Happy Birthday Judah

Happy Birthday my precious three year old! I am learning that every milestone is a time where I sit and marvel at how fast time goes by. And when I think about how fast time goes by it makes me want to sit and enjoy the right now moments. I have enjoyed you so much as a two year old. Certainly, you tested your limits, tested your strength, tested your vocal chords and tested my patience. But dear child, I have cherished this past year of you learning and growing and while I know I will love you even more as a three year old, I am going to miss you being a two year old.

I have learned much about you this past year, and as I wrote in last years letter, it still fascinates me to watch you.

One of the biggest markers of the year was your transition from diapers to underwear. Our whole world focused on that event for a three week period where, at the end of which, you were both completely accident free and self sufficient to go to the potty and simply beckon when you either wanted company or needed to be wiped.

On the second day of potty training I put you on the toilet at your regular time for emptying your bowels. You told me you would not do it in the toilet, you wanted a diaper on. I told you that you would sit on the toilet until you had done it in the toilet.

Dear boy - know this; If I tell you something, I will see it through to the end. But know this also, I will never insist on something unless I think it is important enough to be seen through to the end.

You have taught me that much this past year.

That day you sat on the toilet for five straight hours. I fed you your lunch and snacks there. I sat by your side. We talked. I read to you. You played with your race cars. You cheerfully sat on that toilet for the entire five hours, at the end of which you pooped and from there on out we had no issues and you never did ask for a diaper again.

The determination and stubbornness that you showed that day revealed a lot about your personality and temperament to me and I am glad to have learned that about you so early on. The fact that you remained cheerful during those five hours also revealed a lot about you.

As you grow older I want you to harness those traits for good.

Stand up for what you believe in.

Remain joyful.

Have a sense of humor.

Be consistent.

 

Your imagination has soared this year- you have taken me to the moon on a race car, we have worn underwear on our heads in the front yard so the bad guys wouldn't see us, you have shot countless bad guys, sung endless amounts of funny, made up songs and have sat for hours in homemade forts.

Your grasp of the adult world both delights and entertains me. Some of the things that come out of your mouth make me laugh so hard I cry. Other things make me sit back and think a bit more deeply. 

Just last week you were looking at my wedding picture and asked me to tell you what "getting married" was. My answer was simple and I said something about a man making a woman his wife.

You thought for a moment and said; "Mommy, I want to go to the farm."

I asked why and you started to sing "The farmer takes a wife..."

How you came to the conclusion that you get a wife at a farm I am not sure, but I like your think-out-side-the-box mentality.

Judah, as you enter your three's my prayer is that your love for people will deepen, your imagination will soar and that your little heart will be drawn to the Lord.

Love you always,

Mommy