It looks like cinnamon rolls and singing "Happy Half Birthday to You" before church.
It looks like seeing the world from about 36 inches tall and around twenty-"neight" pounds. It looks like size 2T clothing (sometimes smaller pants and sometimes bigger shirts), size 5 diapers, and size 8 or 9 shoes. It looks like an afternoon nap after a morning of adventure. It looks like eating (all the food groups now) and sleeping better than ever! It looks like being very interested in the potty, but just not there yet.
It looks like a little charmer. It sounds like "Guess how much I love you, Mama?" "How much, baby?" "A lot! A lot, Mama!" Two and half looks like smiling with nose crinkled and eyes squinted in the way that melts your heart (and he knows it too!). It sounds like drawing out the pronunciation of every girl's name in the most darling way: "I want my friend Liiii-ly to come to myyyy house", "I'm going to marry yooou, Maaaaa-ma!", and "I want to play with yooou, Saaaaa-rah" to our sweet librarian. It sounds like saying "hi" and "thank you" to a cashier at every store that we enter and being reminded that "I made her heart happy today." You are sweet upon sweet, little boy!
Two and a half looks like never forgetting anything and always remembering everything. It sounds like full conversations repeated back days later and reciting to us word-for-word instructions given days, weeks, or even months earlier (when we didn't know if he was even listening) about how to hit a baseball or why we never go in the street by ourselves. It looks like knowing all the boundaries, but sometimes still choosing to cross them. It looks like a strong will that I believe, steered carefully in the right direction, will serve him well one day. It sounds like tears, prayers, and "I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?" from both child and parent. It looks like us teaching him, but him teaching us too.
Two and a half sounds like an adamant "I want to do it by myself." It looks like using a stool (that he affectionately calls his "stage") to attempt to brush his own teeth, wash his own hands, and turn the lights on and off all by himself. It looks like helping Mama in the kitchen with cooking, unloading the dishwasher, and setting the table for dinner.
It looks like reservation that always warms up to friendly and sweet. It looks like a heart of compassion. It sounds like "That's so sweet!" or "That's so sad!" spoken with so much passion and conviction. It looks like tears streaming down a little face when he feels sad for others. It looks like parents searching for "little Nemo" way past bedtime because "he needs his Mama."
Two and a half sounds like "Dear God, Thank you our food food and family. Amen!" It looks like a "big boy" that's thankfully not too big yet for cuddling and rocking in his Mama's lap. It looks like running to the door with excitement to greet Daddy after work. It sounds like an unprompted "I love you." It looks like books piled high on the bed and snuggled under the covers between Mama and Daddy as we read "just one more story".
It looks like wide-eyed wonder and endless curiosity. It sounds like a constant chorus of "Why?" and "What's that?" It looks like inquisitive observations and hands-on learning. It sounds like "He sure is a fast bug!" It looks like magnifying glasses, bug catchers, and a pet roly poly. It looks like trains and trucks all over the floor, books about animals open on the couch, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playing like a soundtrack in the background of our daily living.
It sounds like being able to say just about anything now but choosing to answer Mama and Daddy like Curious George instead (I have lost count of the times we've said "Please talk like a big boy and not a monkey" lately. That's what two and a half sounds like in our world!) It looks like controlled chaos - it's daily blasting off on one wild and wonderful ride!
Two and a half sounds like a life that fills our home with joy and laughter. It looks like loving him more than words could express.
2 comments:
I LOVE THIS! Happy half birthday, James!
Very beautifully written (as always, Kassi!). You should write a book. Seriously.
Love to you and your precious family.
You are sweet, Julie! He enjoyed his half birthday. Thanks for inspiring us to celebrate half birthdays in our house. :) Love to you guys!
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