21 Months

Dear Baby,

My first-born, my darling boy. Your tiny voice fills my heart with joy and your little hands are always so busy. At just 21 months old, you amaze Daddy and me every day with something new.

When we go to the store, you greet each child with a cheerful "Haaayyy!" That is, right before you grab them for a thoughtful (although very aggressive) hug.

While we settle down for your naps and sing songs, you have Henry do the hand motions you've learned in Bible Study.

Bright and early each morning, you lean over your baby gate and whisper (sometimes not-so-quietly!) down the hall to me, "Maaaamaaaa!" followed up with "miiiillllkkkk!"

You can navigate the iPad better than me and Daddy combined. By yourself, you can also dial Grandpa on Skype, film videos of yourself, and choose which cartoon you'd like to watch on Netflix.

Right now, you can only count to the number 9 because that's how many innings are in a baseball game (your favorite book is the one about the Orioles, which teaches you about baseball).

You love to sing. And dance. And you dance like your Daddy. I hope you always love music and have it in your soul to sing to the Lord every chance you get.

You like to pray to Jesus at least twice every night before bed. Mama pray first, and you like to pray second, even if you just say "Dear Jesus." It makes me cry every time.

You could jump, do forward rolls and play "Ring Around the Rosie" all day long if we didn't have other things to accomplish, like building towers and knocking them down!

Every item in our house and all the places we go present you with a new climbing opportunity. The steps, your high chair, sister's crib, Daddy's ladder, the bumper of Daddy's Jeep, the railing at the swimming pool, etc.

Sometimes you fall asleep in your tent while reading a book. I'm ok with that, and love that you love to read now.

You love, LOVE to be "way-kid" (naked)! Every chance you get, you ask to be naked. After breakfast, before naps, in the middle of reading a book, on the way home from Nana's. You love to be naked so much so that you've figured out how to get out of your clothes by yourself. Some days after naps, I will find you reading a book in your tent completely "way-kid." Diaper and all.

It warms my heart to watch you grow, yet kills me at the same time. With your new, baby sister on the way soon, I have so cherished these times that we get to spend together, just Mama and Camden. I'm so blessed to spend every day, all day with you. And while you test all of my patience some days, you are still my boy, and you still give me the best hugs and kisses. There is nothing better than your sweet smile and your big, brown eyes looking up at me.

Be still my heart. And stop growing so fast.

XO

Mama