Two

Dear Finley,

 At just about this time, two years ago the nurses were tending to me and you were snuggled up against Daddy's chest in just your diaper. You were both so quiet, just looking at each other with these looks like "oh! it's you! I've been waiting to meet you." Two years later, I'll still find you snuggled on Daddy's chest as though those first few hours gave you a taste for the snuggle that you've never been able to let go of.

 You have blossomed from that little snuggle bunny into a fearless daredevil, and it's not uncommon for us to find you in the most precarious of positions. In fact, not too long ago, Daddy went looking for you after realizing you had been quiet for just a little too long. He found you on top of your dresser! Looking around he realized that you had pulled your kitchen over to your dresser, opened the doors, climbed the shelves and there you were, proudly conquering your own mountain.

You are are equal parts sugar and spice and piss and vinegar and everyone who meet you says, "Wow. That Finley. She's always up to something." And you are. And we love you for it. You have an attitude that widens our eyes and makes us shake our heads and Daddy and I point at each other and say, "she got THAT from you!"

 When your brother was your age I could number the words in his vocabulary, list out the letter sounds he could make, catalog the shapes he knew. With you, I just don't do that. You are a remarkable child and it's not measured in letters or numbers but in giggles and grins and sly looks when you're doing something you know you shouldn't be. We catalog your expressions which range from sheer joyous excitement to your thundercloud stare where your eyebrows lower and knit together and your nose scrunches up. Inevitably, two second later, you're back to smiling again. 

You're just so amazing to me! Such a handful and such a joy. Your blue eyes just light up when you see me and you come running to me on your chubby legs. "Mommy's here, Mommy's here," you yell and I crouch down and you jump into my arms, your soft little arms clutching around my neck. And its THE BEST part of my day. Every day.

 I love your independence and your "my DOO eet" attitude which makes everything take three times as long as it would if I just did it myself. Ok, it frustrates the heck out of me too, especially when we're running late in the morning (we're always running late in the morning) and I have to remind myself time and time again, that I want to nurture and foster your independent spirit, because with a will and a spirit like yours, you might one day rule the world. You'll certainly rule your own world. And I have NO IDEA where you might get that trait.

(Photo by Bethany Raelene Studio)

 You and Conor have recently started to really play together and while you tend toward more destructive types of play and Conor prefers more structured play it brings me such immense pleasure watching the two of you. You also fight like brother and sister and you frequently can be heard screaming, "no HEET me CAW-nuh!" Even if he hasn't actually hit you. There just aren't enough words to fully describe who you are and ALL you are.

You single handedly completed our family. You color on the walls with markers and kiss and pet the cat so gently. You smack Conor across the face for some imagined or real infraction and, in the blink of an eye say your catchphrase, "Ah La Loo (I love you)" with those baby blues sparkling like the stars might actually twinkle within them.






 I am so glad for you, for all you are, for all you're going to be. I am SO happy to be your mama and I hope you never, ever, EVER forget how much I love my sweet little piglet.

 Always your mama, always my baby girl.

 I love you.

 Mama