Two!

Dear Gabriel,
To say that "I can't believe you're two!" just wouldn't be accurate since for the past couple months when people ask me how old my darling son is, I am no longer in a state of mind to remember that you were twenty one months, two weeks and five days old. So, after trying to quickly calculate in my mind how many months old you are, I gave up and resorted to saying, "He's almost two." I guess saying that numerous times prepared me mentally for the fact that you are now indeed two! And let's just say you have had the characteristics of a two year old for some time now. (As so deftly illustrated just now as you slammed your hand down on the keyboard, turning on caps locks and adding a bunch of letters and numbers I didn't want or need-you are in time out now since you wouldn't stop after I asked nicely)

I am having a blast watching you grow. Despite testing your limits, you are so fun and just so happy. It is a joy to be around. A privilege. An honor.

On your birthday, I made brownies and we celebrated with a few presents. Cars, of course. Nowadays it's always cars. And not Hot Wheels. It's the Disney Pixar Cars. Noah has a bunch from when the original movie came out and you LOVE playing with them. I love the car sounds you make. Your sound effects are just awesome! (Update- we just made up and now you are happily playing upstairs with Legos)

I was especially pleased with your siblings. They were so excited to celebrate your birthday! Amalie gave you a little, plastic Adirondack chair just your size the morning of your birthday. You didn't show much of a reaction, but you immediately wanted to sit in it and just loved it. So cute! Noah pitched in to buy you Finn Mc Missile and you happily played with your cars that night. Your reaction didn't show much, but your actions afterwards did.

Amalie with a butter knife, ready to carve into the brownies.
You loved your cars! Funny thing, you knew just what to do when you saw the lighted candles, you continually blew them out through the whole refrain of "Happy Birthday". It was so cute, and I was surprised you knew just what to do, I mean you couldn't possibly remember your first birthday. But then, I realized, you'd seen Ami do it only the week before!
When Brad showed me this picture, I just about died. Look at that smile! It is manufactured, but I love it! Your blonde highlights, darling shaped face, chocolate nose and fake smile are so cute, I just melt looking at you. I am deeply, deeply head over feet for you!

You make life such fun for us (inconvenient, of course too, good things always are!) You are talking a lot more and can say all of the families names with clarity. You are still a little behind verbally, but communicating a lot more, which is a huge blessing for me. It's so hard when you can't communicate and you and I both are almost in tears!

Since you and Amalie are home all day with me, it is an interesting dynamic. You two definitely fight a lot more than you used to, but lately you are becoming much more fond of each other as well. (Brad and I find it very strange that Amalie all of a sudden loves to play with the toys you love. Hmmm. ) But, Amalie just melts when you come up and hug her spontaneously. And it's something Brad and I love to watch! And we love it when you say "Ami! Ami!" in that sing-song way of yours to get your sister's attention and show her something you think is cool. It warms me through.

You still adore Noah and he is your go-to man when he is home. You know that he will always help you. It is so cool to watch. Noah loves you and would spoil you endlessly if we let him! "Gabe, want some candy?" Noah will say to try and get you to do something. Oh man.

But your favorite person? Daddy. I get a teensy bit jealous sometimes when I watch you yell, "Da-ddy!" and just snuggle up to him when he gets home. But then I remember that Daddy doesn't get the pleasure of staying home with you all day, and instead has to work long hours each day away from the people he loves most, and then I know that he so deserves your favoritism. You are not a snuggler, but you snuggle up against your Daddy and find pure delight in him.

You take after Daddy too, in that you are very tender with babies and animals. You make a cooing sound before you pet a kitty. Amalie recently bought a teeny Furreal kitty and you adore it! You grab it (to Amalie's chagrin, at times) make cooing sounds, then tenderly wrap it in your adored blanket and bring it to show me, saying "Kitty, kitty". Oh, you are so cute!

My favorite thing about you, though? It's definitely your smile. You are just happy. Apparently you were born that way. You smile a lot, as if to say, "Isn't life just great?" "Aren't we so lucky to be on earth?" I love it. It fills me with gratitude and reminds me that yes, life is pretty great and I do feel so blessed to be here with you and the rest of the family.

I am honored that you would choose me
to be,
Your Loving Mama