To My Baby on His Birthday

Dear Oren,

I made this little photo collage of you for this post because this is exactly how I want to remember you at this age. The two pictures on the left are the face you make when you're about to do something bad and you know I'm watching, but you're gonna go ahead and do it anyway. (Standing on the edge of the bathtub and unrolling the toilet paper, respectively). The right two pictures are your reaction when you get caught. This pretty much sums you up.  

You live for destruction, chaos, laughter and adventure. You look for boundaries just to crush them, rules just for breaking. You are wild and impossible and adorable and silly. You are full of so much personality, it's hard to believe you fit it all in to that little two year old body of yours. You live in that cape you're wearing in these pictures, by the way. It's Wes's but you've pretty much claimed it as your own. You call it, simply, your "batman" and you need to be wearing it as close to 100% of the time as possible. I love this about you, for the record. You're a guy who knows what he wants.

Everyone that meets you loves you instantly. You are infectiously fun and by all accounts about the cutest thing in the entire world. Which is lucky for you because that face of yours is hard to stay mad at. (Believe me I know, I've tried.) But don't get me wrong, you're not all trouble. You can also be heart wrenchingly sweet and a mama's boy to boot. Where Weston was always happy to do his own thing and be off on his own, you are happiest up on my hip, arms wrapped tight around my neck. You're always crawling into my lap, hugging and loving on me, which is basically the best thing ever for a gal like me. You totally have my heart and you ain't letting go. I think we make a pretty good pair, you and I. I think we were made for each other.

At two years old you require a nightly massage before you even consider falling asleep. (I blame Abby for this one). We start with your back until you say "head" a couple minutes later because you like when I run my hands through your hair. After a few minutes of this you start to get pretty sleepy so you always switch it up by saying "belly".  After a little tummy rub I start trying to inch my way out of your room but you won't let me go before I massage each of your hands, individually. You hold one up and say "finnas" (fingers), then a minute later you stick the other outstretched palm up in to the air and pronounce "now that one!" Finally, you're ready for sleep. It's funny how you and your brother each have your own little preferences and routines, bedtime and otherwise. You're totally different kids, you and Wes, but still the best of friends. I hope that closeness lasts forever.

At two years old you also start every morning with a good old fashioned nursing session followed by a request to watch Batman, while wearing your "batman." Do you sense a theme here? You love watching the old 1960s live action Batman movie starring Adam West. You prefer it even over cartoons of batman for whatever reason. We watch it 1-17 times per day, depending. I think I about have every line memorized by now. And I gotta say that is one campy, hilarious movie. I mean the signage alone! Your taste in entertainment is already both impressive and ironic. Total baby hipster.

After a solid dose of Batman you wander towards the kitchen waving me to follow you in with a, "C'mon mom, show you what want." Which translates to: follow me to the pantry and I'll point at the candy bowl like I do every morning. After I deny you a piece of 6am candy you always try, "cookie?" next. When that doesn't work it's a few minutes of tears before finally resigning yourself to a bowl of oatmeal. Like I said, you know what you want.

And I hope this never changes about you. I do want you to develop patience and the ability to compromise (at least a little). But please don't lose this determination and strong sense of self. I like that you never give up. I like that every morning you wake up, watch Batman and ask for a piece of candy. The answer is always no, but tomorrow you're going to ask again. And I like that. I like that you go after what you want. There's a passion in you that I can already see beginning to manifest itself. At two years old I can see this whole person in you that's just starting to surface with ideas and wants and needs all your own. I love that you are totally you, 100% Oren, 100% of the time. And I hope that never changes, because you my little one, are pretty darn great.

Happy Birthday my sweet love,

Mama