A Work In Progress: 2

Saturday, September 3, 2011

2

My dearest Nathaniel Jude,

Happy Birthday, my darling third-born son!

September 3, 2009 ~ approximately 1 hour old

Today, you are 2! Gone are your baby days, you are a full-blown toddler now!

It's amazing to think of all that you have accomplished in the past year: learning to walk, getting your teeth in, continuing to grow your vocabulary, forming relationships with your brothers, and becoming a Big Brother, just to name a few.

October 2009, 6 weeks old

Nate, you are such an awesome addition to our family.

You help us to take ourselves less seriously (you are quite the comedian), you quicken our footsteps (and the climber/jumper/fearless one), and you remind us of the importance of all the little things in life (like how to smash "buggies" and to "wook at the gaw-bage g-wucks!").

February 2010, 5 months old

You test our hearing (and often-times we wonder if you are hard of it? But no...you're just LOUD!), sometimes our patience (you are after all, turning two), and our attention (you can carry on a conversation about every.single.happening.all.the.way.to.the.grandparents'.houses.and.back ~ 25+ mintues each way! (We like to say you "narrate the entire ride", because well, you do!)

April 2011, 19 months old

You are a ray of sunshine, a breath of fresh air, and a tender-hearted soul. You love your two big brothers, affectionately known as "Gibitz and Wy-Ditt", and have seamlessly transitioned into the role of Big Brother in a way that has surprised us all. You love Your Baby "Eh-bett" so! You are always asking to hold him, smiling at him and saying, "Hiiiiiiii!" when either of you wake up, getting him toys, watching out for his "puke, Mommy, he puke!", and generally loving on him. We still occasinoally have to remind you to be gentle, as E doesn't generally love having his eyes/nose/lips/ears/head squeezed/poked/prodded/pressed. But we know that both Wyatt and you survived as the babies, and that E will too :)

May 2011 Nate, 20 months, "kissing" Everett, 2 months

At two, you love trucks, trains, and most recently, books. You will line up every car that we own along the window in the living room - sometimes this takes several lines, as we have a lot of cars! You will run trains along the tracks for hours with your big brothers - you tell me about freight cars, and when they go under tunnels. You are so proud of yourself when you read books, especially when "I read da Bye-bull, Mommy, I read the Bye-bull!". You also run, get dirty, and throw a ball. All of which you are very good at!

May 2011, 20 months

We call you Nate, Nater, Nate-Dawg, Nathaniel Jude, Natey-Nate, and Blonde Ambition. You are by far our smallest boy at this age - as you are still wearing some 12-18 and 18-24 month clothes still, along with a 2T. You and Everett can share size 3 diapers! In May, you were 21.5 lbs (at 20 months) and the doctor tossed around the term "failure to thrive" if you didn't gain some weight - so we worked hard on getting you to eat - anything, and a lot of it! You successfully gained over 3 lbs in 3 months, and in July you were 24.5 lbs. (insert big sigh of relief here). We call you "no-butt" because you basically have none.

Oh sweet, Nate. I cherish every moment I have with you. I know how quickly time passes, and before we know it, gone will be the days of piggy back rides, tickle/tackle wars, and endless belly-laughter.