Letters to my kids

Dear Will,

Today you asked me, "Mommy, where did the snow go?" I answered, "The snow's gone, buddy. It went bye-bye." You replied, "It went hunting?"

You're missing your daddy a lot these days, huh.

Later this morning, I blew up a couple balloons for you to play with. I asked if you wanted boys or girls, and you said girls, so I drew a couple different girl faces on them. You came back to me a few minutes later, distressed, informing me that this one was mean. "She's MEAN!"

mean-eyed balloon

Your perception and creativity and language are just exploding. I know I say that all the time. It's the only way I can describe these amazing bursts of your growth. You played out in the garage by yourself this afternoon, running your tractor through your little sandbox as I unloaded the dishes. Bo sat in the driveway to keep you company. I heard you calling for me, and when I poked my head out the door you said, "Mommy, I want my green tractor." I said, "Okay, I'll get it - hey, is Bo still there?" You replied in perfect English, "Bo is not here. Can I have my tractor please?" Never mind that Bo WAS there - I was so amazed by the perfect clarity of your answer.

Right now you are being a total pill, waking up 45 minutes into your nap. GO TO SLEEP DUDE. There's a reason I delayed your sleep and it's because even though I love you boys tremendously, I need some alone time or I will become a very Terrible, No-Good, Evil, Awful Mother.

You have a heart-wrenching way of saying, "Mommy, play with me?"

You insist on asking your Daddy, "Daddy, how was your day?"

Every night, when I lay you to sleep, you inform me that Bob's trumpet is bad and that Travis got stuck in the muck.

You are still crazy for tractors.

You rode your tricycle down the driveway this morning yelling, "This is BIG FUN!"

You laugh when Barrett gets food on himself. This morning you said, "Barrett's got stew on the face."

You can't be summed up in the time I've got to blog, but I can assure you that two-and-a-half is WHERE it's AT. I love this age, and I LOVE you.

Dear Barrett,

Right now you are on my back in the carrier because of the aforementioned Premature Naptime Wakeup. I have to confess that I'm definitely disappointed. I look forward to naptime all day. Therefore I am STILL blogging, and you can chill out back there while I finish the other stuff I have to do.

You're almost nine months old and I can't believe it! You smell like garlic right now because of the aforementioned stew. It's so funny that the baby smells like garlic and no one else does.

You're growing quite a bit and I am so relieved! Your doctor's appointment is in a couple of days and I'm very curious to see how you're doing. I know you're healthy but it's nice to have that confirmed by another source.

You are really a tremendous source of joy to all of us. You always have a smile on your face and several loud words to speak at any moment. You love exploring but always find your way back to my feet, whining to be picked up. I'll hold you close while I can, little man. 

I still very much enjoy nursing you, though not two or three times a night. It was because of this that we recently reinstated sleep training, and in five days you are once again sleeping through the night with no ill effects to you OR me. (Ha!) Now William seems to be coming down with a cold, so I may not be enjoying uninterrupted rest if you get it too. I thank God for the health we've been enjoying for over a month now. It may be coming to an end!

Seeing you discover the world around you is charming. The most interesting things hold your attention for long stretches, and they're almost never toys. So many things you do make me remember Will at your age, and I am constantly reminded of how fast this all is flying by. Two and a half years is not a long time, but already I have held TWO tiny newborns and now I see a chunky crawling, cruising baby and a very grown-up little boy.

Barrett, you can't be summed up either, and it's not helping that you're squirming on my back, pressuring me to get to the housework. I love you so much.

I thank God for you two every day.

Love, Momma