Two

The Bear turned two yesterday. We celebrated by visiting the zoo. He loves animals with an all consuming fervor, a joyous bottle rocket excitement so rarely seen in adults, his blue eyes alight with a beautiful glow of pleasure when he sees his favorites. When we rounded the corner and came upon the African Elephant enclosure he could not stop saying, "WOW!!" Many hours later we finally got into our car and drove home, he fell fast asleep with a satisfied smile on his face.

Later in the evening, the grandparents and great grandparents came over for birthday cake. The Bear ate his gingerly with a spoon and tried very hard not to be messy. Cubby fisted two mini cupcakes and ate them with zest, when it was all said and done he looked a bit like Proust (in his later years of course) with his pale cheeks and alarmingly dark beard of chocolate frosting. The Bear received a toy phone from my Abuela, which he picked up and pressed to his ears with an expectant "Hello." My father gave him a small swatch, a special gift representing their mutual love and enjoyment of watches. J and I gave him an assortment of animals. The Bear loved these! He walked around all day holding as many as his hands could carry at once.

I am so proud of my little boy. I love the way he enjoys reading books every day. There is no better interruption of my cooking or cleaning, than the Bear grabbing onto my leg with a book in his hands and a silent plea in his eyes. We curl up together several times a day and lose ourselves in books. He loves eating rice and beans at my grandparents houses and always has a cheeky smile and a sweet hug for everyone around him. The outdoors is a magical place for him, the trees, rocks, and dirt in our backyard are treasures to him. Going for walks with his Daddy and playing the drums together after dinner are an everyday must. I like how much he enjoys bath time. As soon as he finishes his last bite at dinner time, we hear him piping up from his chair, "Bath, bath, bath!" And the moment the final drops of water circle the drain he yells, "teeth, teeth, teeth," and he will not cease until he has spent several minutes brushing his teeth with his Annie toothbrush. Then as soon as that is done he yells, "Book, book, book" and its time to read for at least half an hour before he goes to sleep.

The Bear loves his grandparents and talks to them in his imagination while he plays throughout the day. He gets worried and concerned when one of us leaves the house, even if its just for a moment. But whenever he is at a relatives house, he does not even give a backwards glance when we leave! Best of all, the Bear gives wonderful hugs and the sweetest kisses on earth. He has a delightful giggle and a small rascal streak about him that is quite endearing.

He knows his way around town as well. If I veer off the road that leads to various relatives houses, he shouts out their names in a horrified voice as if to say, "Mother, how could you do this to me?" The Bear is a meticulous builder and has a very organized way of playing with his toys. I love the way he puts everything in a very specific order.

These are just a few small things that make the Bear so special to me, even though these things are changing every day. His little chubby legs are no longer bent and every day he loses more and more of his old baby ways and seems to gain a hundred and one new elements of childhood. The Bear is becoming a kid.

Happy Birthday to my little guy.