Happy Birthday, Bubba!

My baby isn't a baby. I'm in complete denial and today is the day that I can no longer be. When your "baby" turns one you can pass them off as your baby for a while longer. When that baby turns two, there's nothing you can do.

Two years ago I celebrated my own personal Mother's Day. I remember vividly walking out of the bathroom in my hospital room, stopping in the doorway and saying, "I just pushed a kid out." I was grinning from ear to ear. It didn't matter that my hooha hurt from the stitches or I couldn't sit because of "The Gang", I was on cloud nine. The day that I thought would never come, came. I was a mommy.

The first year flew by, as promised. I watched that tiny, helpless infant grow into a cute, (almost pudgy) wobbly toddler. Today I'm watching that same toddler change into a little boy right before my eyes.

His singsong-y little voice makes my heart melt, his giggle makes me giggle right along with him, his love for trucks, mud, tractors, and sports leave no room for denying that he's a boy through and through. (Or that he's his father's son.)
If there's a puddle, he's in it. If there's dirt, he's covered in it. If there's food, he's eating it and if there's a chance to rough house, he's certainly doing it.

This evening we celebrated that little boy with a farm themed birthday party. We feasted on sweet corn, baked potatoes, ham and baked beans. All of the slaving in the kitchen was worth it!

When we took a break from playing so we could open gifts, someone showed us his age. ;) ***Let me preface this by saying I was hesitant to even open gifts at that party. I was toying with the idea of just bringing them inside and opening them later.*** I knew that several of our guests were looking forward to seeing him open their gift so I caved. He wandered around the yard playing with "old" toys while a friend's little girl and I opened the new ones. He ran as fast as I've ever seen him run when we told him we'd opened a train though.

I sang "Happy Birthday" to my not-so-little boy while trying to hold back tears. There's just something about celebrating the birth of the child I never thought I'd have that makes me overjoyed.

Happy second birthday, buddy!

(Pictures to come)