Dearest Miles,
You are my SONshine, my only SONshine, you make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my SONshine away.
I sing this to you daily, and I can’t help but feel the lyrics with every fiber of my being, with you being both my son and my sunshine.
Today you are TWO.
Two! That means I am inching farther from a baby Miles and closer to the kid version. It pains my heart to watch you grow, though I can’t help but cheer for each new passing stage, too. This parenting thing sure creates a lot of conflicting feelings.
Many people have told me boys affect their mamas in a unique way. I can honestly say I believe it. I have this overwhelming urge to protect you, but also this desire to mold you into a perfect little gentleman. Only time will tell how well I do, but I like to think I am doing an OK job. You are such a polite little toddler!
If there’s one word that describes you, it’s charm, and with that, you’ve brought our family infinite amounts of joy. Some days I can’t help but grab your face and kiss you and tell you how much I love you. What makes me leaky is when you repeat how much you love me back and wrap your arms around my neck and hug me so deliberately. Are you trying to wrap me around your finger? Because it’s working, little buddy.
You absolutely ADORE your friends and sisters and do anything to keep them doting on you. You’ve even won over Karina, which says a lot since she doesn’t always find your shenanigans very comical. You win everyone over pretty quickly with your hilarious personality.
This year has brought a ton of growth. First of all, I guess you’re tall for your age because people comment on it daily {calculations show you likely will be around 6′}. Second, your language has exploded. You talk from sun-up to sun-down. You demand food the moment I get you out of your crib, saying things like “toast sticks” and “awfuls” for waffles.
We laugh, too, because once you have an idea in your brain, it sticks until you get your way. I literally counted you saying “I want to go outside” 50 times one day as I attempted to clean the house. Other notable phrases you are obsessed with include “car ride,” “boat ride” and “quad ride” — you love everything that moves and go especially crazy for trucks of all shapes and sizes. The garbage man is one of your heroes and you go nuts when he drives by. Occasionally he’ll wave and completely make your day.
I think you loved your birthday present from us and the grandparents!
But then there’s the mischief. My apologies — I have sworn in front of you more than I ever did the girls. {Please don’t repeat those words!} You just love to make me crazy when I’m not looking. You love saying “I help,” and manage to destroy various things that cross your path. Your saving grace is that your intentions are pure and when you flash those little dimples I pause and remember you’re only two.
Thankfully, tucking you in at night is a great way to forgive you. You love being on a schedule and know it’s time for bed when 7:30 p.m. rolls around. Our routine is to read three books and sing two songs, but you almost always convince me to do an encore. I sing you your favorite, a German lullaby, and your body folds into an L across my lap, your adorable toes touching my kneecaps, reminding me I won’t be able to hold you like that much longer. As I leave your room, I always say “love you, sleep tight” and you reply “wuv ouu, mama” and I melt into a little puddle in the hallway.
You’re getting to be a handful, but I wouldn’t change it for the world…As my third child, I am letting you get away with far too much, but I know that time is fleeting and this stage won’t last forever. All the pieces of you — the naughty, the hilarious, and the sweet parts…I’ll hang on to until you drift further away from me and mold into your own person.
Daddy and I love you and look forward to your continued growth in the year ahead. Thanks for being our comic relief when times are tense. There’s no doubt you were meant to be a part of our family, and we are thrilled to celebrate two beautiful years with you today.
Love you to the moon and back times infinity.
Kisses,
Mama
Reflecting back:
My baby, Leah, just turned 6 today. I hear you mama, I hear you.
Aww <3 Sending hugs, Charity 😉 Happy birthday, Leah!