Dear Banner,
Today marks the day that you and I met each other. It is the anniversary of the first time I kissed you, first time I got to hold you, first time I got to look into those deep blue eyes of yours, first time you wrapped your tiny hand around my finger. It's our BIRTHday, sweet boy, and I can't believe it's already been 2 years! It's during these past few days that I recall all that was happening at that time: Mommy was in the hospital for a couple days before you were born, Daddy and I had our last date as a family of two, you were quite content inside my belly, and none of us had any idea how much our lives were going to change in such a short time. I think back to all the wonderful memories we have made together in these past two years, and I think of how fast time is passing, how smart and big and fun and interactive you have become, yet how much I still remember my bitty baby who used to hate when I would put him down, who needed to be bounced on a yoga ball all day, who lost all the hair on the top of his head, who had the most awful (yet funniest) cry when he'd get hungry fast, who would fall asleep on Mommy's chest, who had the most amazing smell and sweetest coos. Oh, how I miss that baby - but I am SO in love with you still now and your amazing personality. Daddy and I just love your angelic voice, your sweet smile, your contagious laugh, your silly sense of humor, your intense curiosity, your quick learning, your precise pronunciation, your gorgeous eyes, your deep dimples, your predictable interests, your ever-growing vocabulary, your long and detailed memory, and your cuddly hugs and tender kisses. We are forever in awe of you, Banner, with each passing day. You keep us entertained, intrigued, engaged, and on our toes!
This past year has flown by WAY faster than your first year. I blinked, and my first stay-at-home year with you has already passed. While I miss my work and my colleagues so much, I am so fortunate that I have had this time with you. This year of Story Time at the library, Mommy and Me at "Banner's school," playing at Open Gym, days at the park and shopping together, experimenting with new toys, games, friends, skills, and crafts, meeting Daddy for lunch, hanging with Grandma when I would substitute teach, and meeting friends for play dates. . . well, it has all just gone by so fast! This month, too, has gone by in a flash, and while not a whole lot has changed, I still want to document what happened for you as a 23-month-old.
SO, what have you been up to this month?
-You got attacked by ants a couple weeks ago. You were at the park with Grandma while Mommy was subbing. As I was heading to get you after work, Grandma called me and told me to come immediately to the park. You LOVE digging in the dirt, and Grandma thought you were simply digging in yet another dirt pile. But, unfortunately, this dirt pile was really an ant pile, and after a scratch at it, the ants got angry and took it out on your right hand and forearm. Grandma noticed right away, but those ants were fast! You had 23 ant bites on your fingers, hands, wrist, and forearm. Luckily, Grandma did some fast thinking and emptied your sippy cup of water on your arm to get those awful creatures off of you, and once I arrived to help check out the damage, we decided to go to the pharmacy right away to get some itch cream for you. Grandma had the great idea, too, to get you to go fishing for some plastic coins at the bottom of a bowl filled with ice water to calm and soothe the swelling on your arm. Mommy is allergic to ants, so you can imagine how worried I was that you might also have an allergy and a need for an ER visit. Luckily, you just got some little pus-filled blisters and weren't too bothered by the itching at all. Thank Goodness!
-Speaking of hands. . . you got hand, foot, mouth disease this month. Most likely, you caught it from Ella who got it a day or two ahead of you. You two share your sippy cups and snacks almost weekly, so it's no wonder you caught it. Fortunately, both of you recovered pretty quickly - although you passed it on to Brycen and probably Colby, too. You had a high fever for one day and refused to eat most everything I offered you - including donuts, your favorite - so I knew something was wrong. You also only got blisters on the soles of your feet - nothing in your mouth or on your hands.
-I know this is minor, but I also realize that 5, 10, 15+ years from now, I'll want to remember some of these things: you request a back rub (usually from me) almost every night and at nap. "Back!" you demand with a paci in your mouth, and sometimes you ask every time I walk away from your crib. "Mommy, back!" Sometimes I have to tell you, "Banner, I already rubbed your back. It's time to go to sleep now." Then, usually, I suggest you talk to Thomas (your teddy bear) or watch the animals on your ceiling projector (only at nap). Lately, we've been hearing you talk to Thomas in your crib or say goodnight to the monkeys, frogs, and birds that are on that projector: " Night, night, monkeys! Night, night birds!" In fact, yesterday morning, you woke up laughing. Not sure what was so funny to you, but your giggles were hilarious to Daddy and me first thing in the morning. Along these same lines, your imaginative play has begun to soar - you are often baking a cake or making burgers or talking to Ernie about where Bert is. You pretend your paci is a choo-choo train going all around your crib rail. You call little things (like a little carrot or a smaller bag) the "baby" and the bigger pieces or items the "Daddy" or the "Mommy." Very creative, Little Man!
-We celebrated Landry's 2nd birthday, you missed Colby's 3rd birthday party and Aunt Kira's birthday dinner because of your high fever, you participated in two garage sales, we spent time with our best friends from Houston (and you got to meet Baby Corey for the first time), and we had another Mother's Day together. We also said goodbye to "Banner's school" for the summer. Mommy and Me classes ended, so you said goodbye to Ms. Betty and Ms. Beverley until school starts in August. They gave you a cute photo book of pictures of you while at Mommy & Me. I love this book!
-You are very much in to nursery rhymes and songs now. There's a nursery rhyme book that Bubbie an Zaide gave to you before you were even born, and you request for me to read it (and sing it) to you almost nightly. You're getting awesome at chiming in with the words you remember, too.
-You have not let up on the intense interest in all things dirt, construction, trash, and transportation. You still love to look for diggers, dump trucks, mowers, buses, trains, garbage trucks, and firetrucks when we are out and about. You can't get enough on YouTube, and you would choose to play outside in the dirt with your own diggers and dump trucks over any other activity.
-You repeat and retain EVERYTHING! For example, one night we were reading
Kiss on the Keppe, and there's a page that says, "In walk Bubbe and Zaide with kisses galore." 15 minutes later, as I was rocking with you before bedtime, you kept saying, "Galore." It took me a minute to figure out why you were saying that... and then I taught you what it meant. Another time, we went to get your haircut, and the lady cutting your hair said something was "amazing." Not only did you continue to say that word (correctly) the rest of the afternoon, but you use the word now and remember you learned it from your haircut! If you hear someone say it, you say, "Haircut." Another example... one day I was driving to meet Daddy for lunch at Paradise. I was trying to get over into the right lane, and the driver behind me kept speeding up then slowing down then speeding up again so I couldn't get over. In my frustration, I said something like "Come on, Lady!" Then, I told you why I was saying that - that the lady wasn't being very nice. We've been to Paradise three times since that day (yes, we like it a lot!), and you always say, "Lady," as we turn into the parking lot. Then, you say "Nice?" asking me about her again. Oh, how we need to be careful when talking around you!!
-Some of our favorite expressions from this month: "cheepup" for ketchup, "Too, me!" when you want to go do something also (like leave for work with Daddy), "Banner do it!" "I coming," and lots of other first-person speech which just started this month ("I watching," "I laughing," "I shopping..."), and knowing that you are "TWO!" now.
With the summer just beginning, no Mommy & Me, no Open Gym, an altered Story Time at the library, and no sub jobs in my near future, you and I are going to have to be creative with our time in the coming months! I'll be entering my third trimester with your little brother in a couple weeks, and the scorching heat won't care much about how swollen and uncomfortable I'm getting. I have a feeling you won't either! So, I've prepared a few plans for our summer. CAMP MOMMY begins TODAY!
I am so happy to be your mommy! You make me so proud on a daily basis, and I can't wait to see what this year has in store for you as you embark on your third year of life. Big changes are coming, sweet boy. I hope the term "Terrible Twos" is a clear misnomer and that "Terrific Twos" are more accurate. I hope you know how loved you are, and I hope you know how special you are to me. I thank God every day for you and for your life, but I especially thank God for your birthday, for the day you and I officially became Mommy and Banner, for the day we met you and got to introduce and share you with the world.
Happy Birthday, Angel! I wish you a day, a year, a lifetime of nothing but the greatest gifts. After all, you are MY greatest gift!
I love you more than you could ever know.
Love,
Mommy
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