Boogaloo! Now You're 2!

Boogaloo, Boo Baby, Bubba, Bear, Booger Boy...all these things - and MORE - have been used to get your attention, and have worked the majority of the time. You're still so very much Mommy's little boy, and I absolutely love that about you. You've adjusted so well to having to share my attention with your little sister in the last year, even if sometimes you do struggle with it a little bit. You absolutely love to laugh. And your laugh is absolutely infectious. Heaven help us all if anyone were ever to get it on tape. Or maybe they should - then they could play it on a steady loop for people with documented (and even un-documented) depression. It's THAT wonderful of a sound.

We took you to the doctor Friday, for that really nasty cough you've had for the last 3 weeks or so...I figured you would be your currently clingy self, and stick to my side like a little monkey on a leash*, but as soon as the doctor walked in you were his best little buddy: reaching your hand out for him to shake; telling him "Hi, hi, hi, hi" over and over like a broken record, bun in a good way; and of course, the action that melts everyone's hearts - reaching to be picked up and thanking them with a great big hug. Doc, unfortunately discovered that you have your first case (a raging one, at that) of bronchitis. I feel like a huge tool for not getting you in and on meds any sooner. Although I'm almost convinced that you being somewhat sick was the cause of the total explosion in your language. You went from a totally incoherent babble (that so many of your relatives claimed sounded like some Chinese dialect) to saying things like "Hi" and "dog" and "cow" and "pig". I've heard you say "kitty" several times, your grandma got you to say "toast" a handful of times one morning, and you call your sister a "guh" which we've determined to mean girl. (*I called you a leash monkey...that's pretty funny and accurate since we got one of those kiddy harnesses and the leash that goes with it so that you can run off some of your seemingly endless energy, but still stay near enough to us to be safely under our control. You LOVE to wear it! In the house, in the car, just so long as it's on your terms and somebody can yank on that leash, every so often, hard enough to land you on your butt. That gets a real god laugh out of you.*)

You absolutely LOVE to pull my shirt down when it slides up and shows any skin on my belly. Some time ago, your Daddy managed to teach you how to pull your own shirt up and smack your tummy. Lately, the tummy-smacking has evolved into poking your own belly-button and cackling with glee.

We did a big Christmas celebration with everybody on your Daddy's side of the family the day after your birthday, and it was the first time you actually had everyone's attention on you while you unwrapped your presents. I don't think I have ever been so surprised or impressed by your ability to absolutely demolish something. You enjoyed the hell out of opening your presents, and extended that fun by opening up some of mine, too. The fun isn't totally done, yet - your Grandma D has another birthday present for you, so I need to get you over there sometime soon so you can start figuring out what to do with it, too.

Things have been really chaotic in your little world, lately, and your Daddy and I most definitely owe you our own individual explanations as to why that happens continuously. I cannon say, for certain, when those explanations will be coming...form either of us. Daddy is a very private person, and tends to struggle for words when he wants or needs to explain himself or his feelings. Then there's me. I'm not exactly sure of the reasons for everything that's going on, or how to put it into words to make sense of it. We both love you dearly, and nothing is EVER gonna change that.

Happy (LATE) Birthday, Boo Baby Boy! Momma loves you!