Happy 2nd Birthday Jax

Dear Jax,

It seems "better late than never" is going to be a very common saying around this house. You turned 2 over a week ago. I must have thought a million times this week what I wanted to write to you. I thought about holding feelings back for the sake of not hurting yours later down the road. I decided to be brutally honest about your 2nd year in  hopes that you will get a laugh at it when one day you are a dad yourself.

Well, lets not get to ahead of ourselves. Shortly after you turned 1 you started walking. This was such a great year for you. You were always so content and just such a quiet baby. You would just watch your surroundings and observe. We figured it was because you had an older brother who took every single opportunity to steal the spotlight.

When you were 14 months old we welcomed your baby brother into our home. You weren't quiet sure what to think. I don't think you noticed to much. In the following months he grew on you and you started trying  to take care of him. You would give him a bottle, help change his diapers, and were always kissing on him. I know you two are going to have such a special bond.

Once you started approaching 2 things started taking a little bit of a turn. YOU my precious, innocent, quiet child had to have your first spanking. Oh my goodness it broke my heart as well as yours. I barely taped your hiney and the puppy dog look came on your face and tears started streaming down your cheeks. I begged you never to do anything bad again cause I never wanted to discipline you again. Well that week was the first week I really ever heard you scream and throw a fit. Scratch that..it WAS the first time you ever threw a fit. I remember one instance where I wanted to go shopping. You were always the EASIEST one to take shopping. You would simply sit in the stroller and just look at everything. This time was different and the change into the TERRIBLE twos!!! I was with your Grandma and we went to Ross. You screamed and threw a fit the entire time. I ended up leaving the store and went  home and cried.

One more thing you do now that is so unlike my sweet little baby is, you REFUSE to take pictures. I mean no matter how hard we try, how much we bribe you, you will NOT sit for a picture and if we point a camera in your face you always have an angry look. In fact, on your 2nd birthday each time I went to take a pic you said, "NO MAMMA" The picture at the top of the blog is the only smiling picture I have of you on your birthday. You can tell that I snuck that picture of you.

With all the terrible two stuff said and done let me say that you are still such a sweet boy. You are still quiet. You don't really talk yet and that is ok. You are taking your time. You LOVE LOVE your daddy and Grandpas. You will definitely be a mans kinda man.

This year has been a great one with you and I have loved holding your hand and kissing your cheeks every step of the way.

You are so precious to me, I pray you never forget that!

Forever your mamma.....