Today, this little guy is TWO!
His laugh is contagious and absolutely adorable! He LOVES people, being outside, and his brothers very much! I know a lot of moms wonder how they're ever going to love child #2 as much as they love their first... and though it was never a really big worry for me, I am so grateful that God has provided such a unique personality in this little man... nothing left to chance that I could love him more than life itself, that he would be so unique and so different that the desire to compare wouldn't even be there! He is his own little person... a very strong child with a mind of his own and a tender spirit that makes everyone just smile when in his presence!
We haven't had his 2yr check up yet, but I can tell you that he is one BIG boy! He weighs in over 31lbs and wears size 3T in almost everything. Ryan is TOUGH! He has more bumps, bruises and cuts on his body than I ever would have thought would be ok on a kid his age... and most of them, we have no idea of the cause. He's into EVERYTHING and thinks that the world is truly his to explore (ie:destroy!). His nickname is Capt Destructo... as everything he touches seems to get destroyed... and he does it all with an innocent smile and says, "Uh-oh!" The world is his playground... and sometimes Grandma's house gets the brunt of his "force"!
Ryan's no longer our quiet one... he doesn't say a whole lot as far as vocabulary, but when he talks, the volume is pretty extreme. He loves to shout "Hi" to everyone, naming them individually when we are just hanging around. If there is a quiet moment, Ryan will fill it with shouting, "Hi Mama, Hi Dada, Hi Bubba (Logan), Hi Baby, Hi Didi (Dylan the dog)" with so much enthusiasm you can't help but smile... and we all say, "Hi Ryan" in return, of course! He can and will attempt to repeat most everything you ask him to say, but he's perfectly fine to make it through a day letting everyone else talk for him if they're willing... and he will simply answer uh-huh or no to all of your questions. :-) He's very smart and can follow all sorts of instructions, but it's very obvious that he spends a lot of his days "taking it all in" and we often wonder what kinds of things will come out of his mouth one of these days!
Ryan's current obsession is E-I-O... the song, any videos about the animals and any toys that are farm related. Several times a day he asks for "E-I-O" and is pretty adamant about his request. His party is Saturday and I cannot wait for him to see the cake and decor chosen to help satisfy his craving for everything farm related! It's getting a little old, but he loves it and we sing it daily... hourly if necessary!
Dear Ryan,
Oh what a joy you are to our family! You are my early riser (for sure!) but it's quite a joy to see your sweet face each morning when you are just thrilled to see whomever it is that will let you get out of bed. You love your routines... for starters, each morning begins with either Mickey Mouse or Old McDonald, with you eating a banana on the couch. When we are out of bananas, I go to bed a little worried about the next morning! You always want to know where baby and brother are when you wake up and we always answer with, "They're sleeping," because you are most often our wake up call!
You are ALL boy... in so many ways! You're a mess... when you eat, it's better if you're not wearing a shirt and ketchup is definitely a menu item for you! You're the toughest kid I've ever met and I look forward to seeing how this affects the path you take in life. You're a brutal force to be reckoned with when it comes to wrestling and playing, so there's definitely something natural about you becoming an athlete one day! You love anything that has to do with playing with a ball... and anything can be a bat or a golf club! Yes, even a pinwheel has been used as a golf club by you before. You can hit balls off of a tee like a 4 year old and it's pretty impressive to everyone that watches. Outside is your safe-haven and if outside isn't a possibility, lollipops can cure almost any ailment and curve almost any mood swing! Sometimes you want a lollipop or popsicle at 7am and you don't really appreciate mommy and daddy saying no, but you're two, so that's to be expected I guess!
You are such a sweetheart! You play independently so well and will often take a play break just to come over and give mommy a hug and a quick snuggle... then, you're quickly off again to finding your own trouble! You keep us all on our toes and when we can't see you and it's quiet, something messy is about to be discovered for sure. You are very much a momma's boy... there's no doubt about it! Other people can make you happy and take care of you as far as meeting your needs, but you don't like when I'm gone and I'm ok with that!
Adding you to our family 2 years ago has been one of the biggest blessings in my life! You are so loved and your personality is such a shining feature of our family! May you never doubt the blessing that you are and the love that we all have for you. You're developing into such a great big brother and J is very lucky to have you so close in age to him... someone he can follow and copy and learn all about life from! This next year is going to be so much fun and full of so many memories that let your personality really show its stuff... potty training and giving up the beloved paci, just to name a couple things! Wondering now how you're going to handle these BIG things, but for today, we'll just let you stay our Ryan Baby!
Happy Birthday to my "Sweet Boy"
Love you forever,
Mommy
