Words almost fail me...tears do not. My baby is TWO! My. baby. is. two. Wow. Technically, he's not my "baby" anymore at all, but as all moms know, he will ALWAYS be my baby. Even when a new baby eventually comes along, Dresden will still be my baby. It's really just like that book says.
The past two years have been some of the hardest times of my entire life, but they have, hands-down, been the absolute best times as well, because Dresden has been here for all of them. And as much as it pains me that he's growing up, I also love what "almost 2" has brought with it, and cannot wait to see what "2" has in store. When he was a week old, I could snuggle him 24 hours a day, and watch movies while he slept, but I could not hear him say things like "Stegosaurus Rex" and "Hippoponamus" like he did just tonight. I could dress him up in cute tiny baby onesies and rompers and not have him kick and scream and arch his back to put a sock on his foot, but I could not hear him say, all on his own "I love you Mama, you my favorite", like I did today or the day before. I could feed him without his being picky or refusing to eat, but I could not hear him say "Good cook, Mama!" like he did last week after he nearly devoured an entire dinner quiche I made (rare, so it's like magic when it happens!). All that to say, I wouldn't trade this "growing up" for anything in the world.
In his two years, Dresden has grown into a cautious, observant, melodramatic, intelligent, rambunctious, wild, hilarious boy. At two, Dresden is not very good at sitting still, story time is a struggle most nights unless you are reading one of his very favorites (current faves: Babar's Color Book, Baby Bear Baby Bear What Do You See?, Are You My Mother?, and sometimes Llama Llama Red Pajama, from which he can recite several words of each page), he has a propensity toward hitting, and struggles with his own agenda versus being obedient. He almost always has a mischievous gleam in his eye, especially when he knows he's doing something you just told him not to do (often!), but what impish wood sprite would not have such a gleam? (I still call him Puck, just like when he was a baby, because now he not only looks like a wood sprite, he's good at getting into trouble, too). On the positively flipped side of the coin, however, at two, Dresden is excellent at repeating any word or phrase you ask him to say, which is why he can now identify pictures and movies of animals like the platypus and rhinoceros, and dinosaurs like the stegosaurus, tyrannosaurus, allosaurus, and triceratops (he LOVES dinosaurs). He still loves to go through a laundry list of all the vicious animals in the world that will bite you, unprovoked, like elephants, butterflies, prairie dogs, and whales. Sometimes he is discriminating and says "Butterflies nice, though!" and reserves the "bite you" category for the crocodiles, sharks, and waps (wasps), to name a few. He is very empathic, and when he sees me cry or that I am sad, he almost always volunteers a hug and a sweet pat on the back with his head on my shoulder. Those are the wonderful moments. He can count to 11 or 12 on a good day, and has started responding to Steve and Joe on Blue's Clues when they ask him questions. He can also sing, when he feels like it, and melted my heart the other night when he helped me sing "Jesus Loves Me". As for music in general, he's still very particular about what he wants to listen to, and usually only lets you play one specific song over and over again depending on what catches his liking during that car ride. Today, it was a Breaking Benjamin song. So proud!
He's still a teeny tiny thing, and let's face it, probably always will be. He tipped the scale at a whopping 25.5 pounds the other day, but that could very well have been because he had a full diaper. We will see what the pediatrician says regarding his weight/percentiles when we go for his check up on June 20th, but I've just kind of resigned myself to him being small/skinny. What he lacks in stature, he makes up for in personality.
Every night when I tuck him in I say "Mama thanks God for you," and it's true, I do. I am so incredibly thankful and grateful, even on the days when I feel like getting in my car and driving away and checking into a motel for a week, a la one of the scenes from "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood", I am soooooo glad Dresden Grey is my son. I can't wait to see the boy he continues to become. Happy Birthday, to my amazing Little Man!
Love,
Cassie
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