Thursday, February 22, 2007

Near You Always

My Dear Baby Boy,
In just a few days you will be exactly 2 1/2 years old. I figure I should document your life a little bit, since you are changing so fast and I am afraid I might someday forget some things. First of all, you are amazing. Truly. Every day you find a new way to shock, amaze, startle, surprise and astound me with your amazing little mind and glorious sense of humor. Not a day goes by that I don't laugh. Not a day goes by that you somehow make me tear up or cry; either happy or sad tears. I cannot believe the past couple of years have gone by so quickly. It seems like just yesterday we were only dreaming of the child you were to be.


At this stage in your life, your interests change on a weekly, and sometimes daily basis. Right now you are into so much. You have an amazing sense of adventure (just like Daddy), but at the same time are as always extremely cautious (just like Mommy). Watching you on the play ground is interesting. You follow the other kids around and try to do exactly what they do, but when it comes to dare-devil stunts, you are calculated and precise in your movements. You take no risks, but manage to figure out how to do almost everything they do. You are a mimicker. You repeat everything your target says, and even mock their body language and gestures. Yesterday when we were outside talking to Mrs. S., you sat in the little chair next to her and held your hand up to your face to block the sun, just as she was, and you repeated everything she said word for word.

You like to mimic Mommy too sometimes. If we are going shopping you will often pick up a small bag and put a few toys and various items in it for the trip. This makes Daddy nervous because he thinks you think it is a purse, but honestly I think you just need a way to carry your belongings. You also love taking pictures and get very upset if I don't let you see the pictures I take on the camera screen.

You LOVE glasses. You've already broken a pair of Mommy's sunglasses, and wear my "good" ones frequently. Sometimes I think you really might need them, because you wear them so well and enjoy looking through the lenses. You are so cool in your shades, and when you wore them in the grocery store the other day, people came up to me and made comments more than they have in a long time. A little old lady stopped us in the parking lot to tell me how handsome you are and a single middle aged man even commented at your cuteness.

Another fascination right now is "shiny pennies". You carry them with you everywhere. I am thankful you don't have the same affection for quarters! If someone were to scan our back yard with a metal detector, they would most likely come away a few dollars richer. I find shiny pennies everywhere, and you bring them to me to see whenever you find one.

You are also so sweet about picking flowers for Mommy. Almost every day I receive a Dandelion or two from you. I have to smell them before you are satisfied and your pickings often decorate my workspace near the laptop. I love it when you bring me flowers. Don't ever stop doing that, ok? Oh, and also, for some reason I have become not just "Mommy", but rather "Mommy Mommy" and sometimes even "Mommy Mommy Mommy". It gets exhausting to hear you address me, but at the same time I love it.

As far as characters and shows go, I think we may be transitioning out of our Little Einsteins phase; you are watching other things like Cars and The Incredibles again. You even request your Baby Einstein DVDs every now and then. Mommy thanks you for the variety. You still love your Incredible shirts, and most of the clothing you choose to wear has Lightning McQueen, Nemo or Incredibles on it.

You are sleeping much better now. Most of the time you don't take naps, but that's ok with me as long as you sleep well at night. Our biggest struggle is keeping you dry, and often that leaking is what wakes you in the night and messes up our precious sleep. You almost always wake in a good mood; in the mornings you pad down the hallway to my room and crawl into bed for a nice cuddle to wake me up. I love waking up that way - you always smell so good and are so warm and soft. In your sweet little voice you will talk about nonsense things or ask me to get up, and it is the cutest thing ever. You still love to play with my hair, and I am grateful for those moments. I know they won't last much longer.

You absolutely love the dog. You love the cat too, but she is not a buddy like Tyler is. You greet her every morning and get excited about checking out the back yard first thing. You will wrap your little arms around her and say "Ty-wer, I wuv it." :) You will chase her around the back yard for hours. I think she loves you just as much, but hasn't quite figured it out yet. You still love to chase her around the house with your little toy lawn mower, and she will run into the kitchen and grab a mouth full of food and take off running every time. It's such a funny game you play. The cat adores you, and spends most of the day sleeping under your bed, but she doesn't really like how you pull her tail and try to lay on top of her. Hopefully soon you will figure out how cool she is if you treat her nice.

I think one of your favorite things to do is hang out with Daddy in the garage. You are fascinated with hammers and screwdrivers and flashlights. When Daddy is working on the motorcycle or the car or just piddling in the garage, you want to be right there under foot, working along side him.

Verbally, you are getting so much better. It is so funny to hear the things you say when they are your own thoughts, not just something you repeat. You are now starting to request things, instead of just stating what you want. "Mommy Mommy, pway twains? Mommy Mommy, walk dis way! Mommy Mommy Mommy, get up, walk dis way to my woom!" Oh my, you could not get any sweeter. You also sing songs, both real ones and made up songs, and you still love to dance. You are so smart and know all your numbers and colors and most of your letters. You have started pointing out letters to me in all kinds of places; making me so proud to be your mom.

Of course we do have our struggles, after all you are two, but overall I think you are a good natured, amazing little kid. I thank God every day for bringing you into my life and I love being your Mommy better than anything I've ever done. Every day I look forward to our experiences together. You have changed my life in more ways than I ever could have imagined. The reality is so much sweeter than the dream.

I love you,
Mommy

1 comment:

C. L. Fry said...

Wow, I can't get up for a few minutes for fear that the office will see my watery eyes... I think we need to print and frame this...