2.0 is 2

At this very moment two years ago my son burst forth into the world.  He was greyish purple, slimy, and wide awake when our eyes met for the first time.  I didn't believe this was my son; this tiny helpless thing couldn't be mine.  I remember thinking for a split second that this was the little person who'd been kicking my bladder for so many months.  This was the little person who's impending arrival had been heralded by the tiny word 'pregnant' on a digital pregnancy test I hadn't wanted to take and didn't believe at first.  This was the little person who would change everything forever.

Now he looks like this.  He's full of energy and wonder and runs all over the place with reckless abandon.  The world is so full of new things that he's almost overwhelmed by it all.  He's fearless and stubborn.  But those beautiful green and gold eyes shine with love.  It's quite a change from the storm cloud grey eyes I saw for the first time a couple years ago.

We've experienced so much in this past year.  He started to walk, which was followed quickly by running so fast that his poor little legs just couldn't keep up with him.  He finally started to talk at 16 months, which was followed by babbling mimicry that had Nate and I watching the words that we said.  Now he's stringing words together in small sentences that have syntax.  I'm not the only one who can understand what he's saying either.

He's book crazy and asks me to read to him every day for about half an hour at a time.  It probably helps that we go to the library two or three times a week.  He's reading words back to me now.  I'm in awe of the amount of intelligence he has in that big brain of his.

This past year we also discovered that 2.0 is ambidextrous.  He prefers his left hand when doing most things but can use his right hand to do those same things with just a slight difference in muscle tone and spatial relation.

He is also very sweet and kind.  He's gentle when playing with someone smaller than himself and he pays special attention to little girls, not because we've told him to but because he figured out on his own that little girls are more delicate than he is.  He's a cuddly little precious boy who hugs me every single morning and night and says 'amen' when we're done praying at night.  He sings "Jesus Loves Me" when he thinks I'm not listening (but I'm always listening).

The last year has been wonderful and I'm so thankful that this special little guy is in my life for the rest of my life.  There will never be another time with him like this.  Happy birthday Nathan!