Happy Birthday Little Man

Dear Jonah,

Yesterday you turned 3! Your baby days have come to an end. And even your time as the "baby of our family" are about to end. It makes me a bit sad but I think you're ready. You just seem so much older lately. You weaned about 6 week ago, you've been falling asleep by yourself in your own bed for a while now but just recently started napping solo as well. And you've gotten so much more outgoing. You still take a little while to warm up to people but the list of people you are willing to have conversations with is growing very fast. Several people at church have been amazed this past month when you just walk up and talk to them.

And, like the rest of us in the L family, you do love to talk. You also talk very fast so people other than me, dad and Lucy can't always understand you but they can certainly tell you are enthusiastic about whatever topic you are on! I love hearing big words come out of such a little boy but mostly I love hearing your thoughts on things.

You are all boy and normally covered in bruises, bumps and scrapes. Sticking things into plugs, trying to ride your bike along our backyard's rock wall, working hard to figure out handstands despite falling on your nose 75% of the time, sometimes I wonder how you are still alive. You spend the majority of your time moving - jumping and hanging and riding and building. I'm sure we'd have a much harder time getting lots of hours outside if you weren't around. It can be a battle to get you to stand still long enough to brush your teeth or put on pants. Actually, we've just settled for pants being optional at home.

And the potty talk! I didn't know it started so soon but despite having growing up with two brothers, I can still say raising a boy has been a new experience for me. But I wouldn't change it. I love the energy and humor you and your boyness bring to our house.

But you're also my little boy. You still like to snuggle. You want your loveys (pirate blankey, baby cow, simba and sometimes green baby or horsey too) next to you in bed at night.When you get up in the morning, pirate blankey has to come to my bed, sometimes you join it and snuggle with me and sometimes you just want to leave it with me to be watched over while you play. And if I'm not feeling well, you'll bring it and cover me up so I feel better. You love our cat and are so gentle with her. You love "baby" things. Baby pretty much just means small. So we have baby cows and baby dolls but also baby rocks and baby sticks and when you say baby you scrunch up your shoulders and say "oh, so cute!" and I often end up with pockets filled with rocks and sticks at the end of a walk or hike. You're very excited about being a big brother - at least for now. You love pushing the stroller around the house and yard but we never know what we'll find inside. It could be a baby or stuffed animal, it could be a pile of cars. You've recently discovered the joys of trucks and cars and things that go. You have quite a long list of things that are scary, especially books like Where the Wild Things Are or St. George and the Dragon but you love them anyway. You'll grab one of those books, looks at me, pretend to shiver and say "I don't know if I like it, it's so scary! Read it to me please!" and it gets me laughing every time. Or we'll watch the Gruffalo and you insist on sitting on my lap and sometimes covering up your face, but you always peek through your fingers anyway.

You love your sister and playing with her. You've also started to stand up for yourself a bit more instead of just letting her dictating how the games/pretending will go - but you're still pretty flexible. Right now you are wearing a princess dress because she "really needed another princess for her party" but the princess she got is apparently a princess-knight who carries a sword and fights the dragons. I think watching the two of you play together is one of my favorite things. And you stick right with her, even at school time. If she's doing math, you want to as well so I'd better come up with a question or two for you. If she's memorizing poems or bible verses, you can too. And you're pretty good at keeping up. Just a few nights ago when you were supposed to be falling asleep, we heard you repeat Psalm 100 over and over and over again and it is not uncommon for you to be singing the Star Spangled Banner while you ride your bike around the backyard.

So you are clever but I already know I'm gonna have to watch out for you and your tricks. A good example of this is how you started wanting to sleep on top of your comforter with just your blankie as a covering. At first I thought it was because you were getting hot at night. But it wasn't long before I realized that you had figured out that when you sleep on top of your comforter, your morning chore of making your bed is much easier! And when I asked you about it, you not only confirmed it but seemed so proud of your discovery. What a little guy you are. But you're my little guy and I love you to pieces!