2 years.

Arlo

Our Boy

2 years is all we have had together and it feels like only a short moment ago and they were placing you on my chest after your quick entry into our world. You have since held a piece of my heart, I gave it to you on that day. I look at you today with your golden hair, sun kissed feet, pouty lips and dark eyes and remind myself that today, in this moment, you are still my boy.

Your personality has grown and blossomed and even though you show most of the world your impassive attitude, those who are truly close to you get to see the real Arlo. You prefer to keep a distance from people, much happier playing on your own then in large groups. You are not impressed easily and I hope you grow out of that, I so wish for you to really enjoy life. We are only blessed with this one Arlo, this one chance to live, please take advantage.

Your hair is now golden blond and your eyes are dark with just the slightest hint of amber on the edges. You have thick legs and strong arms and the deepest dimples I've ever seen. You have the greatest laugh and even when you are being naughty and I hear it I immediately soften, it's a weakness.

You call my Mommy and usually say it with a growl. You consider all meal times "snacks" and you always say snacks with your nose scrunched up like the word smells bad. It's hysterical. You are obsessed with your "Linus" and insist that you have him while sleeping and eating your breakfast. You are not a morning person. You may wake up early but you are far from ready to start the day, in fact if we don't get you out of your crib you usually fall back to sleep. You have been requesting books at bedtime, your favorite is Little Blue Truck. We lay you down give you your book and Linus and soon we hear soft bear snores coming from your room. The snoring it kills me, it's one of my favorite sounds. You insist on sleeping with no shirt and have made it known that you hate having your diaper changed since the day you were born, this I'm chalking up to you being your father's son.

You love pasta, bread, potatoes, milk and chocolate, this you get from me.

You are most happy when you are playing with your sister and this is when we hear that sweet laugh most often, even when she isn't being very nice.

You give very little away boy, when it comes to how you feel or what you are thinking. You don't speak often but you do know many words, you just chose when and where to use them. You are the definition of the saying "a man of few words", which works because your dear sister is a woman of many.

You throw with your right arm and kick with your left foot. You get excited or calm down when you see sports on t.v.

One of my favorite things about you is how determined you are when learning something new. Climbing into your chair for meals, you would get so frustrated when I would try to help you; you now do it all on your own. You watched your Dad drop kick a ball and for 2 months straight that is all you did when you got a ball in your hands. You have settled on letting it bounce once on the ground and then kicking it, but you are still working on it.

You have a temper. It can get out of hand but when we let you work it out on your own you usually come out of it fairly quickly. We know that you need to learn to handle it on your own but we will always be there to help guide you when you need it. I believe that this will be one of the biggest struggles as you get older.

You are so guarded for a 2 year old and I hope you learn as you grow that it is far greater a pleasure to give love openly then to live so closed off from others. Arlo you have shown when you love someone you give them all of you and you don't hold back. You may be a hard egg to crack but once you are opened you bleed through into everything in that person's life and make it better.

I love you Arloboy, you have shed light into a very dark place in my heart that has been hard to touch for years. I'm not sure how you did it but I'm glad you did. Hearing your little voice through your room and seeing those dark eyes peek over your crib and that giggle that escapes when I pop my head into your room to say "good morning" is one of the best starts to my day. Your sister and I arguing over her outfit choices rank up there as well. I know you find your sister and my banter back and forth entertaining but you usually ignore us after a few minutes, typical man, you are learning quickly.

Know that we love you, all of us. You give Cece something to distract from her dramatics, her taking care of you makes her forget about her own needs and sometimes she desperately needs that. You have softened me beyond what I thought imaginable and am so grateful. Your Dad sees so much of himself in you and it makes him proud, it also makes him strive to be a better man, to show you what is to be expected of you. You have given each of us something that no one else could. All because of the boy God made you to be.

Happy 2 years darling boy.

We love you. We love you so much.