Baby Lo is 3. As Always this calls for a Montage
Dear Baby Lo,
You are three.
*deep breath*
First of all, I would like to gently chide you for growing up so quickly. Where your brother lingered in his sweet baby-ness well into his fours and fives, you turned two and charged ahead into the sweaty boy yonder without a glance back. I miss your baby snuggles and your chubby thighs and sweet baby smell, but oh how I love the delightful, nutty, fearless, joyful, fierce little manchild you are now.
Let me tell you a few things about the year between the time you turned two and today, the third anniversary of your birth, Lo.
1. You were a master of pretend. You acted out full scenes from How to Train Your Dragon (the near stabbing of Toothless was your favorite, you violent little thing), you were a dinosaur, a unicorn, a tiger, a ninja, a bad guy, Thor, the wicked witch of the west, and a kitten in the mornings when you were sleepy and rolling from your bed. You were often in costume. Because you wanted to be. You really like to get what you want. We all try to appease you whenever we can. When that comes to costumes, that's easy, because you know we love them as much as you do.
2. You were fearless. You climbed, you roller skated, you ice skated, you learned to rule the road in your tricycle and demanded a two-wheeler. You ran faster than the wind, you grew out your hair and were fully committed to being The Boy With Hair (the male version of Rapunzel) for several months. You sang and danced and rolled on the grass and the ground and in the mud. You were often dirty. I gave up on keeping anything you own stain-free. You helped me relax about a lot of things. You are a good teacher, the no mercy kind that I prefer.
3. You were full of joy and pain. You laughed. Oh, how you laughed. You laugh like a maniac. You laugh with no shame. You are loud and wild and your giggles are the definition of infectious. You also cried and hit and kicked and ran away from your parents. You figured out the lock on the door and were halfway to the street by the time we caught you. You refuse to ride in buggies at the store and you do your best to lose whoever is tracking you in the aisles. You don't understand separation anxiety. I think perhaps you have the opposite... Connection anxiety? You are your own man. You must forge your own path, and heaven help anyone standing in your way.
All in all, you remind me too much of myself, my boy. It makes me worry for you sometimes. It makes me giddy at others. I feel so lucky to be your mama. We are going to have so much fun together. I just know it. I promise I will evolve as you do. I will give you as much freedom as I possibly can. And maybe you will grant me a little mercy. Just a little...
Much love to you on your birthday, Lo. You are my precious, magical boy and I feel lucky to have your free-spirit on loan for the guiding. At least for a few more years.
And now I give you, the annual montage, music courtesy of IZ (We're having a Wizard of Oz birthday party so it seemed appropriate.)
You are three.
*deep breath*
First of all, I would like to gently chide you for growing up so quickly. Where your brother lingered in his sweet baby-ness well into his fours and fives, you turned two and charged ahead into the sweaty boy yonder without a glance back. I miss your baby snuggles and your chubby thighs and sweet baby smell, but oh how I love the delightful, nutty, fearless, joyful, fierce little manchild you are now.
Let me tell you a few things about the year between the time you turned two and today, the third anniversary of your birth, Lo.
1. You were a master of pretend. You acted out full scenes from How to Train Your Dragon (the near stabbing of Toothless was your favorite, you violent little thing), you were a dinosaur, a unicorn, a tiger, a ninja, a bad guy, Thor, the wicked witch of the west, and a kitten in the mornings when you were sleepy and rolling from your bed. You were often in costume. Because you wanted to be. You really like to get what you want. We all try to appease you whenever we can. When that comes to costumes, that's easy, because you know we love them as much as you do.
2. You were fearless. You climbed, you roller skated, you ice skated, you learned to rule the road in your tricycle and demanded a two-wheeler. You ran faster than the wind, you grew out your hair and were fully committed to being The Boy With Hair (the male version of Rapunzel) for several months. You sang and danced and rolled on the grass and the ground and in the mud. You were often dirty. I gave up on keeping anything you own stain-free. You helped me relax about a lot of things. You are a good teacher, the no mercy kind that I prefer.
3. You were full of joy and pain. You laughed. Oh, how you laughed. You laugh like a maniac. You laugh with no shame. You are loud and wild and your giggles are the definition of infectious. You also cried and hit and kicked and ran away from your parents. You figured out the lock on the door and were halfway to the street by the time we caught you. You refuse to ride in buggies at the store and you do your best to lose whoever is tracking you in the aisles. You don't understand separation anxiety. I think perhaps you have the opposite... Connection anxiety? You are your own man. You must forge your own path, and heaven help anyone standing in your way.
All in all, you remind me too much of myself, my boy. It makes me worry for you sometimes. It makes me giddy at others. I feel so lucky to be your mama. We are going to have so much fun together. I just know it. I promise I will evolve as you do. I will give you as much freedom as I possibly can. And maybe you will grant me a little mercy. Just a little...
Much love to you on your birthday, Lo. You are my precious, magical boy and I feel lucky to have your free-spirit on loan for the guiding. At least for a few more years.
And now I give you, the annual montage, music courtesy of IZ (We're having a Wizard of Oz birthday party so it seemed appropriate.)
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