And Then Munch Turned 2

2 years old!

So many things go through my mind on this momentous day. How FAST these 2 years have gone. How it seems that Munch has been in my life forEVER. How much he's changed since his 1st birthday. How TALL he is. How much he TALKS now.

Over the past year ...

• Munch learned to walk, taking his first long string of steps around 15 months.
• He rode an airplane.
• He served as the cutest ring-bearer who ever wore a baby tank top.
• Hair grew on his head so long, it's near mullet status now.
• Mommy manned up and started laying him down awake for naps and bedtime.
• Teeth sprouted with a vengeance.
• Restaurants have become a distant memory, for Munch rarely sits for long.
• Love affairs intensified with Elf, Monkey, Cow, and other lovies.
• He met Mickey Mouse and the gang.
• Ear infections gave us a reprieve.
• He "swam" in a pool, several of them, in fact.
• His palate expanded, but let's not get crazy.
• Stars, moons, and circles delight him.
• He weaned.
• He stayed overnight with Gramma and Grampa, and Mommy only cried a little.
• He outgrew two sizes (except pants, he can still fit into 18 months of those).
• Walking became an activity all of its own.
• Stairs have been conquered.
• We danced.

This list touches only the very surface of another magical year. The other day, I looked at Munch's sonogram pictures. This tiny little peanut-shaped centimeter is now 34 inches tall. He talks to me and understands what I say. He is a person, when 2 years ago, my body still felt his absence acutely, when 2 years ago, we had only just been separated, one being into two.

Thank you, Munch, for the joy you've brought to me and your daddy. For making me stronger and happier. For teaching me the extreme vulnerablilities a parent feels and for giving me the courage to know that it's worth it, that it's all--from the terror to the exhaustion to the gut-busting laughter--worth it.

Thank you for choosing me as your mother. I promise to do my very best for you, every day of my life.