Two and a Half

Dear Jackson,
I was just lying here on the couch, experiencing some minor heartburn at the hand of your little brother or sister, and I was overcome by how much I love you. My sweet little man, 36 inches tall, 30-something pounds, outgrowing his size nine shoes, sleeping upstairs in his crib - a crib you are definitely getting too big for. We haven't bought your new furniture for your big boy room yet, but we plan to do that very soon. You are so big now that your nursery just doesn't feel like "you" anymore. That sounds sad, but I'm having so much fun with you right now that I can only be happy about this stage of your life and what is to come.

You are a happy child (assuming you're not bored) and I think you are especially happy being two and a half. You are very strong and are coordinated enough to do all kinds of physical things. Yesterday I pulled out a ton of toys that you never play with to get ready for some friends (Allie's twins) coming over for a playdate. While I cleaned the house you played with every single thing I pulled out. You were very preoccupied but, oh my word, the whining and crying amazed me. I came to the conclusion that you just really don't like toys all that much. We couldn't even give you toys until you were 6 months old because you would get mad at them and have a complete meltdown within 60 seconds. (Somebody out there will back me up on this.) I'm just now seeing that you haven't changed much in that area. You love cars and balls, but things never seem to do what you want them to do. I think you are much happier running, playing in water, kicking balls, throwing rocks, and digging in sand. Your teachers always tell me how much fun you had on the playground running or getting dirty. It's just your thing.

You make Daddy and I laugh constantly with the things you say. These are some of my favorite things you say:
-"Bless you, Mommy!" (I sneeze a lot.)
-"Right there! Right there!" (Sounds like "Right dewre!")
-"I found it!" (You say this when you see something that interests you, perhaps on the side of the freeway, or when you find something you've never seen before but you like.)
-"I won!" (You say this when you tee tee.)
-"Look mommy! A plane! (A choo choo! A race car! A helicopter! A police car! A fire truck! A tractor!)
-"I don't like it." (You say this when you're done with something, even if you really like it.)
-"More grapes please." (Grapes sounds like "geeps." I love it so much.)
-"I want cersh." (Cersh is your nickname for cereal.)
-"Mommy, I want somepun." ("Somepun" means you want me to show you a video of monster trucks on You Tube.)
-Just now, in my hearing, your daddy gave you a blueberry muffin and you said, "Boobies! Boobies!" (Meaning "blueberries," which is a word you just learned this morning. We are cracking up.)

Every week your Bibby and Pappaw keep you one evening so Daddy and I can go on a date. Your dad and I never fail to spend a good amount of that time laughing about your antics and mimicking the things you say. God knew we loved to laugh together and He was so sweet to give us a thoroughly entertaining child.

I don't know if my words have conveyed even a tenth of what I was feeling when I started typing, so I'll end by simply saying that I love you so much. I never imagined that God would entrust such a special little person to my care. What a privilege it is to be your mommy.