why i love my family, part 4

Wow. Today my little boy turns 2. I am a mother! I have a son! My life has completely changed since he entered the world 2 years ago today. And I love him.

• I love how happy Wesley is. Seriously, at all times. He smiles at everyone we meet. Even when he is on the brink of a complete meltdown, he can usually find something to laugh about (if I'm doing well at distracting him). Shane and I often joke that we can't tell if he's laughing or crying.
  
  
• I remember my mom once saying that at one point, my brother's son (Wesley's cousin, my nephew) was in a stage where he wasn't interested in interacting with anyone but his parents. My mom would travel thousands of miles to see him (and my brother, presumably), and yet he didn't want anything to do with her. I suppose that was just his temperament. Lucky for me, Wesley is quite the opposite. He loves everyone, especially his grandmas. Grandma Twining has had him laughing and laughing lots of times during our visits. I feel blessed that he is such an easy-going kid.
  
  
• In those same respects, Wesley is so independent. He can play for hours by himself, without any interference from me. Since we're working on communication, however, I often interrupt his play to interject some cooperative play. He tolerates me. I am his mother. But I love to see his little mind work. I have no idea what is so fascinating about throwing stackable rings on the floor and seeing them clatter, but he does it. Over and over and over again. He loves it. I love when we go to a park that I can let him wander (in my eyesight, of course) and he just adventures and observes and learns. I'm so impressed by his imaginative, thoughtful spirit.
  
  
• He loves the swings, which is completely adorable. I can swing him for literally hours and he will still cry when it's time to go home.
  
  
• He's doing very well with body parts identification lately (as you recall from a previously posted video). My new favorite is his cheeks. He loves to smack his face -- two hands -- when we ask where his cheeks are. But it gets better: when I ask, "Where are mommy's cheeks?" he comes up to me and put his palms on my cheeks and holds my face in his little hands. It is such a sweet moment I love sharing with him and it completely melts my heart.
  
  
• I love how Wesley has taught me to treat other people better. I just look at him and instantly my heart melts, I love him so much. I can't imagine anyone not loving him like I do, much less hurting him or teasing him or rejecting him. How could they? And then I think of all the people who annoy me, and how I say mean things sometimes, and I realize I need to be a better person. Everyone has a momma who (we hope) loves them as much as I cherish my son. And I should treat them better. It's a work in progress.
  
  
• His eyes are so blue. His eyelashes are really long. Wow, we have a good-lookin' kid.
  
  
• I love how Wesley is always up for a little intrigue. Sometimes we play peekaboo games in the grocery store. Sometimes I chase him through the racks at the library. Sometimes he giggles around the parking lot while I sing "I've been working on the railroad." He is always up for something, and whatever it is, we can make it fun.
  
  
• As a piggyback to that, I love how anything can be a source of entertainment. Eggs filled with rice make great shakers. Empty cardboard boxes are fun to throw. An office chair is perfect for swiveling. In his little mind, it's all exciting. That helps me be a little more positive about whatever is out there, too.
  
  
• You've never seen zest for life until you've seen Wesley run with glee, arms flailing, in any and all directions. He truly loves to move. I should be inspired to go for a jog, right?
  
  
• I like to think I'm very lucky that Wesley isn't mischievous. He only discovered he could yank on the little guys on his mobile a few months ago. He is almost 2. Most mobile companies tell you to stop using them at 6 months. Not Wesley. He doesn't get into stuff. He isn't hitting or biting. He certainly doesn't climb out of his crib. He naps well. He plays quietly. He doesn't put peas up his nose (yet). He is all around lovable and easy-going and wow, am I lucky. (He isn't too keen on sharing... but we're working on that.)
  
  
• Wesley isn't much of a talker, but he is a singer. If he's not "aieeeee!"ing or "ka!ka!ka!"ing, he is "eieio"ing or humming a tune like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or (new!) Mary Had a Little Lamb. Everyone notices. The cashier at the grocery store today was so impressed he was "singing." Basically it's like humming except out loud. It's cute. I love his enthusiasm for music, and I think I'll reward that with a percussion set for his birthday. I know, I'm crazy right?
  
  
• I'm grateful Wesley loves books. He throws them all over the house and rips them up (and all have been rescued and repaired with packing tape), but he also opens them and looks at the pictures and brings them to me and begs me to read them to him. Sometimes, the same book, over and over and over again. I always want to read to him.
  
  
• When Wesley is sitting on my lap and we are reading books or singing songs, every once in awhile he leans forward and turns his little head around and looks at my face with those beautiful blue eyes. And something about it completely melts my heart. It's like he hears something that really makes him smile, and he wants to meet my eyes and flash me a grin to see if I heard it, too. And I can't even remember what it was because I'm too distracted by his cute face.
  
  
• I love how his face lights up when he sees me or Shane. He is so happy to see us, especially when Shane gets home from work or it's first thing in the morning and we go get him from his crib. I remember when Shane and I were dating and falling in love, and Shane told me once how much it meant to him that I was always excited to see him. And I was! He was a handsome catch. And now, we have a handsome son, who couldn't love us more. That unconditional love brings with it serious responsibility, for me to never let him down and to always love him back (even during the teenage years). I will always cherish the memories of his bright smile as he runs toward me then POW runs into my legs and bear hugs me.
  
  
• I love how Wesley has made me a champion multi-tasker, an entertainment coordinator, a discarded food-picker-upper, a nap enforcer, a vehement Sno-Isle library supporter, a summertime walker, an emotional marshmallow, and a better person, among all sorts of other things, seemingly overnight. I love that little boy.
  

Happy Birthday, my sweet son. I'm so grateful you are in my family forever.