To Our Big Boy On His Second Birthday!

Dear Noah (our "Little Bitty"),

Hi baby. I am posting this a month late because your Aunt Ashleigh just wrote a letter to Carter on his second birthday and it made me think that your daddy and I should write one for you too.

I look at you every day and can't believe how much you have grown in the two years we have been blessed with your presence. Even though your entrance into this word almost killed mama (not literally--don't worry)--56 hours of labor, it was worth every contraction. Your daddy and I are so proud of what you have accomplished in the last two years.

When the ultrasound technician told us that you were going to be born without a right hand, we were devastated. Never could we have know at that time how special you would be. You might not physically have that hand, but mentally, it has always been there for you. You have used, what we have lovingly come to call your "little hand," from day one. You crawled with it--no problems there, use it to push buttons, spin wheels, push cars around, rub your eyes, ears, nose (and other body parts), and you even eat with it. It might as well be a functioning hand. You have succeeded at everything you have set out to do so far. You are one determined little boy. If there was ever any doubt in my mind about how you would accomplish certain tasks without a right hand, you have proved me wrong time and time again over the last two years.

You make us laugh on a daily basis. Your personality is one in a million. The little things that you do are the most memorable:

Insist that all doors in the house are always closed
Speak your own "Noah Language" (more on that to come)
Only drink milk or water--nothing else.
Say "bye-bye" to air planes as they fly across the sky
Hand Granny the small trash can every time you go to her house because you know that you aren't supposed to get in it.
Say "choo-choo" followed by "uh-oh" every time we pull up to the train tracks at Grand Ave. because you know how mad mama gets when she gets stopped by a train (which is often)
Say "Go, go, go" regardless of whether you want us to go or come.
Beg for a "cook-coo" (cookie) 15 times a day.
Point out every turtle and frog at Grandma and Papa's house.
Say "No, no, no. No, no, no" every time we are going to Grandma Barbara's house because you know that you are going to see her dog, Kelsey, and that is what everyone always says to Kelsey.
Try so very hard to throw the ball for Harley; even though it doesn't go very far you are always so excited to throw it.
Talk to anyone on the phone using the the following dialog "Hi. Bye-Bye/See-Ya." **kiss sound**
Always want papa to take you outside to ring the chimes.
Always want papa to let you push the buttons and turn the wheels on the machines at the shop---oh and we must not forget trying on all the colored sunglasses that the shop sells as well.
Hand things that belong to people to them (such as keys, phones, sunglasses, etc.) while saying "here-a."
Jump from couch to chair to couch, to chair, to couch, to chair, to couch...you get the picture (**note this behavior is only cute in retrospect but not so much when you are actually doing it**)
Incessantly say "maaamaaa" when you want me to come to where ever you are in the house.
Insist that we go to Granny's house just so she will give you a graham cracker even though half the time it is right before lunch.
Say "uh-oh" if something isn't quite right.
Clap and say "Yea!" when something good happens on a show you are watching.
Whenever you want a kiss from someone, you very dramatically lean your head over so they will kiss the top of your head and then you follow it up with "sssssee ya!"
Find all the little strings on any blanket or piece of fabric you have (mainly your blankets), and rub them across your lips because you like the way it feels.
Pull up your shirt and pant legs and ask to be tickled ("cuckled") every time you get the chance.
Only let me brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush.
The two-eyed "wink" (something you have been able to do since you were 7 months old.)
Your size 7 1/2 foot.

You are a picky eater--always have been. You go through phases. For example you used to love broccoli and now you won't touch anything that is green. You don't like to eat foods that won't dissolve in your mouth. Because of this, you won't eat any type of meat on its own--we have to hide it in mashed potatoes or in cheese crisps. You love anything that is crunchy--especially cookies. You aren't really into sweets such as ice cream and cake; you only ate half of the cup cake we gave you on your birthday and you would rather eat the ice cream cone than the ice cream. Some days you surprise us and eat things like rice a roni, or tomato soup!!??! We are grateful for those days.

Your dexterity amazes us; it has since you were very small. You can successfully use a plate, bowl, fork, spoon, and straw. Our favorite trick of yours is how you can eat an entire bowl of cereal, the correct way, and then drink the milk out of the bowl and not spill a drop.

You are very happy little boy who enjoys life to the fullest. Some of the things that you particularly enjoy right now are:
TV:
The movie Cars ("brum, brum") and Finding Nimo ("Momo")
The Zula Patrol, Sesame Street, Curious George, and Word World
Toys:
Clicker head animals, Mega blocks (you are wonderful at building things), cars with spiral track, bubble lawn mower, play tools, balloons, and Lightening McQueen ride on car...just to name a few.
Shoes (which was your first word "choos").
Your blanket---you have 5 of the same style but they vary in color...you don't care though...as long as they feel the same, you're good.
Foods you will actually eat:
Pizza, mashed potatoes (this is were we hide the meat we want you to eat), eggs, egg salad sandwich, macaroni and cheese, fish, Kicks, Cheerios, apples sauce, mandarin oranges, and of course cookies!
Grandma and papa's house, Aunt Nia's house, and Grandma Barbara's house
Your car seat:
You have always enjoyed riding in the car. Every morning when we drive to Aunt Nia's for child care you see the same things and you always point them out, particularly the cars on the freeway, the train at Grand, and the balloons at the car dealerships.
Your Grandparents---especially Papa (sorry Grandma Marni and Grandma Barbara)
Your Daddy and Mommy--you say our names as often as you can
You have been sick several times over the past two years. You have had about 7 ear infections, and sinus infection, and croup. You get very grumpy when you aren't feeling well, but that is to be expected.

You aren't big on the talking yet but the words you know you say all the time, and you understand everything we say to you (that doesn't mean you always listen to everything we say). Some of your best words are, turtle, kitty cat, bye-bye, hi, see ya, mama, dadda, no, go-go-go, hot, moon, and poo-poo (just to name a few). Some of your most interesting "word creations" are, "oh-pah" (air plane), "new" (water/milk), "a bir" (bird), "a bo" (bear), "bahooo" (balloon), and many others.

Noah, there are so many other things I could tell you about yourself but this blog would take me a million years to write; in fact you would be able to read by the time I finished it. I will add to it as I remember other wonderful things about you.
You are such a big boy now and your daddy and I love you so much. You make us laugh, smile, and exercise patience every day. We look forward to seeing you grow for many years to come.

We love you!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy.