Dear Ethan,

Let me start of by telling you that I love you!  I apologize for the randomness of this letter, but my thoughts are all over the place and these days I don’t have much time to sort them out- so bare with me, Bubba.

Over the past year, you have grown so much- physically, mentally and emotionally. You are one of the most polite toddlers I have ever met. You use please, thank you and you’re welcome correctly and all the time. You still haven’t grasped the concept of the word yes, but have instead substituted it with “okay.”

Three weeks before your 2nd birthday you started putting words together in complete sentences. And a few months before that, in June I believe, you began putting two to three words together at a time. Now? You’re counting to twenty, know your ABC’s, colors, body parts, shapes, and animals. I am blown away by the fact that you could tell your grandparents all about the lemurs when they took you to the zoo in August. I am amazed at how well you can successfully identify most objects you come across. Asking questions has become a big part of our daily conversations- as you have become increasingly curious about everything.

And boy are you ever understanding emotions.  You’ve learned that tears mean sad or hurt and smiles mean happy.  You have also learned the meaning of funny and often times tell people you’re feeling “funny” today. You love laughing and have a deep belly laugh that is contagious.  You also have a devious little laugh you like to use when you are in trouble.  But let’s not forget your new, cheesin’ smile that you love to use and how big of a ham you have become in front of the camera.  When you are not feeling well you let us know and if you get hurt, you point out the boo boo to us and ask for kisses to make the boo boo better.

You doodle on pads of paper you like to call “check books.” You know your full name, age, date of birth and most of your relatives names. You still like to curl up on Mommy & Daddy’s bed or sit on the couch with a book or two. Just by watching you, I can tell how desperately you want to learn how to read and we’ve been working on that.

In November you became a big brother. We were a bit nervous about how you’d handle such a drastic change, but you have taken to that change like a champ! You love your little sister more than anything, I can tell. You want to hold her, kiss her and give her hugs. When she starts crying, you’re right there to save the day and tell her “s’okay sissy, s’okay.” In the car, you like to hold her hand. And though she cannot say it yet, she appreciates all that you do for her and how much love you show her.

You are truly the greatest gift. I love you, Bubba.

Love,
Mommy