2 Years Old: A letter to my boy. (one day early!) in 2014

I can’t believe it’s been two years since I FIRST saw your face and felt your little body’s warmth on my chest. When I was pregnant, I remember wondering what your personality would be like and what kind of person you would be. I worried about bonding with you because I had no idea what it would mean to REALLY be a parent, and I didn’t know if I would be good at it. I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t want to have expectations anyway, because I knew that this was unchartered territory. I didn’t know what it would mean to have a person come into my life that was so profoundly your papa and I, but so much more than anything we could have ever imagined.

You’re TWO YEARS OLD. In some ways it’s gone by in the blink of an eye. But in other ways it’s been an awesomely paced journey that has allowed us to get to know you, to see you blossom and to see your whole personality take form. The last time I wrote you a letter like this I was so focused on your physical and mental milestones because you were still learning how to communicate, which meant that I didn’t really understand your personality, fully.

But I feel like I am really starting to know YOU – not my perception of you or my expectation of you – but who you really are and what excites you, motivates you and frustrates you. Your personality is quite amazing, really, and it’s awesome to see you staking your claim in the world. You’re a fully functional human being with opinions, preferences and ideas. I had no idea how much my mind could be blown ON A DAILY BASIS.

You currently discovered how much fun it can be to just RUN – without purpose or reason. Your laugh and your reaction running in circles is adorable. You’re currently obsessed with SO MANY THINGS. And not only are you obsessed, you are more than happy to express your obsession with ALL THE THINGS. Right now you love Paw Patrol (Chase, Rubble and Marshall) and you love singing along when you watch the show. You love singing and dancing in the car, and you have a great reaction to the Black Keys and Jack White. You love animals! Owls, frogs, sharks, snakes, turtles, giraffes, elephants, dogs, horses, dinosaurs!.. oh the list goes on and on. The zoo is an epic adventure full of all your favorite creatures coming to life so you can inspect them in person and it fills you with awe and delight. And things that move! You’re (weirdly) obsessed with motorcycles much to papa’s delight (and my dismay). You also love planes, trains, trucks and fire engines. Things that “go” are so exciting!

That reminds me – you’ve taken three trips to Minneapolis on planes, and you were fantastic. I forsee lots of travel happening in our future. Thanks for that – because we like to travel, and it’s better when you’re with us!

You like climbing, jumping, exploring (especially TUNNELS at the moment). You’re really enamored with legos and stacking blocks. You like puzzles, playing in water, riding on ‘bikes’ and throwing balls (and trying to catch them). You started being more adventurous with food lately, and there was a stretch of time where you would point to a plethora of things and announce ‘ME EAT!’ Your palett is still pretty set, but you’re willing to explore more often than you did even three months ago. You love ‘rice and ginger sauce’ from our favorite thai restaurant, you enjoy pizza (but mostly just the crust), our go-to snacks are still cheese crackers and applesauce, but you’re definitely expanding your consideration set to include more options.

You recently started referring to yourself using me, mine, and Ta-teen (your version of Joaquin). You understand the family unit and that there are “other mamas” and “other papas.” You understand the concept of taking turns, but we’re still working on getting you to actually allow others to have their turn first. You have manners! You add PLEASE to requests and THANK YOU when you’ve been granted that request. You playback “I love you” in the appropriate context and honestly, there’s nothing better than hearing those words in your little voice. Nothing better than that.

You’re very warm and loving as well. There are moments when only one person will do, and that’s OK, because if yesterday was a “papa” day, there’s usually a “mama” day in my future.

You start PRESCHOOL in less than a week. You’re going to be a “CHIPMUNK” and have a CIRICCULUM with Spanish, Art and Science modules. I don’t even know what to think about that. You’re starting to use the potty, and within a year, you will be fully out of diapers. Your new teacher is adorable, but we are sad to say good-bye to another wonderful primary caregiver who lovingly put together a collage of your time together as a ‘Bumblebee.’ We’re so happy that we found your ‘school,’ and we’re so happy that the people there have been so awesome to you.

Everywhere you go, you make an impression, and people genuinely want to be a part of your life and embrace your love in such a magical, wonderful way.

I’m so proud of all that you are becoming and I’m so excited to see where you will go. Thank you so much for choosing us to be your parents. Thank you for being our boy.

Last updated August 28, 2014