As Long as I’m Living, My Baby You’ll Be

Sooooo much life has been happenin’ round here these past few weeks, I honestly don’t know where or how to start with chronicling it all.  But, lest he get ANY older, I thought I’d pause in the midst of unpacking to comment on the birthday of my youngest.  

Because folks, sometime in the midst of packing, remodeling, moving, and unpacking… this little guy turned 2!! 

But, more than that, just like I feared, the little man grew up when we moved to the new house.  Not only does he not need baby gates, he can be on a completely different floor than I am, happily playing.  Or he can wonder around in the big back yard all by himself.  We didn’t put his crib back together, as he sleeps on a toddler bed now.   And while he is by NO MEANS potty training, he has gone on the potty a few times and even told me when his diaper is dirty. 

Which means, he is a full fledge toddler!!! 

And while he works very hard at keeping up with the big kids, he’s also developed some of his own likes and interests which are all his own. 

Such as choo-choo trains. 

When we moved to the new house, we brought out our oldest son’s old train table with the tracks and trains.  He is GIDDY about it!  He happily exclaims “choo choo twain” over an over and I do believe he thinks the table came with the house b/c whenever we give someone a tour of the home, he eagerly brings them to his table in the family room.    We showed him Thomas the train on Netflix and the loud squeals of delight each time he sees a choo choo train on the tv make all of us smile. 

And bugs.

He is totally into bugs these days.  Every time he sees an ant he’ll drop down on his belly study it for a few minutes, call out for us to come look, and then squish it.  He’ll pick up any and every bug he finds and eagerly bring it over to us.   Lately, I’ve been presented with quite an exciting group of squished invertebrates… spiders, lightning bugs, a wasp, ants, rolly pollys…

Oh, and let’s not forget dogs.

He loves dogs, the bigger, the louder, the better.  He screams out “dawg”  “dawg” over and over anytime we see one and loves to give them a huge bear hug and put his head down on their back to snuggle.  He knows no fear when it comes to dogs (which of course has this Momma totally freaked).  So the big German Shepherds behind the fields at his brothers baseball games, whose barks make all the older kids take a step back, they make him squeal with glee and I have to hold him back lest he run right over and stick his face out for them to lick.   He loves, LOVES,  doggie kisses on his face.

While none of my kids are what I’d call shy, he is by far my most extroverted child.  He will joyfully call out hi to whomever he sees when out and about.   He makes friends quite easily and has charmed his way into the hearts of several other gymnastics moms in the waiting room this past year.  He even has his favorites whom he’ll go over to and climb up on their laps. 

He has the most precious lip pout and “my world is totally ruined” face when we tell him he can’t have something he wants.  It is totally precious and I have to bite my lip and turn my head so I don’t laugh at his misery (and vain attempts at getting his own way).  I am still delightfully surprised and relieved that he’s not a strong willed child.  When I have to put my foot down and strap him in the seat at the grocery store or the dinner table and he puts on a huge tantrum, I still brace myself for a full fledge battle (as I endured with his older more strong willed sisters) and I have to laugh when after about a minute of screaming and crying, he stops and concedes. 

I love his little blond curls, his big blue eyes, and his smile that lights up a room.  I love that when I ask for a kiss he sticks his cheek right up to me for me to give him a kiss.  I love when he spontaneously tries to kiss me which means he grabs my face in his hands and licks me while making a puckering noise.  I love the way he asks for Daddy or his brother or sisters when they aren’t home.  Over and over… I love the way he sticks his fist up to us and says “boo-ya” when he wants to “pound it.”  He is 27 pounds of pure boy and he’s wrapped his little finger all the way around my heart.  I fear one of my biggest parenting challenges is going to be not spoiling him rotten and babying him forever. 

Happy Birthday Little Man!  I know you’re a full fledge toddler now, but don’t forget that  “I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living my baby you'll be.”