Happy Golden Birthday to my beautiful, tender-hearted, hilarious, innocent, life-giving, joyful boy Jack.
2 years old on 2.2.22. How cool is that?! As I type this, I can see in my “drafts” folder a story called “02.02.20”… That would be your birth story that I have yet to finish (I still plan to! It was the best day of my life, and I still remember every detail.). It’s been a busy couple of years, but while it’s fresh in my mind, I wanted to try to capture a glimpse of you at two years old with words. You are a true “dream baby” as I often say to you. This might be a little choppy- I just wanted to get it all down while I had a few minutes (your Dad is playing with you down in the basement… I hear a lot of giggling coming from down there…)
Your love of leaf-blowers (and backpack blowers!) has recently faded. I don’t know if it’s because it’s winter time, and we aren’t seeing any outside, or just because you’re growing up and moving on. Right now you’re pretty passionate about anything food related- baking, cooking, and of course eating, or pretending to do all of the above with your toys. Usually after eating breakfast you head straight to the living room to make “lunch.” Sometimes when we’re reading a book you like to skip straight to the “food page” or “apple page” if you know there are pictures of food on it. Let’s just say the grand butterfly finale in “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” is not your favorite part! Whenever me or your Dad are eating something, even if you’ve just eaten, you say, “Share it.” I used to be able to prepare your dinners in the kitchen myself while Dad played with you, but that’s getting harder. When you sense it’s time to start making dinner, you push your new learning tower over to help or watch. Yes, it’s slower and messier, but I actually love it most of the time. You’re getting pretty good at cracking eggs! You still love butternut squash, but I think your new favorite food is spaghetti.
In the mornings, after talking to yourself in your crib for a while, you suddenly remember your favorite part of waking up, and you start to call for me, “Mama toooooassssst!!!!” or more recently, “Boo-berry waffle! Mama, boo-berry waffle!” or even “Want strawberries!” Sometimes you’ve gotten yourself pretty worked up over the thought of breakfast, and I come in and say right away, “Hi honey, okay! I’ll feed you, don’t worry.” And you softly wimper and confirm, “Okay. Feed you. Okay.” (Most of the time we get busy reading and playing in your room or looking out the window that you kind of forget about breakfast for a little while after all that!)
I love the tender way you say “Uh-Oh Daisies” when you’ve dropped something. You’ve mixed up “Oopsie Daisies” and “Uh-Oh Spaghetti-O,” and it’s so innocent and sweet.
I love the fact that when you’ve worked so hard at building something with your blocks and it breaks or topples over, you are unruffled. You simply move on to something else or rebuild. I learn so much about the way I want to be just by observing you.
You’ve been using the word “sorry,” but at the complete wrong times. For example, when you bring me a plate of food that you’ve “made,” you gently say “sorry,” as you hand it over. You also sometimes say, “Thank you!” on behalf of me too. It’s so cute.
The other day I had a “messy bun” in (pretty normal for me lately), and it slipped to the side of my head by my ear. I continued to play, but you looked at me with an uncomfortable face and said, “Hair… messy… cwean it up!”
We still rock you to sleep. The hardest part is standing up from the rocker (I really have to engage my core!) while holding your growing twenty-eight pound body and gently transferring you low into your crib without waking you, but I hope to do it as long as possible. (I’m suddenly imagining myself heaving as I move you to your bed when you’re 20…haha! Don’t put it past me!) Lately we’ve been starting out with a prayer, and it’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. You tell me who to pray for, and your loving heart just shines and makes mine explode into pieces. Sometimes when we’re rocking, and you’ve been silent for a while, and I think you are almost asleep, you abruptly shout out some random thought from the day in full voice, such as, “DINNAH! NO MUSHROOMS!” It startles me, but I answer quietly, “You’re right. We didn’t have mushrooms at dinner tonight.”
“NO BROCKI TOO!” [No broccoli either] you say. Oh Jack, I love the way your brain works and that I can now know the thoughts you think. (I could only guess a year ago!)
Other things you have said in these quiet moments are, “Daddy! Boo [blue] shirt on!”
“Yep, Daddy did put a blue shirt on after his shower tonight,” I confirm.
“Match Mommy!” You excitedly say.
We usually know you’re definitely asleep when you let out one giant exhale as you drift off into dreamland.
The other night, I was really struggling to get you to sleep. You were just not tired. I had sung countless songs and told you so many stories (actual stories like Grover Sleeps Over, but also made up scenarios about what your grandparents were doing at the moment and what Blue did at the farm that day), and I was growing tired. Suddenly, you patted my cheek and said, “Nice face, Mom!” Ohhhh Jack! You are such a gem! That really gave me a chuckle when I was so ready to climb into bed myself. I don’t know how you come up with these things.
Even though I try hard to teach you that all feelings are good, you still just want everyone to be happy. While reading a story, if the main character is sad or crying, you insist, “No, him happy!”
You’ve been saying “hold you” when you want to be carried or held. I don’t think I will ever turn that request down.
The way you say, “All done!” so sweetly and confidently when we are definitely not all done but you want to be (like in the middle of washing your hair or changing your diaper) is so endearing… which leads me to the sweet way you’ve been requesting for us to “Change dapper!” I guess they say this means potty training is near (when you recognize that you need changed), but I have to say, I’m in no rush- I don’t really mind changing your diaper. We have some of our best laughs and chats during this time.
Just a couple of weeks ago you started talking to clerks as we leave a store. You’ll have been staring them down the whole checkout, and they’ll acknowledge you or say hello, but then you’ll randomly work up the courage to say, “Buh-bye!” in your sweet little high-pitched voice as we exit. It know it adds some sparkle to their day.
You call the piano and xylophone a “do do” because of the sound they make as you play them. You love to play Noni’s big piano at her house with her, and you request that I play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or “Mary Had A Little Lamb” on your baby piano sometimes.
Lately, you’re really into this Truckery Rhymes book that was handed down from Owen and Eli. You sit in my lap and listen to every single nursery rhyme, and you’ve been really complimenting me after I finish each one.
“Nice singin’, Mom!” you say, while patting my hand. It cracks me up. You also recently said to Dad, “Nice cookin’, Dad!” when you were watching him make Sloppy Joes for dinner.
Anytime you spot anything pink, you get SO excited to show me. “Mommy’s favorite!” you exclaim.
When you’re eating and you request a little more of something, you say, “Ittle bit tiny more” instead of “Tiny little bit more.”
You know an insane amount of words- we can’t even begin to count, but there are a couple you don’t know, like the word, “off.” Instead, you use the word “open.” When you wanted me to take my mask off the other day in a store, you said, “Mask open,” and when you want your lid off of your milk sippy cup, you say, “Door open.” ) I guess you haven’t figured out how to say “lid” yet either. All of these tender little ways of communicating just melt my heart.
You love talking about your family and what each person is doing at each moment, and you are completely obsessed with your cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
When I close my eyes and think of you at two years old, I see you in your soft, baby blue, Burts Bees footie pajamas in the morning- running around your room or sitting in my lap with all ten of your “bobbies” (pacifiers) reading a book. You are so warm and snuggly.
You love watching the neighbors out the window and talking about what’s going on in our little neighborhood. If there is work being done outside- then we hit the jackpot, and we usually go investigate. I love to watch you study people in general. There have been times when we’ve gone to the park, and you barely “played”- you just stood and watched the other kids interacting with each other and their parents. Only once did we get a remark from another mom about you staring. You just keep being curious, Jack. I’ll worry about the grumpy strangers. :)
Every night after your snack (usually cinnamon toast with milk), you and Daddy go try to find the moon while I get the bath water ready. Sometimes you gallop back into the kitchen, giddy to report that you did in fact find it!
“MOON!” you shout with satisfaction. You also like to look for the moon during the daytime, and we have found it plenty of times during the day too! It always feels like we won the lottery- another thing I didn’t really think all that much about before I had you. I literally used to see Mickey Mouse everyday at work, but now I get a huge thrill out of seeing the moon (even a little crescent!), a giant excavator we passed while driving (I didn’t even know that word two years ago), or squirrels we watched chasing each other on our walk. Everything is just more fun now that you’re here. Life is more colorful.
You are getting really into making matches. You pair up your pacifiers that are the same, crayons that are the same color, and really anything you can make a match out of. “Mommy, match!” you say, happily.
When we are sitting silently playing, and you hear something, even if it’s the tiniest little sound outside, or a pipe rattling a little in our house, you always look at me, smile, and report, “No-ise,” smile, and get back to work.
Lately you’ve been saying, “Okey, dokey, Pokey!” I didn’t even realize I was saying this, but I know you heard it from me, because my Aunt Jane used to say it to us.
You refer to yourself in the third person still. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say “I” yet. It’s always “Jack is thirsty” “Jack feeling tired” “Jack sit here” “Jack do it”. I’m sure that’s normal for a two year old, but I wanted to write it down, because these things change so quickly.
When we say, “do you know how much I love you?” You respond confidently, “ISSS MUCH!” while opening up your arms wide.
I love that when you get a “boo boo” you request a kiss. “Mommy, bump head! Mommy, kiss it!” Sometimes, you want to go straight to Daddy to kiss it. He is always happy to oblige too.
I love your little dimpled hands, your chunky legs, your belly- actually your whole body. I even say it as I get you dressed, “Your little BODY!” I squeal, and you love it. You’re such a little person, and I love watching you toddle around the house. I love your thick golden hair and the way it feels when I comb it with my hands. Your spaced out teeth, your button nose, your eyes that match mine… all of you. From your head down to your little special toe the rests juuust above the rest of them and doesn’t fall exactly into line with the other little piggies.
Sometimes your Dad and I get sad when we look back on photos of you when you were a baby, but in reality, it really does just keep getting better. You keep getting funnier, smarter, and you’re just a pleasure to be around. The best is when you make a running start and jump into our arms. You couldn’t do that when you were tiny, and it’s pretty unbelievable.
We basically stayed at home for the first year of your life, and I’ve only just now started to really take you places on my own. Since Dad works at home, and you can’t help but barge into his office a lot (some days more than others), sometimes we need to leave to let him get a little work done (also, because we like getting out now, and I am finally confident enough with my Mom skills to do so). Over the summer and fall, we almost always went to the park and ate our lunch there on a blanket, but now that it’s winter, we’ve gotten a little more creative. We go on Starbucks dates (you get milk, I get a tea, and we bring our breakfast), Barnes and Noble, Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Community Center, or even actual errands I need to go on- like the UPS Store, the grocery store, or the mall. You even come along to places I don’t actually need to go, but want to- like Home Goods and Target. Jack, I have to say these trips have honestly been some of the best times of my life. You are a pleasure to bring along. I love my little sidekick so much. I love our talks as we go from place to place, and I hope you’ll always want to go places with me. Sometimes when we’re out, and I’m trying to find a place to change your diaper or figure out a place I can stop to feed you what I brought in our lunchbox, I suddenly realize how much you rely on me. It sounds silly- I mean, of course you do- you’re two. But…I don’t know, I just feel so honored that I am the one that gets to take care of you and give you the things you need. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. Times a million. I know your Dad feels the same way. In fact, he recently told me that you’ve way beyond exceeded his expectations of what you’d be like.
Happy 2nd Birthday to our Baby Bear. We are gonna deck the house in gold (you only get ONE golden birthday, right?!) and celebrate you with all of your favorite people soon.
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I’ve been really listening to you talk the last few weeks and writing down the exact way you say things right now:
brekist = breakfast
ias = cereal
breena = banana
soom = spoon
seat pull table = sweet potato
fank you = thank you
two tilla = tortilla
afint = elephant
Ikes = Alyx
Ewi = Eli
Do = Drew
Ook = Luke
ah oh = yellow
scoo-dragger = screwdriver
burser game = basketball game
war-um = warm
SPAG-etti = spaghetti (technically you say it right, but you really enunciate the SPAG)
We love you, you little smushface.
