Titus: 2016 Wrap Up

Dear Titus,
at almost 5 years old...

• You have hit a growth spurt and you have outgrown all your 3T jammies (finally!) You weight 38 pounds and are very proud of that fact.
• This growth spurt also means you have been eating A LOT. A typical day for you involves two waffles for breakfast, a full lunch, an early afternoon snack, an early dinner (tonight was two hot dogs and two PB&J sandwiches) and then usually another second dinner before you head off to bed.
• Your favorite shows are Transformers, Blaze and the Monster Machines and Sid the Science Kid
• You love all things legos right now (lego toys, lego movies, lego games)
• You and Haddie have been SO MUCH BETTER. We went through a month or two where you did nothing but fight and nitpick and scream at each other, it drove me absolutely crazy. But now, for the most part, you play so well together and are inseparable.
• Every night at bedtime you tell me, "but I'm just not sleepy! I can't sleep!" and then you fall asleep 3-5 minutes later
• You are all about the poop jokes right now. And by jokes, I mean saying things like "Is your hair made of POOP??" and then laughing at yourself. I told you that poop jokes are for boys and you can only make them with Daddy and your guy friends.
• You are finally starting to understand when we are teasing you instead of always taking everything so literal (although you are still 100% literal with everyone else besides Daddy and me).
• You are currently obsessed with "wrapping presents" which consists of taking hot wheels or marbles and wrapping them in toilet paper and taping them shut.
• Your emotional control has gotten much better although you still have multiple outbursts a day where you are redlining over small things (usually things that have a simple solution but you get upset before you think to ask for help)
• You say that Brooks is your best friend and Brooks said, "I'm basically a part of your family, we're like brothers" which is pretty darn cute
• You are asking for bunk beds so that friends can stay over. We'll have to wait and see if I'm ready for that...
• You still love school although you don't like any of the craft projects (you get very frustrated because you are such a concrete thinker. Drawing things frustrate you, I think part of this is because you are a perfectionist. So when you have to draw a person you get really upset because you think it doesn't look right)
• We say the phrase "if you don't have something kind to say, don't say anything at all" quite a bit. Your four year old attitude has kicked in ;)
• You love having Haddie follow you around. You make up all kinds of games and activities and she does almost anything you want
• Anytime you trip you yell, "I don't LIKE our new house!" even though you just fell because you lost your balance
• You are really into legos 
• Anytime a kid is doing something you don't like you yell, "NO MA'AM!" even if it's a boy
• You love watching daddy play football on the Xbox even though you don't really ever want to actually PLAY football.
• You still make a "d" sound instead of "th" (weather = wedder, another = anudder)
• You are obsessed with the weather and ask Siri for an update about a dozen times a day. 
• Every morning you wake up at 7 and are allowed to play with the iPad. Around 7:30, Haddie will start calling our, "Titus! Titus!" And you go down and crawl in her crib and play with her until I come in. 
• You ask permission all the time, even about things like taking your shoes off or jumping in a puddle. I love this about you! It's so respectful and sweet. However this does not apply when you are angry or frustrated and you could care less what I think ;)
• You say, "you know what I was thinking?" All the time, and then you pitch me an idea like getting donuts or playing gator golf. 
• We call you Captain Safety because you are ALL about everyone being safe and you keep us all in line

We love how different you and Haddie are, which also makes it really fun that you love to play together. She is girly and artistic and hates to be alone. You love building and drawing mazes and you need to have alone time during the day. But you still have the sweetest laugh and you are finding your own sense of humor and making a lot of silly jokes. I am really soaking up these days with both of you home because in eight more months you will start Kindergarten! I am so thankful for this time with you before you get so big. You were the first I ever rocked to sleep and you are still the last one I check on before going to bed every night (old habits die hard).

Titus: Summer 2016 update

Dear Titus,

 At 4 years old...

• You must be going through a growth spurt because you are eating all the time. You are wearing 3T things and have outgrown everything 2T (which is a big deal for you!)
• You rarely take naps anymore (maybe once or twice a week) so we try to get you to sleep by 8/8:30. If you take a nap, it may be more like 9/9:30 before you fall asleep. 
• When you don't nap, I lay you down for 30-45 minutes of "rest" and you usually make up Rescue Bot stories with your stuffed animals the whole time
• You try the same excuses to get out of bed every night. 
1. I need to go potty
2. I'm still hungry (no matter how much you've eaten)
3. Wait wait wait, I NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING! (it's never important)
• You like to sing, "Hangin tough!" because Daddy sang it to you once and you thought it was funny. You also sing the Nationwide Car Insurance jingle with Nanay ("Nationwide is on your siiiiide!")
• Your L's still sound like W's
• You refer to all kids and babies younger than you as "her" or "she" even if it's a boy
• Out of nowhere you developed this really thick southern accent. A lot of one syllable words have become two syllables for you 
• When you are getting in trouble you will start fake giggling and cover your mouth, I can't tell if you are doing it to be defiant or if you are trying to make me laugh so you don't get in trouble. Either way, it can be pretty infuriating.
• You talk about, pretend, watch, tell stories about Rescue Bots ALL THE TIME. As much as I get tired of watching the same show, I am glad you've found something you like to pretend when you play by yourself.
• When you pretend to be a Rescue Bot you call yourself "Hokeekeewah" and then transform into objects (car, boat, vacuum, drill...)
• You are really missing school and keep asking when we get to go back
• I overhear you trying to explain things to Haddie a lot and it's really funny ("No Haddie, we don't put the blocks on the kitchen set! The blocks go in the toy box, silly.")
• You love watching YouTube videos about tornados
• When you have to go to timeout or I get you in trouble you like to growl because you know you're not allowed to talk back. You are learning the hard way that is also considered disrespectful.
• Your favorite activity with Daddy is building our large USA map
• Your infatuation with getting under Haddie's skin has only gotten worse. You spend a lot of time playing in your room alone because you can't keep your hands to yourself. Or worse, you like to steal her toys and run away, teasing her because she can't catch you
• You LOVE swimming. Like, obsessively love it. Last year it still kind of scared you, but this year you've been so happy to wear the floaties and even jump off the diving board all alone
• You have learned to buckle yourself into your carseat and are so incredibly proud
• Your favorite foods are raspberries, PB&J, pickles, pepperoni, ice cream and applesauce
• Most of your stories include "My best friends, Brooks, Garrison, Maddox and Rozy"
• We are really working on "obeying the first time." I will tell you, "go back to bed please" and I'll have to repeat myself. Then when I get off the couch and you know  you're in trouble, you say, "I'm doing it now!!!" and hope that will keep you out of trouble. 
• I hear you tell Haddie a lot, "no ma'am!" because you love making her reinforce the rules
• You frequently pretend to be a Transformer named "Hokekewah" who transforms into a vacuum cleaner, car, drill, and many other things.
• You LOVED the beach so much! Your favorite activity was to put on your floaties and go with Daddy to where the waves were breaking and take them in the chest. Sometimes they would splash you in the face or even knock you over, but you loved every second of it!
• Your love to draw robots on your magnet board, along with lots of spelling and some "Spanish words" (which are mostly just scribbly lines
• You have developed a fear of thunder so now anytime you think it's going to storm you panic and run inside

I can't believe at this time next year we will be preparing to send you off to kindergarten! I'm still in denial. I don't know what Haddie and I will do without you around! The other night you spent the night at Mimmy and Nanay's house and Haddie kept walking around and checking all of our rooms, saying, "Bubba? Ty-tis?" Even though you don't always get along, she can't imagine a day without you and neither can I. I love seeing you use your imagination to set up pretend situations with your Rescue Bots, the way you draw marble machines and mazes on your drawing board, and hearing you suggest a plan for the day, followed by, "Does that sound like a good idea?" We love you so much, I am so thankful for this final year at home with you!

Haddie: 2 year update

Dear Haddie,

At 2 years old...

• You weigh 26 pounds, are 33 inches tall and wear 2T clothes (sometime still 18-24m because you're very petite)
• Your favorite foods are cheese, crackers, pizza, pepperoni, baby food pouches, bananas, waffles, cheerios, yogurt, fruit gummies, and carbs.
• If you see me with a Coke you whiiiiiiiine and whine and whine until I share with you
• You don't run, you prance. Sometimes I call you Fancy Prancy.
• You are finally doing better about dropoffs, you only cry occasionally at church or school
• You sleep like a teenager. You have been sleeping from 7:30-8ish and take a 2+ hour nap ever day. 
• you get VERY jealous when I'm holding anyone else, including your brother. If you're on my lap and he tries to join us you push him off 
• You are finally leaving your ponytail/pigtails in, yay! For a few hours at least, and then you pull them out
• You don't like for me to mess with your accessories. Coats and shoes must be left on at all times (including at school)
• You walked around the house drinking out of your sippy cup and spitting it on the floor. It is so gross but you think its hilarious. You also like to dump your yogurt shake on the table which earned you your first (and only) real spanking 
• You are pretty athletic. Not only are you not scared of many things at the playground, but you seem to run/climb/slide pretty easily!
• You love babies and point them out wherever we go, but you pronounce it like the French word, Bebe, which is so adorable
• You love finding my lip gloss or Chapstick so you can pucker up while and have me put it on you
• You only get your pacifier for sleep or the car and as long as you don't realize I took it away, it doesn't usually seem to bother you
• Your favorite toy is the water table outside
• If you find dog poop in the yard you will squish it in your hands (GROSS)
• You carry a purse around with all your treasure in it (usually a pacifier, lego baby, and a cell phone)
• Brother picks on you sometimes, but you've learned how to milk it. Even if he barely or accidentally runs into you, you start whining like he hurt you really bad
• You are in a real "mommy's girl" stage. You only want me to hold you and you cry if I even put you in the carseat and don't climb into the driver's seat immediately

Sometimes I just look at your Daddy and say, "look how adorable Haddie is! I just can't get over it!" But it's true, your sweet little dimple and big blue eyes frequently catch me off guard when I see you smiling at me in the rearview mirror. Grandma Susie says you like to "keep us busy" which is a sweet way of saying you are into everything! Which is true :) But that is one of my favorite things about you, how adventurous you are. It's pretty rare to find you a) bored or b) afraid to try something out. You will follow Titus around and do everything he does and more! And if you fall down, you usually just get back up and keep going. Plus you are very easygoing and rarely get demanding (unless you want your pacifier, then you are ruthless), so for the most part, not much seems to bother you. We love you to the moon and back, baby love!

Titus: 4 year update

Dear Titus,

At 4 years old...

• You weigh 33 pounds, measure 37 inches tall and wear 3T clothes (pants are still too long and your waist it tiny!)
• You go to bed around 8:15/8:30 but don't usually fall asleep until 9:00. You wake up around 6:30 most days, but know to stay in your room until your OK to Wake alarm light comes on at 7:00.
• When daddy is singing the same song over and over again you say, "Daddy, sewiouswy!" (which is also something mommy says)
• You start most sentence with "how abouuuuttt..." Or "Hey, I have an idea!"

• You say, "oh, c'mon!" to a lot of things, mostly inanimate objects ("oh, cmon blocks! Stand up already!")
• "being funny" is a big thing for you. After you knock over a tower or jump off a stair you will say, "was that funny?"
• When school was out for Spring Break you were pretty devastated. Lately you have become really interested in compost/gardening and recycling because you learned about them at school
• You really struggle with bedtime and naptime and not wanting to go to sleep, but we have started using a timer to let you know when it is time to go to bed and that has helped a lot
• You love watching videos in Spanish
• You are SO competitive. Everything is about winning right now 
• When you and Daddy build with the Jenga blocks you always request him to make the "Entire State Building"
• You say that everything hurts. Putting on your shirt, getting your hair washed, taking shoes off...
• You really like to mess with Haddie which drives me crazy. You just get in her space and make noises or poke her or whatever buttons you know she would hate having pushed
• You are SO literal. You had a book parade at school where everyone dresses up like a book character and you said that couldn't happen because it's not Halloween (then told me you wanted to be a TV for Halloween). You were also really thrown off by your birthday party being on April 2nd but your actual birthday not being until the 10th
• You run through the house yelling, "look! I'm running adagio!" (The word for "fast tempo" you learned from Little Einsteins)
• Your favorite excuse for getting out of bed is "I need to tell you something." This often happens at 5:30/6am and you are either 1) still half asleep and talking about your dream ("Haddie ate my sausage roll. I left it on the table and then she ate it all gone!!!") or just something you make up so you don't have to go back to sleep ("I had to blow my nose, here's my Kleenex")
• You're really into "forever" right now. "Will I be in timeout forever? Is Brooks going home forever? Will daddy be at work forever?"
• You are a savorer. It takes you 4 bites to finish a single m&m. 
• You are the justice police, constantly going around getting other kids in trouble for breaking rules or making other kids cry
• You nap 3-4 days a week, but on the days you don't nap, you do a good job of making up pretend games in your bed with your pillows and stuff animals
• You still get overstimulated and need quiet time to calm down. When something isn't working right or you don't get your way you still get very emotional and it's hard to get you to take a breath and listen. But once you calm down it's much easier to communicate.
• You respond really strong to other's people's emotions. You don't really care if I threaten to get you in trouble for disobeying, but if I tell you your bad choices are hurting my feelings or look like I'm going to cry you immediately change your behavior and come give me a hug and apologize.
• "How does _____ work?" is a big thing for you right now. How does breathing work? How do germs work? How does water work in your body? How do toots work? How do cars work? How does running work? How does the sun work?

One of the biggest changes in you over the last few months is how rough you are! You are always wanting to wrestle or tackle or jump around. You say that your favorite thing to do with Daddy is to wrestle and your favorite thing to do with Mommy is to cuddle. That's the way I like it! Save the rough housing for when Daddy gets home. Sometimes you try to do it with Haddie, too (it's not a surprise for me to hear her crying and come in the room to find out you tried to take her out at the knees). Sometimes you just growl or roar for no reason, just because you have too much energy and aggression built up. That's when I bundle you up and send you outside! On the other hand, you are still a major softie, too. You are so sweet to tell us how much you love us and ask to cuddle throughout the day. You also give hugs to almost anyone who walks in the door! Your stories are endless and you are funny without meaning to be. Your stubborness can be tiring sometimes, but we are praying that it will make you a great leader some day. We are so proud to be your mommy and daddy. I love you to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond, forever and ever!

Titus 2015 Wrap Up

Dear Titus,
At almost 4 years old...

• You are still pretty small for your age, which I think has helped me stay in denial about how old you're getting :) You wear 2T in pants and 3T in shirts, although those can be too big for you sometimes.
• You're really interested in directions right now. Are we turning right or left? Which direction are we driving?
• Your favorite toy is the marble tower we got you. You make all kinds of "machines" with the pieces and like to watch YouTube videos of marble runs that other people have created
• You also really like drawing "machines" on your drawing board and they are usually replicas of marble machines you have seen on youtube.
• Another favorite activity is anything that is arts and crafts. You got a paint spinner for Christmas and you ask to use it at least once a day every day (it's basically a piece of paper that you put paint on and spin it, then it turns into a tie dye pattern of sorts). You call it your "paint machine" because everything is a machine right now!
• Your favorite drink is chocolate milk and your favorite foods are pickles, tomatoes, pizza, french fries, almost all berries, cereal, waffle with peanut butter and popsicles (of course!) You have recently started being a much better eater, requesting things like salad, peas, broccoli, or other "vegabulls" (which generally means stir fry veggies). I have been very impressed with your willingness to try healthy food!
• You LOVE school (Mother's Day Out). You have been so upset over Christmas break that we haven't gone to school at all.
• You love to play a game called "You Better Run" with Daddy, where Daddy says, "you better run!" and then you take off down the hall and he tries to hit you with a ball and you fall down. Then you switch and try to hit daddy AND YOU BOTH LOVE IT.
• You have moved from fit throwing to whining, and I definitely think I might have liked the fit throwing better. I have learned that every new age has it's own stage, but this is one that I'm ready to leave behind!
• You really like to reinforce the rules with Haddie, it's like having a 3rd parent around (except you are even more strict than we are! ha)
• You still don't really like it when anyone sings or dances around you (especially if it's loud)
• You went through a phase where you were afraid of monsters and would wake up having nightmares, thankfully that has passed for the most part (sometimes there are still scary shadows)
• Your favorite movies/shows are Team Umizoomi, Little Einsteins, Curious George, Madagascar: Penguins Movie, and Horton Hears a Who
• You get VERY stir crazy if we don't get out of the house every day. I can already tell we are going to have to get creative this winter!
• Bedtime routine has gotten much easier but you are really fighting naptime now. You probably skip your nap at least twice a week so instead I let you have "quiet time" in your room where you either build machines with your marble run or play your letter apps on the iPad.
• You tell me that your best friends are Garrison, Brooks and Rozy
• Our current discipline struggle is learning to obey the first time. Especially when you are told to go to timeout, you try to run to the other parent and have them "save" you from timeout (all while screaming). Big no no.
• You are in an extra cuddly phase. You are always climbing into my lap or asking for longer snuggles at bedtime. Today I was doing my makeup and I heard you call out from the living room, "Mommy, will you come cuddle with me?" You literally want to hug and cuddle and snuggle on the couch ALL THE TIME. I love it forever.
• You still have trouble not losing control of your emotions when you are frustrated, but usually a hug, a deep breath and some "quiet time" on my lap or in your room helps you calm down. You have gotten better at expressing yourself with words instead of just exploding when you're upset
• Your favorite book right now is Dragons Love Tacos
• You say "chechup" instead of ketchup and it's adorable. I also love hearing you stretch your vocabulary and say things like "humongous" for the first time
• You have FINALLY realized it's nice to say "I love you too" in response to someone saying I love you. It's so cute and lovely and I try to squeeze it out of you at least 5 times a day

Before I go to bed at night I always come in and check on you (mostly because you rarely ever have the cover on and 50% of the time are sideways or upside down in your bed). But after I tuck you in I always push your hair out of your face and kiss your sweet cheeks. This is the only time where I catch a glimpse of the baby you used to be; the chubby little cheeks, the dimples in your hand, the way you curl up with your stuffed broccoli. Sometimes I slip my hand in yours and even in your dreams you squeeze my hand right back and pull me close to you. We love you to the moon and back, little man.

When Are You Going to Have Another Baby?

Titus is 3.5 years old and Haddie is 1.5 years old and we have reached the point when people start asking us, "soooo.... Are you thinking about having another baby?" I get it, I really do, because we have always wanted a third and it's about the time that conversation begins (and the time that feeling in my momma heart starts to think a baby sounds cute and squishy and doable again). But the thing I can't get out of my mind, the thought that chases me down and grows into a softball size lump in my chest is this: I'm not ready to have another baby because I'm not ready for my first baby to grow up. 

We have been discussing timelines and birth orders and relationships between siblings... (All of which only matters slightly since we probably won't actually be able to "schedule" when we get pregnant, I trust that God is bigger than any Type A plan I might come up with). But if I'm being honest, like 'don't-like-to-say-it-outloud-because-it-hurts-me honest,' I struggle with the timeline discussion because it always goes like this: "well if we had a baby in X amount of time, then Haddie would be X old and Titus would be X old." There are a lot of practicals that go into this 'distance between siblings' discussion (as a SAHM, can I handle 3 at home? Will Haddie be potty trained? Am I getting enough sleep currently to even consider adding an infant?) But one of my main struggles in fully committing to a third is that honestly the idea of Titus being old enough to go to school kills me and make me want to crawl into his bed every single night and sleep there forever. 

Right now we're in this sweet spot; he can communicate and obey (if he's in the right mood), play independently, he's an incredibly sweet and protective big brother and most importantly to his mommy, he thinks I've hung the moon. Every machine he builds, every "marble city" he imagines, every bedtimes story he dreams up, he's always begging me to participate in. But in just 18 more months (oh my, literally felt chest pains typing that, ugly cry about to begin) he will start school and spend more waking hours with someone else rather than me. All of his excited exclamations and creative thoughts and funny observations, those won't be exclusively mine anymore. And it kills me because even on the hardest days, that's MY baby.

So what does this have to do with the possibility of baby #3? I guess in some far off corner of my mind that is usually buried under rationality and practicality, I'm putting off thinking of baby #3 because I'm hoping baby #1 (and baby #2 when she stop feeling like a baby) will just stay little forever and always be more excited to see me than anyone else on the earth. It's easy to be in denial about how quickly your kids are growing up. But when you sign up for another pregnancy, you commit to a very firm 9 month timeline in which you know exactly what will happen: everyone, mommy, baby in utero, and older siblings, will get bigger and older. You can't help but shift attention to the newest arrival that will require so much of your time and energy in the beginning, which inevitably divides what you can offer to those around you. 

If there has been one phrase I've caught myself saying lately it's this: motherhood is weird. It's honestly such a melting pot of emotions, ranging from "I'm about to pull my hair out if you jump on my head/stomach/leg one more time" to "that giggle you've had since you were a baby will forever undo me- never, ever change." It's weird. It's everything and all the things, happening in the very same moment. You can't dissect it and you can't control it, it's an unconditional heart-bursting love while also being a crazy strong desire to be be selfish and left alone (especially when you need to use the bathroom). 

But this I know, I have less than a year and a half left with my first baby (whether we have a new baby or not) and I get to choose what those days look like. As much as I'd like to say otherwise, I'm sure some of those moments will be impatient and frustrated and angry. But my hope is that what my sweet baby boy remembers are the days when his mommy climbed under the covers at naptime and read him book after book and tickled him until neither of us could breathe anymore. That the picture in his mind would be of me building hundreds of marble towers with him and clapping and cheering when we finally got it right. That the soundtrack playing in his dreams would be daddy's record player blaring Christmas music while we dance like uncoordinated fools in the living room. 

To my forever baby; I love you to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond, forever and ever. Once day you will grow up and maybe be a big brother to many, but you will always be the first to capture my heart in a way I didn't know was even possible. 

Psalm 113:9

He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!

{Photos courtesy Courtney Halligan Photography}

Titus: 3.5 years

Dear Titus,
At 3.5 years old...

• You weigh 30 pounds and wear 3T clothes, although they are still pretty big on you
• You like to ask me questions you know the answer to just so that I will say, "I don't know Titus, why does _________?" and then you will tell me.
• Sleep is a battle. Now that you are potty trained you use that as an excuse to get out of bed. We have been fighting you for sleep for the last few months, you are so stubborn! 
• You have started skipping the occasional nap which is so sad for me. Both because it means you're growing and because it means I'm losing my mommy time :) But most days you take a nap around 1:30 for an hour or so.
• You are so proud of being potty trained and you wouldn't wear pull-ups at night time even at the beginning.
• You love going to Mother's Day Out ("School"), and you said your favorite part is playing with play-doh
• You are very concerned about stoplights. You alert me what color it is when we pull up and panic when I turn right on red (how do you describe that legal maneuver to a 3 year old?!)
• You are actually very concerned about rules in general. I hear a lot of, "no Haddie, we don't eat rocks." or  "No Haddie, we don't touch the lamp, you could break it." You are definitely my firstborn rule follower. It is not uncommon for you to correct other kids too!
• We have worked a lot on "having a happy heart" instead of a bad attitude and Daddy showed you what your face looks like when you throw a fit (mean eyebrows) vs. what your face looks like when you are happy (happy eyebrows). You LOVED this little trick (daddy's best parenting move to date!) and frequently tell other kids to have "happy eyebwows" when they are throwing fits
• You really have gotten so much better in the areas of respect and discipline. Generally speaking, you have transitioned into an easier phase of obedience. It definitely took some hard work and growing pains to get us there, but I am so thankful of how much you are trying to do the right thing.
• You really like "writing songs" on your writing board (sort of like music notes) and then singing them to me. When you are finished singing it to me you will say, "do you remember it? Sing it back to me." And I never do it right!
• You are currently obsessed with a marble erector set that we bought you. Every day you want to build new marble runs but you get really frustrated when it doesn't work the very first time you try it
• You are an easy laugher just like your daddy. I have prayed so many times that you would have a joyful heart just like him and I love how you both find the fun in little things.
• We are really working on not freaking out and throwing a fit when something doesn't go right. I will hear you screaming from the other room and assume you have broken a bone and when I get there I'll realize that you couldn't get your Q to look right on your board.
• Your favorite activity is playing "Gater Gowf," you ask to go play like 5 days a week
• You are somewhat of a picky eater, but you will never turn down a burger, pizza, PB&J, pickles, or string cheese. Right now you are obsessed with eating tomatoes!
• Your favorite book right now is called The Prince Won't Go to Bed
• When Haddie wakes up in the morning you are the first one in her room and tell me "I can't get her out of the crib because I'm too stwong" (because when you've tried to "get her out" before you just ended up squeezing and squishing her in the crib)
• You have learned to say a lot of the words you used to say incorrectly which makes me so sad because I loved your baby lisp! But you still say "bwu-yew" for W, which makes me smile every single time
• You are really interested in the solar system right now
• You love to hold my hand when we are walking or go places or even when we are just watching TV. You also ask me to give you a hundred kisses before you go to bed at night
• We recently started reading I'll Love You Forever and you will whisper in my ear when I tuck you in, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my Mommy you'll be." Definitely makes me cry!

I couldn't dream of a better big brother for Haddie than you, Titus. You are so protective and sweet and considerate of her. You hate to hear her cry and when she gets hurt you will hug her or give her your favorite toy or put her paci in her mouth. You're adorable together and you say she is your best friend. Every time you hug her I think my heart might burst! But even outside of being a big brother, you are just such a wonderful little boy. I love how much you are concerned for everyone's safety and every single thought that comes out of your brain makes me laugh or feel impressed that you could even imagine it up. You are also stubborn and fiesty and passionate (I describe you as "emotionally vibrant" because everything you feel you FEEL), and all of it makes me feel so incredibly blessed that God chose me to be your mommy. Seriously, I don't say that lightly. I look around some days and can't even fathom how I got so lucky to be yours forever. I love you to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond, forever and ever.