You are turning two tomorrow. It's amazing and hard to believe. I know every mama says this to each one of their babes. But it seems like 3 weeks ago you curled up and fit entirely in my arms with soft wrinkles and puckery lips and pudgy hands. Your hands are still pudgy and your lips are still puckery, but you are my big littlest boy and you definitely don't fit all in my arms anymore. You still like me to rock you to sleep, and you're pretty good at getting me to rock you for a while a couple times a week. Your legs hang over the arm chair and you try to fold them up so they fit, but they just don't.
You have so many words that you say all the time:
Doggie (it started as "goggy" and now you say the D most of the time)
Mama
Papa
Nenny (Danny)
No!!!
You nod yes emphatically.
Joo (juice)
Eat! (And you point at your mouth)
Baby (your bear blanky)
Pee-pee (you say this a lot)
Yuck!
Nummy!
Woah (phone)
A-woah (hello?)
Bye!
Ugg! (Hug - and you hold your hands open for one)
You make kissing noises when you want kisses
Mee-mee! (excuse me)
Hot!
Nigh-nigh! (Goodnight)
Bop! (Pop - for balloons)
Mow (more)
buu! (book)
buu! (book)
...and so many more! Sometimes I think you say entire paragraphs to us. We just don't understand all the words. Today you said a two-word sentence to me. You said, "Juu-pee!" (Juice, please!) A week or so ago, you said: "Where'd it go?" (except it sounded nothing like that, and I couldn't possibly imitate it if I tried. But it was abundantly clear what you were saying with your shrugged shoulders and hands up in the air. You can point to your eyes, ears, hair, cheeks, and teeth... And you LOVE to brush your teeth!!
We just took the baby gate off of the stairs going up to our rooms and you are content to stay where we are most of the time. You listen pretty well, except when you don't. And then it's either a tantrum on the floor or a squeal while you high-tail it to hide in a corner. You are an organizer and you like to put things in their place - or the place you like them to be, at least.
For your birthday, you got a play kitchen with dishes, pots and pans and a grocery shopping cart full of play food. I always wanted one of these when I was a little girl so it was so fun to give you! Every single day when we pick up Danny at preschool, you go straight to the play kitchen and pretend to microwave something. It's been so fun to watch you cook things, put them away, and tell us things are hot for the last two days.
Last week, you folded your hands to pray with us before meals and one day you even told us to pray when we had forgotten. This week you refuse and you push back from the table when we are praying. Sigh.... Who knows what it will be next week. You are two. You can climb up to the table by yourself, buckle yourself in, and pull yourself close to the table... Not that you do any of these things when I ask you to. But you have done this many times when you are hungry and impatient for a meal. You will eat just about anything in front of you. You love cereal and you rarely let me feed you anymore, although you do let me get the food on the spoon for you.
You LOVE animals. You know many animal sounds: cat, dog, horses, pigs, cows, and anything that growls, including dinosaurs. You adore books and when you see something soft in a book like a bunny, you hug the book and say "awww!" in a high pitched voice. You frequently bring me a book and say, "buu!" and sit in my lap for me to read it to you. You love baths and markers and especially your new bath crayons. You are friends with Brianna from Jazzercise and you give her hugs goodbye. Today while we looked at pictures from your birthday party, you pointed and said, "Nanna!" every time you saw a picture of her. ...even the back of her head in the corner of the picture!
You have the most dramatic facial expressions ever, and you are very emphatic in all that you do. You give us dirty looks that leave us in stitches. You command with the authority of the president and give us the most indignant looks when we don't do what you want. You are in a screaming phase right now. I'll be super glad when that's over and all of our eardrums will thank you. You are quiet in groups, but talkative when we are alone at home or in the car. You sing in the car and preach from your crib when it's bedtime.
You are strong willed, strong muscled (gosh, you can pick up and move the most amazing things - like a banquet sized folding table on its side) and determined. You are fearless and loud. Your name means, "Yahweh is gracious." You have a fire in you. You are so big and yet so small at the same time. I'm blessed to be called your mama. You're going to do great things one day.
But for now, I will hold your pudgy hand, kiss your puckery lips, and give thanks to our God. For truly, in giving you to me, He has been so very gracious.
All my love,
Mama