Twenty-three

Tadpole,

The last 4 weeks were monumental in your life. Specifically, you became a big brother as Sprout finally joined us a few weeks ago. Thus far, you are incredibly sweet around him although notably jealous as well.

You no longer demand that your sibling sleep outside, but you sure do wish he would get out of your way when trying to access my lap, etc. While a bit unsettled by your brother’s existence, you seem to have a natural understanding of your new role in life. You like to help change your brother’s diaper (even willingly throwing away stinky diapers!) and show great concern when he cries. You take great pride in introducing him to others and always double-check his car seat to confirm that he is fastened in safely. In general, you are exactly the brother we thought you would be – caring, compassionate, sweet, and proud.

Outside of this major shift within our family, you had a few personal milestones, too. You recently changed classrooms – no longer in the 1 year old class, but fully in the 2-3 year-old class. You seem sad about no longer being with Ms. S each day, but get along well with Ms. R just the same. Many of your friends are in your new class and thus we suspect you will adjust well. They even have big boy potties in there!!

You can now count to 10 with ease, sing the ABCs, and are a riot to be around. You love to read with your current favorites including The Pout Pout Fish and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. We discovered that your memory is freakishly accurate. You remember most people, even after meeting them only one time. You remember incidents and dialogue well, too. You love to be outside, sing, and ride in your blue car. Of course, you still think that Block watch is the bee’s knees and savor the attention of others. You are no longer impressed by bedtime and fight it more often than I would like. Your emotions are a bit wild at times as well as you work to establish your independence and push boundaries as much as possible.

While challenging at times, you remain the most wonderful spirit. Being your parent continues to be an honor. Daddy and I thank each other daily for bringing you into our lives and so look forward to watching you learn, play, and grow. As always, you are awesome.

Love,
Mama