2 Years Old

Dear John,

Today is the day that you turn 2 years old. Happy Birthday!



I'm really trying to come up with the right words to tell you how much I love you and how wonderful these past two years have been. The range of emotions you have brought forth in me is really amazing from unconditional love and adoration to despair and frustration, both patience and impatience, pride and embarrassment, being silly and fun to stern and strong and that's just the beginning. If someone had told me two years ago that I could love someone as much as I love you I wouldn't have thought it was possible. Because even at the worst times, when you are in a full thrown tantrum and everyone's looking while I'm sweating trying to keep it all together and not literally pull my hair out, even right then if you looked the least bit upset or in need of me it wouldn't take a moment for me to snuggle you and comfort you. Even then I love you totally and completely and that will never change John. You've taught me so much and I'm still learning every day. And I have found you can't truly enjoy the ups if you don't go through the downs every once in a while. Fortunately our worse days aren't really that bad at all, but our good days . . . well they really are great! They are fantastic, really something special, all 'cause of you!



There isn't anything in the world I wouldn't do for you, just to make you smile or to take away any type of pain or discomfort. My life, and your daddy's too, is happily centered around you and your needs. We wouldn't have it any other way. While things like nice clothes, cool cars, a big front and back yard or the newest gadget used to really get us excited . . . knowing that we've already started a college fund for you and that we had a special trip to Publix to just walk around while you get a cookie and balloon, that's what makes us happy now.  Spending time with you, watching you learn and explore, that's what we look forward to. Maybe sometimes we are a little tough and expect too much of you, but we know that it's all out of love, we just want the best for you. And we will always just want the best for you.



The ways in which you have grown over the past two years is remarkable. Yet, there are things that will always be the same. Not even five minutes old you already had your eyes open looking around wanting to take it all in. You have always been curious about your surroundings and you continue to be, but with much more concentration. You want to investigate and explore everywhere we go, it's as if you feel compelled to push beyond the limits and find what's behind every door. This goes for small things too, you want to take every toy apart "part peeeese" and see what makes it work. How do the wheels turn, what's between the pages of a book, how does it all fit together? Your mind is always working trying to understand the things that you play with. I really can see us a few years down the road, me standing next to a car engine completely disassembled saying "John, what HAVE you done?" and you looking right back and saying "I just wanted to take it a part to put it back together again, now I know how it all works." And I will always encourage you to do just what you want, so long as it's not too dangerous!



While I would like to think that I'm the most important person in your life, I do think that some days I come in a very close second to your Daddy. There is nothing that I love more than to watch the two of you together. While there might not be a lot of outwardly show of affection, I know that you both love each other very much. You always ask for Daddy first thing in the morning and last thing at night, when I pick you up from day care you always want to know if Daddy is with me and if he is not where he is. When the two of you play together there's always lots of running and hiding, yelling and laughing, rumbling and tumbling, but most of all you look so completely and totally happy. You look up to your Daddy, in more ways than one, for just about everything.



By the way, we're talking now, a lot. You are communicating more and more every day. It's amazing to me that just a few months ago you were saying one word here or there and sometimes just reverting back to baby babble. Now? Wow! You are making full sentences, expressing your wants, learning to be funny and asking questions. We go through the day answering the same question over and over and over, "Mommy, wasssat?" (what's that) "Daddy . . . wassat?" "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy . . . wassat?" "Wassat?" "Wassat?" "WAAAASSSSAAAATTTTT?" And we respond "John that's a tree" "A bird" "Yogurt" "Cheese" "Dog" "Flower" "Turtle" "John I'm not sure what you are pointing to . . . what's WHAT?"  Right now you want to know what everything is and I know what's around the corner . . . WHY? Oh boy, help us! Also, you like to point everything out and you haven't quite conquered your quiet voice so no matter where we are, if you see something you know you shout it out. "BIRD MAMA, BIRD DADDY, BIIIIRDDD!!!!!" "Yes, Johnathan, that definitely is a bird alright!" It's a fun way to go through the day.



Did I mention you are very funny? You love to laugh and you LOVE to make others laugh. You get that from both me and your daddy, we laugh our way through life and it's hasn't steered us wrong yet. Let's say you are in the tub and one of your squishy toys makes a tooting sound and we laugh about it, you will make that sound over and over and over until you can't even breath from laughing so hard and you remember from day to day so anytime you are in the tub you grab for that toy. And if I'm not paying close enough attention to you, you will yell my name and then laugh (almost like an evil, maniacal laugh) to get me to laugh with you. Kinda like, laugh Mama . . . or else. So I laugh and we have fun because I can't help but laugh and have fun with you! And I love to make you laugh, whether it's tickling you silly or jumping out to "scare" you or making funny noises or faces, I love your laugh and I love to hear it often. I really hope we never stop this fun game!









Let's talk real quick about your eating habits . . . what gives kid? We try every day to get you to eat chicken, steak, meatloaf (trust me it's good, promise), fish, hot dogs, any type of protein possible and you push it all away.  Thing is, you love it initially, the first time you try something you love it, eat it all up and ask for more. We think, yes!, we found it, John loves meatloaf, okay meatloaf it is! And then we proceed to make meatloaf for the next week and you won't even look at it much less let it near your mouth. It's a good thing you love yogurt and cheese so much or else I'm not sure you would eat too much! Every morning you have pancakes and milk and you really like the routine. Lunch is usually a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some type of chips and you eat it all up. Then dinner is tough, we try to give you what we eat, but you really don't like it at all, so we go back to "the usual" of yogurt and cheese. Can we try and work on this please?



Also, very back at the beginning of this letter, I want to explain something, I said you both made me proud and embarrassed. Let me clarify the embarrassment part, because I would never ever be embarrassed to call you my son not in a million years, not ever. However, there are sometimes that your actions make my cheeks turn a funny shade of red. I think it's what some people refer to as the "terrible two's".  Like, how come you only freak out and scream when we are around a group of people? Why can't you just do that at home with Mommy and Daddy? How come you only act like an angel, a halo and wings sprout from your body, when we are at home alone? Or let's say that I sing your praises, "Oh Johnathan USED to say 'mine, mine, mine' but Jeff and I taught him to stop saying that", followed up almost immediately by you screaming "MINE!!!!" and maybe even hitting one of the other kids you are playing with. I want you to know that you are almost always such a great kid, but I think it's karma and all of the times your dad and I tested OUR parents patience coming back to haunt us through you. It keeps us humble and makes us realize that you are your own person, ready to prove us all wrong at the drop of the hat. And for that, you make me VERY proud.

It all comes down to this . . . I could write it a million different ways, with hundreds of examples and thousands of stories . . . I love you. I've loved every minute of your life, even the ones that were tough to get through, looking back they were what makes life interesting. These past two years have been better than any other two years I can think of and the best part? We've got lots of years ahead of us to make more memories and have more fun. I feel like we've finally made it to the best part, but the truth is there is no best part, it's all the best. Being a parent and having you as my son is the best, every day seems better than the day before and because of that I can't help but get excited for what's to come. You really are amazing and coming from a completely unbiased place, ha!, I really think you are going to do something special with your life. I'm only so lucky to be on the sidelines cheering you on. 

Happy 2nd Birthday John! 

Love forever and always, 

Mommy