuddle or to read a book. You give hugs and kisses and high fives, and
my heart melts with love when you say “Mommy” and give me an Eskimo kiss.
You like to eat.
You’ll try just about anything and are a healthy eater. You love your peppers (especially frozen),
broccoli, carrots, asparagus, cucs, beans, avocado, and peas, as well as pretty
much any kind of fruit. You enjoy soy
“chicken” nuggets, almonds, cashews, soybeans, and scrambled eggs as well as
pork tenderloin, steak, and beef roast.
You’re not much of a fan of ground meat and you don’t seem to like
potatoes (except for the occasional French fry, which is really more of a
vehicle for the ketchup.) You love
milk, yogurt, frozen yogurt, and smoothies.
Pretzels are a favorite snack.
You love your ketchup, and you shocked me the other day by eating a side
of black olives at a Mexican restaurant.
You’re a big fan of cheese and whole wheat bread. You enjoy the occasional treats as well,
including ice cream, chocolate, pickles, and tortilla chips. You’re learning to eat with a fork and
spoon.
You love water. Bath time with Daddy is a favorite
activity. So is walking down the road
to throw rocks in the stream (or into the mud puddles along the way). Just last week, you found a humungous rock
on the side of the road, and you were determined to carry it to the water, so
you could throw it in. After a few
minutes, though, you were happy to hand it over to Daddy, so he could carry it
the rest of the way.
Speaking of Daddy, he is probably your favorite playmate these
days. You get so excited to see his car
pull into the driveway at the end of a workday. You love to play ball, go inside your cardboard house, read
books, and play “Up” on the computer with your beloved Daddy.
You love animals, especially kitties and puppies. You even kiss them in your books.
You are obsessed with Elmo.
Elmo books, toys, video clips…everything Elmo. You proudly show off your Elmo shoes to anyone who will pay
attention!
You love music! You
call it “Jesus.” You enjoy listening to
CDs and are fascinated by instruments.
Just like Mommy when she was little, you love to play
darts! Every time we see Papa, you beg
him to take you down to the basement so that you can play darts together. You even ask him to play darts when we Skype
him!
You care about others.
Just the other day at Coffee Break, one of the nursery helpers told me
how you wanted the last graham cracker, but when you were told that another
little girl hadn’t had one, you brought it over to her. I cannot tell you how my heart swelled with
pride upon hearing this, because more than anything, dear Son, I want you to
show God’s love to others.
You exude joy. Sure,
you have your moments of being crabby, but overall you are a very happy
boy. And this makes your Mommy and
Daddy happy too. I love seeing things
through your eyes; you make things fun and are our little ray of sunshine. May you always have a joyful heart for the
Lord.
Every night, before I head for bed, I come in your room to
peek in on you. There you are, in your
sweet footie pajamas and tousled hair, hugging puppy and sleeping
peacefully. In that quiet moment, I
thank God for you and think about how I couldn’t love you more if I tried. But I remember that God does love you more,
and for that I am so grateful. I pray
that you will always know and trust in His love for you.
Happy Birthday, sweet boy.
May this coming year be as wonderful as the last.
Love,
Mommy
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