31 Months

Dear Gus,

Today you turned 31 months old. Each and every day you are becoming more and more of a little boy…and more and more of a 2-year-old. Yesterday you had a tantrum because I stepped down one stair and shut the door behind me on the way to the basement. But, you also asked, just the morning before, to be picked up just laid with me in bed while I scratched your back and we slowly woke up together. Today I registered you for a 3-on-3 summer soccer program. You’re a little young, as you’re supposed to be 3 by the first game; you’ll be a month shy. You still love Curious George, but you’ve recently really like Dinosaur Train and have learned the word “hypothesis”, though you do say it a little incorrectly. At times you can be completely defiant, but other times you can be the sweetest helper, like when you saw me walking towards the dishwasher with dishes in my hand and opened the dishwasher for me. No matter that the dishwasher was full and already running.

On Saturday you had your last swim class of this session. You make me, daddy and your teachers smile so big. You put on your float belt, demanded a float bar and were off. Eventually, Daddy convinced you to get rid of the bar and you were having an even grander time. You wanted to swim in the deep end. You wanted to show off to your teachers. You didn’t want to get out of the pool. You were so happy that you were able to swim all on your own. It truly was a show of how much you are learning to love your independence…at times. But then there are the times when you still want to be carried or read to or have things done for you. It’s sometimes hard for me to make you do things on your own (like cleaning up your dishes after meals), because I know far too soon you will be all grown up and won’t ask me to do things for you anymore.

I love you, Gus, more than you know right now. I love that you’re here. I love that you’re mine. I love that you bring tears (happy and sad) to me. I love that you bring smiles to my face and heart.

I love you, Gus.

Love,

Mama