Year Three

Someone pinch me....

Many days I can't believe I have two kids....that are mine.....that I (with help) created.....that I am responsible for.....that depend on me.......that look to me for love, care, nurturing, help, guidance, teaching......but more often than that I cannot believe I have my Ayden.  My big three year old Ayden.

Where does one start to describe Ayden?  To me the first thing that always comes to mind is "Awwww." Good old jaw dropping amazement.

Dearest Ayden,

Each and every day of your life you have amazed me. These days I await with excited anticipation, all of our interactions, for with each, you teach me things about you, about the world, and about me. You are growing and learning faster than I could possibly imagine. Your uninhibited kindness, caring and empathy is simply astonishing for an adult, much less a three year old in the 'egotistical stage'. Your ability to comprehend our world, remember everything, and negotiate is incredible.

As I am writing this, I'm listening to you show daddy how to complete a brand new puzzle you got for your bday. I can hear you explain to daddy how this pieces goes here because it has a little bit of this on it, and correcting daddy when he tried the wrong piece (true story!), and explaining to daddy that maybe we are not ready for this piece yet. I can't pinpoint when you stopped being a toddler and became a little boy. You hold full conversations (ALL DAY LONG). Sometimes I catch myself speaking with you as though you were an adult, forgetting that you are only three.

You are this little person filled with ideas, plans, stories, desires, and an imagination to fulfill them all.

One nugget that I continue to adore is your passion for airplanes. While my education and common sense would tell me that most kids, certainly boys, go through phases such as this, I can't help but hope that one day you learn to be a pilot and I can share with you the hours and hours and hours (and hours) we have talked about airplanes, sat outside and looked for airplanes, gone to the Pima Air and Space museum and airport, watched YouTube videos of planes taking off and landing and taking off and landing..... While you enjoy trains and cars and other typical little boy things, there is something in your eyes when you see or hear an airplane that I deep down hope grows into a life-long passion.

And passion you have (I have no idea where that might come from...). Passion you wear on your sleeve and runs deep to your soul and effects your every being. I observe as your excitement consumes you, as well as your frustration. I'll never forget a few months ago when you were watching a Backyardigans show and daddy walked in and noticed you had tears running down your face.  He asked what was wrong. You shared with him that you were sad because the Backyardigans had lost their friend.....true compassion. I hope you never lose that compassion though the world may try and harden you, and probably will in some ways, it is better to feel everything than nothing; it will serve you in your personal, social and even professional life. 

Admittedly, knowing from experience what life is like with intense emotions, I harbor some motherly anxiety about the negative emotions you will inevitably experience throughout life. Though it took me decades to learn how to positively utilize or experience a strong negative emotion, I hope to be able to use that experience in nurturing yours. 

Last and certainly not least, you are social. You crave the presence of good friends; a trait you get from both of us. I pray that your life will be enriched by friendship as are ours. I hope you always remember the importance of good friends and how to be a good friend yourself in any relationship you are in. Your jobs will come and go, your things will come and go, your healthy may have its ups and downs, your age....well it just keeps going!...and throughout it all and in the end, what you have left are your relationships.

I love you to the moon and back and know you will never cease to amaze me. 

Happy Third Birthday to my big big Boy.

Love,

Mommy