Happy Birthday, Sawyer

Happy Birthday to my little firecracker!  I should have known by the fact that you gave me little to no notice of your arrival that you were going to do things your way.  You started out determined (hard-headed) and you've never changed.  With your determination comes a lot of bumps, bruises, and tears, but that has yet to deter you from picking yourself up and trying it all over again.  Fall of the kitchen stool?  Climb up and do it again!  Bust your lip running through the house?  Wipe it off and take off again.  Nothing stops you!

You are learning so much each day and some of the things you say and do amaze me.  I have to remind myself that you are 2 because I still think of you as my little baby.  As fun as it is to watch you experience new things and see the joy and excitement in your eyes, I often get sad knowing I'll never have another little baby of my own to rock to sleep or cradle in my arms.  When I give you your milk at night, I find myself squeezing you a little tighter and kissing your forehead over and over again because I know my days of you letting me do this are numbered.  I want to keep you my little baby as long as I can!

Even though you're growing with leaps and bounds, you still love your Mommy and Daddy, specifically our arms and feet!  You've loved rubbing your face (nose) up and down feet for a while (you usually prefer mine) but within the last month, you've developed an affection to arms (you prefer Daddy's).  You like to rub your face up and down his forearm and then bang your head repeatedly into his muscle/bone.  You've even developed a little rash on your face from what I assume was too much rubbing.  I guess my arm isn't big enough because you usually just try to just wrap your little arm around mine and pull yourself close.  I love it and it reminds me of what I used to do with my mom.  You love to give and receive hugs. 

Channeling you inner Al Bundy

You also love your big brother...except when you're throwing a fit and then you don't want him anywhere near you!  You scream, "Uhn-uh" as loud and dramatically as you can and then either push him away, or worse, you bite him.  But most of the time you think he's the bees knees.  You want to do whatever he's doing, you laugh at anything he does, and you call for him whenever he's not with you.  You love his superhero toys ("Soup-man, Bat-guy, Piderman") but you tend to prefer anything with wheels.  You love to make messes by dumping all of the toys out but I think half of the fun for you is getting to clean it up!
You're a little guy but it's not because you don't eat!  There are definitely things you won't eat (pickles, tomatoes, mushrooms) but you usually clean your plate.  You love "broc-wi," all fruits, brown rice, beans, and of course, all breads!  You still love your "malk" (milk) and have become quite demanding when you want it.  Usually your milk is associated with your nap (we're down to 1 a day) and most of the time you willingly go down after drinking your first milk of the day.

Whether you're doling out one of your sweet hugs or sharing your infectious laughter, you are a joy to be around.  I do wish you'd find a way to slow down and make the next 2 years of your life go in slow motion!  I do look forward to seeing how your personality evolves and hopefully you'll lose a little of your temper somewhere along the way (:  Happy Birthday, sweet Sawyer!  Mommy and Daddy love you more than you'll ever know!