Everett Turns Three...

Now and Then...

A letter to my son on his third birthday...

My Dearest Everett,

Somewhere in this year of your life, you went from toddler to little boy.  My baby is gone, replaced by a little person with opinions, an imagination, and a mind of his own.  Oh how I have enjoyed watching YOU emerge!

When I’m asked to describe you, the first word that comes to mind is “sweet.”  In fact, I often call you “my sweet boy” because that’s exactly what you are.  You are eager to please, eager to be affectionate, eager to make those around you happier with one of your giggles or a trademark Everett smile.  You say “I love you” without prompting and Daddy and I are in a daily competition to see who gets the most kisses from you.  You give the BEST hugs, both arms wrapped around my neck, squeezing tightly as you grunt with excitement.  I love that about you!

This isn’t to say that you aren’t still ALL BOY.  I’m truly amazed that we’ve made it to three years old without a broken bone or stitches.  You are rough and tumble and so, so physical.  You run and jump and fall and roll and climb and fling yourself all over the place.  The only way to get you to stand still is to put on Thomas the Train.  As the episodes play, you act out what you are seeing with your Thomas toys.  It’s pretty cute and I love watching your imagination at work.  This obsession has lasted the entire year and doesn’t appear to be waining anytime soon.  And speaking of electronics...you are a whiz at them, already having mastered my iPhone, the DVD player, and my Kindle.  I often find myself fighting with you so I can check my email or Facebook.  You particularly enjoy watching videos of yourself, calling yourself “baby Everett.”  

You have many friends that you really play with now and you often ask for them by name.  You often ask for family members by name too and have even started calling your Gammy and Grandpa on the phone to “talk” (like I said, you’re a whiz at electronics).  In social situations you are very passive...something we have been trying to change in you.  You tend to allow others to walk all over you.  We’ve been trying to show you how to stand up for yourself and we’ve been encouraging you to make your feelings known.  I’m sure this will backfire on us at some point...probably when you’re a teenager :-)  But for now, we really want you to say “no” every once and a while.  At preschool, your favorite activity is circle time songs, with your particular favorites being “Three Little Monkeys” and the “ABCs.”  Another favorite activity is “nastics,” aka gymnastics, where you are given a safe environment to fling yourself about without the potential of getting hurt.  You love your social time.  

There isn’t a challenge that we’ve asked of you that you haven’t been able to achieve.  When you got your leg braces earlier this year, you didn’t put up so much as a fight.  You accepted them so easily, almost seeming to understand how badly you needed them.  We call them “your special shoes.”  They have made quite the difference, making your legs straighter and helping you attain those last mobility milestones that you have worked so hard to accomplish.  You speak in 3-4 word sentences and I often need to translate for you with people who aren’t around you very much.  You are going to start a speech therapy program next week and I already know that in just a few short months, you will have achieved all the goals your new therapists have set for you.  I know this because that’s how you are...if we ask it of you, then you do it.  You are such a hard worker!  

I must say that this new phase of your life has been really, really fun.  The toddler times were pretty frustrating for you and us, but the closer you got to three the better we all seemed to understand each other.  Watching the world through your eyes has got to be one of the best parts of being your mama.  Your love for life, your desire to understand how things work, your sweet temperament, your energy, your determination...all these qualities and hundreds more are what I love about you.  I have learned more about myself in the three years of being your mama than at any other time in my life.  In the crazy moments of raising you, I have discovered what makes my life good, what makes my life worth living.  It is you.  Thank you for being our sweet boy.  Happy 3rd Birthday!!!

Love,

Mama and Daddy