Dear Victor and Josiah,
What a bunch of little cutie-pie-pa-schmooty-pies you are. You just tickle Daddy and me to pieces.
Victor,
you are heelarious. You've started making your Duck talk with his own
special little voice (where did you learn that, I wonder?). And you grow
quite distressed if someone does not personally respond to Duck. (We
had to call Daddy back after ending one phone call because he did not
acknowledge that Duck was saying good-bye...)
You like
to give a little affirmative boost when you suggest something that seems
like a good idea to you, like, "Sure, it would be fine to go to the
zoo!" "Sure, it would be okay to eat an Oreo!" "Sure, it would be fine
if we went to the Cub Foods store!" (You like the Cub Foods store
because they give free cookies to kids.)
You are
loving-up your little brother like crazy. When he comes out of the
bedroom after a snooze, you want to kiss and snuggle him to pieces
(parental supervision required). And you give him good encouragement
when he rolls over ... or eats his cereal ... or has a poop. You love
calling him, "You cutie-pie-ka-schmooty-pie!"
When
Josiah starts to cry, you will sometimes sing him "our song" (namely,
"Do all things without grumbling or questioning..."), and tell him, "You
may not be a crabby pants, Josiah."
And you just crack
yourself up with your own little jokes. Like today at lunch, while you
were eating your soup, you kept saying, "I'm eating my rice cereal"
(i.e. Josiah food). And I'd say, "Wait a minute!" And you would howl
with laughter, and then do it again.
In the mornings,
when Daddy comes in to get you (after a veery early wake-up, these
days), you always say, "It's good to see you, Daddy. I didn't see you
for a long time!" Tonight you told me that you'd be saying that to Dad
in the morning. You are a bit predictable (like your mother).
And when he puts you down for bed, he says, "Have a good night of snoozes!" and you'll say, "Have a good work!"
You've
picked up your mother's love for cookbooks, and most days when I'm
feeding Josiah to put him down for a nap, you'll climb up on my bed with
me and look at a cookbook or cooking magazine. Current favorite thing
to cook is muffins (specially with chocolate chips).
You are
so
excited for snow. We got a new coat and boots, and you just can't wait
to use the sled. A funny thing, since last winter you really wouldn't
sit on it for anything.
You are very into pushing things. Your tricycle (you kind of scoot it
with your feet). Your big wheel (ditto). Your lawn mower. The jogging
stroller (with the handle partially collapsed so you can reach it).
Josiah's stroller. The wagon.
You like baking projects
and the "busy bag" activities we just got and playing with trucks and
tractors and trains. You are fascinated by the book
Dangerous Journey (the abridged, illustrated version of
The Pilgrim's Progress), and you will listen intently while Daddy reads it to you ... as well as read it with Duck during your rest time.
You love your Sunday school class. You love reviewing your Bible verses. You
really
love doing "the papers" (which tell a prayer for each month of the year
and a simple truth covered in class for each month of the year) every
day. Those are simple routines and rhythms, but we pray that they will
take root in your heart. We're starting to put connections together.
When you'll start to throw a tantrum or grumble about something, we'll
say, "No, sin! Go away! Jesus, help! Give me a good, cheerful heart to
obey!" We need His grace, little one, and we never outgrow that.
Josiah, you are a perky little chubby monkey these days.
I
just love your cheeks ... and thighs ... and chubby knees ... and the
rolls on your toes. You get many compliments on your squeezable- and
kissable-ness.
You like finding your thumb and sticking it jauntily into your mouth.
You
are pretty happy kicking and exploring the world on your back ... but
when someone looms into view and you realize that a real, friendly
person is coming to see
you ... well, you just beam with your whole body!
You're
working up quite the appetite too. So far, you gobble down rice cereal,
sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, applesauce, pears, and peas. And
your favorite is when I'll let you hold the spoon at the end (albeit
watching you with an eagle eye, due to your propensity to jam it down
your throat).
You bounce around in your exersaucer and spin around, then kind of lounge back, surveying the scene.
We
love to hear you when you wake up in the morning. You have a funny old
man kind of voice, and you just croon away to yourself with all kinds of
inflections until someone comes to swoop you up.
You
still love the Baby Bjorn best, but I have officially messed up my back
from heave-ho-ing you around, so I'm afraid that one's out. But you're
pretty content in the Ergo (much kinder to Momma's back), so we still
have good snuggle times with that on walks or at church.
You
have two little teeth on the bottom (first one popped through on the
first Sunday of October). They are sharp little boogers, but so far you
haven't given me trouble with biting. But you're still drooling to beat
the band, so there are probably some more on their way.
You
roll very expeditiously, have quick hands (and an exceptionally strong
grip), and love to grab my phone when I'm not looking and stuff it in
your mouth.
You are a little snuggle bug when you get
sleepy, and I love to hold you when you're all relaxed and ready for
bed. At long, long last, we're back in the groove of sleeping through
the night (after a month or so of terribly interrupted sleep). Thank
you, Jesus.
I
love my little boys. It's just precious to watch the world unfold
before your eyes and see the personalities God has given you. Every day
has its challenges, but what a sweet privilege it is to be your momma!
Love you to pieces,
Mom
