THREE

Simon is three today. He was so excited to be three and he talked about it for weeks. He actually thought he was three back when we had the boys’ joint birthday party (understandable). That’s Simon, though, always rushing things, always wanting to be older and bigger.

He was due on Dec. 13 and my c-section was scheduled for Dec. 5. Simon had his own schedule, though, so he kicked his way out almost three weeks early on Nov. 25. When I was pregnant with Simon, the mere thought of Starbucks made me sick to my stomach. But, near the end, it started to sound a LITTLE better so, after my appointment on Nov. 25, Kevin stopped and got me a small frappuccino. I’ll always wonder if that shot of coffee powered him to kick his way out.

And, three years later, the kicking hasn’t stopped. He’ll lay in bed with you and ALWAYS kick and push off on you. And, just as he was in utero, he is always moving. Flipping, running, jumping. The jumping is actually the most hilarious thing. If you look at his legs, he has actual muscle definition in his calves and quads. I would put my money on him in the long jump in the preschool Olympics!

When I think about Simon, so many adjectives come to mind. While there’s nothing simple about him, he, quite simply, just has this spirit about him. We were at the dentist back in September and he was being a little crazy. The lady in the waiting room said to us on the way out “He is so sweet and full of life. He’s going to be the kind of person that EVERYONE wants to be around.” That made us feel so good! It also made is ease up on him a bit - we don’t want to kill that spirit.

When I look at Simon, I wonder how I ever doubted my ability to love another child. I remember being worried about that when I was pregnant with him. But, he’s IMPOSSIBLE not to love and IMPOSSIBLE to stay mad at. He’s so disarming. When he knows he’s in trouble, he’ll walk up to you, give you and hug and tell you how much he loves you. I know it’s borderline manipulation too but still! He’s smart and funny and random and kind and caring and appreciative and extreme … I could go on for days with the adjectives and they all would apply.

I think, though, that my favorite things about Simon are his spirit, the way he looks at his older brother and the way that, when he wants you, he’ll come up to you and give your leg the biggest hug.

I know there’s no such thing as the perfect SECOND child but, if there was, he or she would be like Simon. I can’t imagine one second of my life without that blue-eyed boy!