Twenty-four

Tadpole,

Last week, you turned two years old! Two...yet you like to tell people that you are actually five. I am not quite ready for that.

A few months ago, you discovered birthday parties and requested that we have one for you. You thought it would be nice to have a dinosaur-motorcycle-train party. Alas, you did not quite get that. You did, however, have a lovely gathering at the local community center where family gathered to celebrate you. You soaked up the attention and were in awe of the gifts you received and the fact that you got to eat a cupcake. You must of stared at the thing for a full 15 seconds before trying to taste it!

Over the past several weeks, you have continued to adjust well. You seem to like your new classroom at school and adore your new teachers. Both of your teachers are very into music. Thus, circle time is even more exciting than it once was (Ms. J. even brings her guitar!). Last week, you learned about bugs. This week, you will focus on dinosaurs. Your next lesson is to be focused on transportation. You seem to be enthusiastic regarding it all. Daddy and I adore listening to you describe that which you have learned and are amazed when you apply the information to the real world. Your semantic knowledge seems to be growing at an alarming rate. You speak in full sentences very clearly, are able to follow directions (if so inclined at that moment), and express your feelings and desires well. You sing the ABCs perfectly, can identify your colors, and count to ten pretty well. You know many of your shapes, and are proficient at describing things (loud, upside down, funny, etc.).

It seems that the terrible twos are in full swing -- to a degree. You often get so tired from school and playing that you simply do not have the energy to express yourself the way you would like. At those moments, you lie on the floor and sometimes you will even cry. We tend to redirect you and request that you use your words. In such instances, you typically recover fairly quickly. We have also discovered that you are like your Mama in that you NEED food. If your blood sugar gets too low, you get 'hangry'. Thus, Daddy, in all his wisdom, tends to give us both snacks on fairly regular intervals. That way, we stay well-regulated and relatively happy.

Speaking of Daddy: He spend a majority of the past few weeks home with us as we adjust to having your brother around. You and he worked diligently on building a shed. It looks great! I'm hopeful that the inside will be finished in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, I have been a bit less productive. I spend a couple of nights in the ER last week due to a silly leg infection. It was scary. Not only did it hurt, but it really inhibited my ability to walk. I was incredibly thankful for good medical coverage and your Daddy's willingness to do all that must be done around our house when I could not.

You seem to be adjusting well to your new role as a big brother. You are resigned to the fact that the baby will stay at our house and seem more interested in making this a pleasurable experience for him. You do not like it when the baby cries and will often run up to him to let him know that he'll be okay or to see if he needs a nuk. You request to kiss him at night and before you go to school. You also inquire as to whether or not he gets enough to eat. While it is clear at times that you do not care for the fact that we cannot hold you as often as we used to or respond to your requests as quickly as we once did, you do seem to be okay with having a baby brother. You take pride in introducing him to others and even try to share your toys with the baby on occasion. Daddy and I are not particularly surprised regarding how well you're doing, as you are an incredibly gentle soul. Having a sibling simply allows you the opportunity to show this off a bit more explicitly.

Daddy and I are so impressed and proud of the little boy you've become thus far. While we both want to enjoy this time in your development, we are both eager to see who you will eventually become as well. We hope that we can continue to provide you and your brother will all that you and your brother want and deserve. You are both amazing. We are so honored to be your parents and love you so much.

Love,
Mama