Jonah 2.5

Hey buddy,And poof! You are two (and a half) and I know that it is so cliche to say, but I just can't believe how fast the time has passed. I can close my eyes and still remember what it felt like to be a little girl wishing that time would pass faster so that I could sooner feel the freedom of growing up must surely feel like, of being independent, of making my own decisions. (No one ever told me about all the bills and responsibility, but that is a topic for another day.) Each day of waiting to grow up felt long and slow and seemed to drag on forever. But it is true what they say... the older you get, the faster time passes. Now, I am a "grown up" (or so they tell me) and I'm watching you as you experience the world –tasting new flavors, overcoming new obstacles, learning and soaking in each new word and sound and I find myself wishing, over and over again, that time would just cool it's heels and just be still for a minute. But to my continual dismay, time never slows, the clock faithfully keeps on ticking, and days pass without so much as a nod in the direction of my over-full yet still achy heart. Each day I'm growing more accustomed to the duality of feeling both awe and dread, joy and pain, love and fear that seems to be all part of this parenting gig.I can't get enough of your new found cleverness, the way you'll toss me that sideways look with a mischievous grin, right before you are about to climb something you know you shouldn't, or chase one of the dogs, or tear off, screaming and naked, into the living room when we are getting ready for bed. "Chase me," is what your look seems to beg. So, I do. How can I not? On the other hand, the part of my heart that yearns to play with my smart and sassy toddler, is also painfully aware that this season in your sweet life will someday come to an end (at least, I don't imagine myself chasing a naked, screaming, and giggling teenager around the house, but you never know.) Until then, I will try to remember to pause and take little mental pictures of you, just as you are today, as often as possible. I allow myself to dive deeply into your joy and your frustration and your hugs and kisses and your needing me. I will remember that, even in your toughest times, just as it is during your most beautiful moments of discovery or laughter or tenderness, you will not stay this way forever. So, what is new these days?You are sooooooo two. A perfectly dizzying mixture of sweet and sour, like my own, human Sour Patch Kid. Seriously. One minute you are throwing your arms around us saying, "I just love you guys," or, "We're all together!" or "Mommy, I just want to hold you." And in the next moment you are hitting or throwing or testing some new limit yet to be discovered. It's an amazing array of feelings and awarenesses and risk-taking mixed with butt jokes and belly buttons and boogers.You are so brave. I think that your bravery is the perfect companion to your inquisitive mind. You want to know how everything works. Where did it go? What does it taste like? How does this feel? What is over there? What is up there? What is down there? Where is mommy? Where is daddy? Where is Tony Johnson? Gone are the days when you might spend 40 minutes quietly playing with blocks. Instead now, we chase you from room to room, frantically covering outlets, placing breakables up out of reach, and asking you, "What's in your mouth? Is that food?" You will try anything, run anywhere, climb everything, smile and say, "Hi!" to everyone (occasionally demanding that they see you even if they are trying not to – I love this). I adore your curious, brave little spirit just as much as it terrifies me. But more than either of those things, I hope that your bravery and your curiosity for the world continue to be a lighthouse for you, guiding your choices and paths, and opening doors to new worlds, people, and ideas that will fill your life with awe and wonder and, yes, even, more questions to answer.Your memory is pretty amazing. I sometimes feel like you are the Border Collie of humans, constantly running down a mental checklist of "your people." Not only are you genuinely interested in people and what they are up to, you remember practically everyone. Sometimes bringing up a name that you haven't heard or seen in months. I'll be honest, this kind of freaked me out at first. But then I started to notice that this was a pattern. You have a knack for retaining names, words, stories and now songs. Listening to you sing to yourself in your bedroom or recite, line by line, a book that you love, is one of the greatest sounds I will ever hear. I would have never expected a two-year-old to remember some of the things you do, but more and more I'm realizing that it's just another amazing part of who you are, albeit impressive and also adorable.I could go on and on and on about all kinds of things that you are currently up to, but rather than reading me drone on, I'll close with the most current list of "firsts" as experienced recently by Jonah, version 2.5.

• Frozen – You know the one.... Yep. Your recent discovery of this movie has inducted me into the illustrious group of parents who are/or have already experienced the slow death by Frozen. Thank you.
• You learned how to crack eggs. I'll be honest, your technique still needs a little work, but I love that we are beginning to make memories together in the kitchen.
• It finally happened. You threw up for the first time. It was gross and traumatic and messy and (of course) in my bed. It then continued to be gross and traumatic and messy and in my bed at least 4 more times after that. You still talk about it. I think this might be a lasting memory. Definitely will be for me...
• Current favorite books: Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs, Dragons Love Tacos, The Little Blue Truck, Goodnight Gorilla, Nighttime, anything Curious George.
• We are getting ready to go on a trip to California at the end of this month and you are so excited about going to Disneyland, or as you refer to it, "Yo Ho," (You are obsessed with "Yo Ho – A Pirate's Life For Me" from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.) This will be your second time on an airplane, but your first time in your own seat. We are all counting down the days until we get to go on this much needed vacation. I'll update more on this after our trip.
• Favorite eats: Apples, pears, blackberries, mango, toast with butter, anything sweet, salmon, carrots, peapods, oatmeal and smoothies.
• You're happiest when: you're outside, we are all together, we are at the park, we are playing together.
• How much do I love you? More than I could ever properly express with words.

xoxo!MommyThank you so much to my friend Jess Sandager of Olive Avenue Photography for sharing your time and talent with us and providing all of the dreamy photos for this post.