To Colton on your 2nd birthday,
Hi Bubs, it’s Mama.
And that’s not to say that once you were here you were a
difficult baby, but you certainly did not make things as easy on us as Chaela
did. You were given the nickname mister smiley early on because you hit the
milestone of smiling before we expected you to hit it. You also loved to sleep just like your
sister. But boy, when you wanted
something did you let us know by SCREAMING.
You had this ear piercing scream that I will never forget and sometimes
you still use those lungs when you’re upset!
I hope you know that’s what makes you special. Although I am sad that
you are losing your baby chubs and growing into a little boy, I am so impressed
with your strong opinions and how you’re never afraid to express them. You know what you want, when you want it and
you have no problem letting anyone know. You’re a strong willed person with a
twisted sense of humor (I’d like to think you get that from me, but I suppose
we can thank daddy, too.) You can also be quite shy at times when we go
somewhere new. I guess that’s the Gemini in you. You have two definite sides to
you. One that terrifies me, yet impresses me because you are so bold and so
brave and the other side that I adore because you can be so sensitive, sweet
and loving. 
Let’s talk about Elmo. In case we forget to tell you someday,
because believe me it’s hard to remember everything the second child does with
as much detail as we did with the first, let me tell you that you LOVE Elmo.
And I don’t just mean love like a child loves ice cream or cake. You have affection
towards Elmo unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He goes with us everywhere. You sleep
with him. He eats with you. He goes on car rides with you. You get snot on him.
He gives you hugs when you need them. You watch him on TV. He gets you through
dinners when we eat at restaurants. You guys have a real connection. I hope that you continue this sort of
affection with the friends you gain at school and throughout your life. It
shows me that you understand what loyalty is at such a young age. Elmo is your
homie now, but whoever gets you as a friend later in life - they are truly the
lucky ones and they will have that gross booger covered Elmo to thank. 
I love you so much, buddy. Sometimes I have more sympathy
than most would with you because I know you want to talk to me clearly, SO
badly. Lately you are a little tongue
tied with your words and that is very difficult for you. It is, however, very
funny because Daddy and I know what you mean to say, but sometimes it’s like
talking to a foreign exchange student. I am so excited and also a little scared
for the day that you figure out how to open your mouth and pronounce words
correctly. We will be in so much trouble when that day comes. Some other things I want to share with you before my memory fades away...
You may look innocent and cute, but you are also VERY
into wrestling and rough housing lately. You pounced on me like a cat the other
day, and while I was in shock and screaming "ouch" with laughter, your daddy said “Welcome
to having a boy, honey.” You have so much passion with everything you do.
Whether it’s singing a song or hugging me so hard that it turns into choking and pinching me, you put your full heart into everything you do. You even put
passion into your food. We know if you love something because you will hum
quite loudly as you eat it. And of course if you don’t like something you will
gag, scream and say “NO!” very clearly too. Your main food groups are: Pancakes, waffles, chicken, fish, ritz crackers, apple sauce and cookies. And all of these can change depending on what mood you are in and hopefully someday you'll expand from being so picky. 
Did you know you have the most amazing big sister in the world? She love you so much! She's been your number one fan since day one. Sometimes you make her crazy because she doesn't remember what it was like to be a little guy with no way of communicating too clearly, but she also has an incredible amount of patience with you. She loves to give you hugs, sometimes a little too tight, but you also give that love back to her ten fold with your random hugs and kisses that surprise us. It amazes me how you can be enemies and the best of friends all in one day. She'll sing to you when you cry, she'll level with you when you're being unreasonable and she'll even take baths with you despite her better judgement. There's few things that make me so happy as seeing the two of you together, even the times when you make each other crazy. I hope you know that she will always have your back. She is one tough chick.Can I tell you my favorite thing we do lately? When I put you to bed at night, you’ve been letting me rock you like a baby in my arms just like you used to when you were a newborn. It’s so special to me because I know you don’t like it, but somehow you understand
My wish for you as you turn two years old is very simple. I
wish for you that you continue to live your life with such outright passion. I
hope that you never stop expressing yourself, even if it seems impossible to
get your point across. And may you always remember that Mama will always be
there to give you big hugs and kisses – even when you become too cool for it
someday - I’ll still be the weirdo who will give you a million kisses all over
your face because your my bubs, buddy and little mister smiley always and
forever!!!
Love,
Mama
P.S. Someday you'll find out about those videos we did each month of your sister's first year of life and also about her 1 year old photo shoot. Pay no attention to that. Someday if you have kids of your own you'll understand that once you have two kids lots of things get trickier to do!! I hope this heartfelt blog and collection of pics from the last 2 years somewhat makes up for that!! XOXOXO
