It was one of my favorite days on this place, when I first got to see his sweet little face.
His birth day was magical and I knew from the start that our second little man, had just grown my heart.
Oh, Jonah. Spirited, sweet, dithering, Jonah. You definitely know how to get our attention. And you get it… sometimes, in the form of cuddles, and sometimes in the form of scolding. You are passionate… in the fullest sense of the word. You are opinionated. You can be gruff, but yet, oh so very tender.
You can be quite hilarious. Funnier than the funniest I’ve seen when you are on. Side aches abound from endless laughter. You have taught us a great deal about patience. And about the deepness with which a parent loves their children. Because throughout the age of two, I’ve found myself shaking my head at the end of some days, wondering if I am the parent you need me to be.
But then I can’t imagine anyone else getting to call you theirs… because you fit just right in the middle, and are too much like the rest of our wild, crazy bunch.
You are the middlest now. But I suppose, in my heart, I put you in the middle even before you were there. Because that is just where I always imagined you’d be. As we enter into age three, I must document that there are many days where we feel a little overwhelmed by your current personality. You can be sour, then the sweetest of the sweet. Making me forget the sour over and over again. You go 100 miles an hour, all day long. And when you really want something, you can be relentless… whether it be ice in your water or to ride your plasma car through the mud.
Though people think you look so much like your older and younger, you are very much your own person. I love your independence and look forward to seeing you harness it as you grow.
So what are you like as you turn to three? You love music. You continue to be deeply connected and moved by it. And though you may not always have the words, you always have the pitch.
You are absolutely enamored with your youngest brother. And completely adore your oldest. And while those relationships will morph and change with each passing year, I pray that even though you will drive each other batty, you continue to be the best of friends.
You have this laugh. And it is absolutely contagious. And when you are laughing, you are fully in it. Committed to the happiness and joy of the moment. I love that about you.
You are a hard worker, little J. You’ve come so far with your speech. Because you are always willing to work, and try. I love your willingness to learn.
You have a scream that will cause records to stop. But can get over whatever the trigger happened to be in no time at all. I hope you can always shake things off like that.
You are our snuggler. The one who, when you choose, can melt right into the person who gets to be the recipient of your moment of slowing down. And I feel so fortunate when that recipient is me.
You honestly could get me to do just about anything for you when you look at me with those thick-eyelash-lined baby blues and say, “I wub yoo.” That’s the good stuff. J-Bird.
Your daddy and I think you are one of a kind and wouldn’t want it any other way… well, maybe with a little less of the word no… but otherwise, wouldn’t change a thing.
You are my helper. You want to help with the laundry. With the dishes. You like to sous chef. And you want to be in on the action. Whatever that might be.
You like to count. Mostly to 39. And though your numbers may not all sound exactly like everyone else’s. They’re all there. Except 14. That’s just the second 13.
You are our very favorite Jonah. The best middle child we’ve ever had. And I can’t wait to see what this next year holds. And the next… and the next… and the next…
Happy 3rd Birthday, our second prince. We love you to the moon and back. Around the sun. And straight back to our hearts.
