Simon, you’re 2 ½ years old today. To celebrate, your brother drew you a picture of a birthday cake. He can be so sweet SOMETIMES. Other times, though, he gives it to you pretty good but you don’t seem to care. You’re even starting to give it back to him a bit. The other night, while Daddy and I were making dinner, we heard grunting coming from the living room. Daddy took a peak at you and Harmon and then said to me, “they’re just Greco-Roman wrestling!” This is pretty common these days. You two like to wrestle a lot and, most of the time, Harmon is the first one crying. You’re a pretty tough little guy. You have a huge blister on the top of your foot right now and you never told me or Daddy about it. You fell the other day at the park and didn’t cry a bit even though you were bleeding. You just dusted your hands off and got back up. When I took you to the car to clean up the cut and put some medicine on it, you said “look, Mommy, blood” in the most matter-of-fact way possible. When we were done with the medicine, you were right back at it.
So, you’re tough but you’re also stubborn. SO stubborn … and so independent. You want to do everything by yourself, no matter what the task, and you get so mad if we don’t at least let you try.
Right now, as an eater, you are challenging. If you’re hungry, food is gone fast but, if you’re not, you won’t budge. You would honestly sit in your chair for five hours to prove a point that you don’t want to eat what we’re serving. Fortunately, you’re growing big and strong so, much of the time, you can get away with maybe not finishing everything on your plate.
You talk a ton, my God. Paragraphs just flow from your mouth. And almost everything - barring Ls - is pronounced perfectly. You love cars and you love books and you love to go to the park. You’re a simple kid, just like your brother. Sometimes, we’ll catch you lining up your cars and we flash back to Harmon doing that at the same age.
You’re doing great at school, even though you’ve been to the principal’s office a couple of times. It’s not for anything extreme, just maybe not listening quite so well during circle time, but it's a visit nonetheless. Listening can be hard for you and the fact that your brother has trouble with the same thing only compounds the situation.
Your potty skills are epic – you’re doing fantastic! I see underwear coming in the fall!
Right now, you’re really hit or miss with letting me or Daddy rock you to sleep. Sometimes, you just like to crawl in your bed and fall asleep with us in the rocking chair nearby. Other nights, though, you’ll let us hold you until you fall asleep – those are the best nights.
You don’t like to be alone and you can be quite needy at times. If we’re there, you want our full attention but the minute your brother appears, all eyes are on him. You love him so much and the look in your eyes when you look at your brother makes my heart skip a beat. Sometimes you two will be talking or singing and Daddy and I will try to figure out what you’re doing but we can’t. You two have your own little world and a bond that we hope is unbreakable.
At 2 1/2, you are an amazing child and we are so fortunate to have you and have you happy, healthy and strong. It’s weird to think that we worried about loving a second child enough. In some ways, you have even more love because a) you have your brother and b) we’re better parents. In the end, though, we can’t imagine our days without you, even if you STILL scream like a pterodactyl!
