Just the "3" of Us: Terrible 2's? I don't think so.

I was just about to call the pediatrician when my husband reminded me that Christian’s poop was green because he had green icing all over his tractor birthday cake. So I was spared from having to explain to the medical staff that our 2-year-old had fully morphed into the Hulk – even though Christian would have preferred the Hulk version.

Long story short, the inevitable happened. Our son turned 2, despite my well-intended prayers to keep him at 1 for just a wee bit longer. The night of his very first pre-birthday bash sleepover with the boys, I was trying to console him after another bedtime tantrum. There I am rocking him and talking to him, describing what the next day would hold in a soft and soothing voice – celebration, cousins, presents, cake, balloons… And by the end of my story, he had drifted off on my chest. And my own tears were silently streaming. I spoke to God and just thanked him, with all that is in me, for this little boy. And even though I had made no empty promises to control myself at Toys R Us, I assured Him that above all, Daddy and I would never fall short in understanding the true meaning of our son's celbration of life. And that we, of all people, are eternally grateful for the gift that Christian simply is.

And so the celebration began the next day with pancakes and much needed rough housin’ with the boys.

Construction zone was the theme - the birthday banner is officially a tradition!

Cooking is truly a labor of love :)

Da boys...

...or as Christian likes to call them "cousins!"

You can get away with just about anything when you're the "littlest" one!

Bouncing off the walls and it wasn't even 8 am yet

And of course...

... there will always be...

... good eats!

Yummy.

My mama. Christian's "Ma."

Tio Jojo was a great chaperone!

Sippin like the big boys!

What is it with little boys and wanting to be outside no matter HOTTTT it is!

Staying hydrated nonetheless.

Actin up!

And the birthday boy approves of the cake!

Christian was a great sport at the party... despite his hermit crab tendencies like his Daddy.

Daddies were made for this stuff :/

Cousin Miya

Mommy and Great Granny

Cousins Natasha, Gracie and Tink

"Psst, Christian, what do you think about the party so far??"

Meredith and Natasha

Uncle Dre

Auntie Jess - acting weird... as always.

Granny and Mommy

The wonderful Linebarger Family!

And it was time...

With a little moral support, Christian managed a baby blow at the candles.

The parental units secured the final attempt.

And so far, being 2 years old is wonderful!

Voted "The Shortest" and "The Tallest" !!

Christian got the hang of it very quick and was blessed, blessed, blessed with many awesome gifts!

Just a little hug??

And Daniela took measures into her own hands. Christian was just too slow.

Granny and Dada

Tia Nessa's bossoms make great pillows :)

Cousin Meredith

Cousin Gracie

Cousin Bree-Bree

Cousin Dree-Dree

Crazy cousin Zyrein

Cousin Isaiah (aka Scooter) or as Christian likes to call him "Cooters"

Cousin Maudre

Isabella...

... sister Daniela...

... and mommy, Mary!

Nay-nay!

Cousin Jamar

Uncle Dre

Uncle Tris

Granny

DADDY!

Tia Exa lee

Cousin Frankie

Cousin Matt

Tio Jojo

Tia Denise

Cousin Vicente

Grandpa!

Cousin baby Estella :)

Cousin Emily

Cousin Toni

Tia Lena

So after all the party patrons were gone and Christian had a little time to relax, we surprised Christian with just a few more presents : )

Christian's very own yellow bus! The yellow bus has not only just been an object of Christian's affection over the last six months, it was also on of the first two words he put together, right after "Elmo Daddy."

The highly recommended Learning Tower! Christian's independence in the kitchen just increased 10x!

Vacuuming is a man's job in our house :)

What's that???

And he runs to it... the grand finale..

His very own jeep!

They didn't make em like this back in our day...

Taking the homies for a cruise :)

The morning after. Making room for all the toys! The end.

Daddy's Day 2010

I don't waste much time thinking about how my life would have turned out without my dad in my life nor have I ever pretended to understand what it is like. By the grace of God, the best of the best was chosen for me. And despite the fact that 9 times out of 10 when I call Dad, I'm asking to talk to Mom, I simply love having an option.

Dad,

I say this every year,

but you were the first man to love me

and you'll always have my heart in your hands

I love and remember everything you have taught me and continue to instill within me

Your presence in my life brings me comfort

and a peace that is so deep,

I see it in my son's eyes

Thank you for being in love with being a father

I love you

I am you

I never knew who was going to sweep me off of my feet or what he looked like. I couldn't tell you what kind of job my dream guy would have or where he lived or what kind of car he drove. I never fantasized about what my wedding dress would look like, where I would say my vows or how my groom would be dressed on that day. All I ever knew is what kind of father he would have to be. I already had a standard and the rest were just details.

Aside from being my companion in life, Damion has taken his place amongst the elitist continuum that we call great fatherhood. Some days I think that Damion knew all his life he was born to be a wonderful father and that now, he's just following the script; it is that natural for him. I adore him for not just stepping forward to receive the blessing we know as parenting, but for doing so with the condition that his way of being a man and a father would have to change everything. That is how hard he loves his family. Reminds me of someone I know...

And as if that wasn't enough, we have the calvary. God knows it takes a village, but there's something particularly unique in the way we must raise our men. Hence one of my favorite quotes, "it is better to build boys than to mend men." To be the best, you must run with the best. I would like to thank the men that continue to show up in our son's life. Whether it be the protective arms that he feels, the rough housin' that he gets, or just the strength in your voices, Christian will be a better man because of you and he will have a better life because you are in it. Thank you for giving our son people to look up to. A few photos to reflect upon...

For the last couple of years now, Damion's birthday (which is always the same weekend as Father's Day), seems to jive with Apple's release dates. I've been working on the same complaint email to Mr. Jobbs for the last three years now - ever since the release of the iphone 3a or 4b or 2i ... whatever it's called. So I'm positive that Christian and I could have polished a rock, put it in a bag and Daddy would have loved it - as long as there was a new iphone in the same bag. But we celebrated nonetheless.

White chocolate berry cake has been a tradition for 10 years... we may have to go up to a half sheet to accommodate all the candles for Daddy's next birthday!

The boys got to gang up on Damion for his birthday :) What a great sport he is!

Cheese cousins!

Christian and Maudre cheesing hard!

There were plenty more reasons to celebrate these last few months with ample opportunity to gather with family and bond.

The bride and groom on their golden anniversary - congratulations Uncle Nap and Tia Yoyo!

Uncle Rudy and Tia Candie having a great time at the party!

And there you have it folks - the incredible eight.

Tia and Tio

Cousin Meredith's 8th birthday party. Happy Birthday big girl!

Christian is not supposed to have favorites, but...

Little boys are just too fun!

Cousins Vicente and Em

Uncle Rudy

Another beautiful sight - Great Tia Rosie with her nieces and nephews

Cousins Madeline and Melissa

The men sporting their "mustaches"

What is Christian doing? LOL!

Cousins Toni and Lucy

And the entertainment begins...

Sing it girl!

Even the kiddos are performers!

Ladies man.

Cousin Mandy

The morning after :) Christian partied hard!

Cousin Ignacio capturing the spirit of the 4th!

We went out to Forney where popping firecrackers in the middle of the street is legal :0

Somehow the grandparents ended up consoling all the babies :)

Tha Kids :)

Ma and Papa

Christian wasn't crazy about the fireworks but we managed a family picture :)

Vocabu-LARRY

Raising Christian and hearing him learn his way into the world through not-so-subtle articulation, makes me wonder when the heck things became so complicated. If infants and toddlers can make a point in less than four words, when did we as adults learn how to be so long-winded, evasive, misunderstood and insecure in our speak? We can learn a thing or two from little people. Christian may not be the most tactful or graceful but his point lives on. Parenthood may be exhausting beyond belief at times, but after a long day at work, who wants to read between any lines? Thank you son, for keeping it simple.

We transitioned into the world of pronouns and alas, Christian learned the beloved "M" word. 'Tis a rare day that we don't tack on an apostraphe "s" to his name to refer to something that has suddenly become his. Learning ownership is essential to his development, the baby bulletins say - soon followed by the next week's bulletin - "Warning signs that your toddler is not ready to share." I love it...

Everyday phrases now include:

Christian do it.

No, I'm fine.

Have a good day.

I love you too.

Bless you Mommy (or Daddy).

My turn.

And he'll put "no" in front of any command that he doesn't like (e.g., No sit down.)

He has aced most of his animals. That might have something to do with the fact that when you leave our house, no matter which direction you head, you'll see horses, cows, or llamas.

If he doesn't recognize something, he'll ask and repeat anything we say. I realized how crucial reciprocity is in the art of young conversation. No matter what, we respond to him and 99% of the time it results in learning a new word on his part. We spend lots of time trying to figure out what he is learning to say and I relish in how awesome the tables turn. Here we are teaching him how to speak and yet he finds himself speaking slower and making more rigid mouth gestures so that we "get" what he is trying to say. Sometimes I love that we are his official interpreters, I guess that's the good stuff that makes us his parents. And when we don't get it right off, we learn together. He helps us out along the way though - he'll stop repeating a word to us when he hears us finally say the right one, he'll show us what he wants if he can't get the word out quite right, and he'll let us know when he's given up by giving us this halfway fatigued look coupled with looking away.

All in all, I’m intrigued by the small cycle of confusion, suspense, victory and confidence that manages to repeat itself as we raise our kids. And I love how self-serving parenthood is; being a good mom makes me better at virtually everything else I do. I’m still not too clear on why many parents are so infatuated with I call the EST complex – an innate sense of wanting their kids to be the best, the fastest, the biggest, the smartest … such that they age their children in the same breath that they brag about them. I brag about Christian, yes I do. But slap me silly if I ever stretch the truth so thin that people can see straight through it.

All in all, I've grown to appreciate the well intended folks that tell us we "ain't seen nothing yet" or my favorite, "just wait." I get this second response more often now that people are asking about the "terrible 2's." In my naivety, I simply tell them that we still like Christian despite the evolution of his opinion, preferences and moods. And if I really thought about it, I'm sure I could come up with something creative to pair with each year of life. But much like there is not a lot of "dirty" about my turning 30, there's not much terrible about Christian turning 2. If anything, I am appreciating feeling like I have another little person around - in the car, at home, out and about - with whom I can converse, laugh and explore. He is becoming his own person. What's so terrible about that???

So we made all his checkups, didn't believe everything we read, paid close attention to any and all national recalls, and hyper-sanitized anything that touched him up until he was a year and a half. We panicked just like any other parent when the swine flu hit and melted the first time he said I love you. I don't waste too much time thinking about how our rocking him to sleep every night may compromise his independence. Or that obliging him in his only request at night with a cold glass of milk and a graham will result in a rotted mouth. No, not a single regret yet. Cheers!

On the Camera Roll

It's a big day in the life of a mexican baby when you learn how to do "ojitos" :) This is Christian's first attempt!

Proud of his newfound skill!

Christian spent a great amount of time this summer with "cousins" - which is what he'll call each one if he doesn't remember their names :)

Joyriding with Scooter

Taking Granny around the block

It's hard work being a big boy!

Chr

Christian's first trip to the movies was a big ordeal.

We started out good then spent the last third of the movie on the first two rows looking up at the screen or standing up near an exit. To Christian's credit, the movie was over two hours long...