Your 2nd Birthday

 Bryer boy, Bryer boy.

I cannot believe you are two. I will never forget the night I went into labor with you. I went to the hospital around 10 or 11 o’clock at night on the 23rd. I remember thinking, I can’t believe he’s doing this to me. Your dad said you could come any day, and of course, you chose a day that will forever confuse me when it comes to your birthday and your actual birth date. But that’s just like you, full of surprises. And in these last 365 days, you’ve continued to surprise me in the best ways. I’m not shocked one bit.

You are everything I didn’t know I needed, and someone I absolutely adore.

You are completely obsessed with both of your parents.
Audrey? That love is a little more conditional, but you love your whole family big: extended, chosen, and blood-related.

You love to play and will play with anyone willing to join you. You spent most of the year reading books. Your favorite was Penelope on the Farm, a hand-me-down from your cousins Nick and Rylee.

You started watching TV earlier than your sister. Disney’s Planes and The Incredibles kept you busy, and you’re still a huge fan of Sesame Street. You can name every single character. You can say the alphabet, count to 20, name most of your colors, and you know your name and everyone else’s in our family.

Much like your sister, I don’t often hear “he’s the sweetest boy ever” when I pick you up from daycare, but I do hear, “He is so cute, and we love him so much.” Which is, of course, code for he made us earn our paycheck today.

You love to run, heart murmur and all. You don’t let it stop you, and we don’t either. You were also diagnosed with asthma this year, but again, it hasn’t slowed you down. You’re the most active little boy we know.

You love spending time with us. You love doing things, exploring, the water, the snow, and the rain. You have so much energy. You've never met a ball you didn’t like. You’re already interested in baseball.

Your best friends are Vivian (girl), Rhett, Emmett, and Sophia, plus all of your IVF besties.

This year, you went on your first cruise and to Disneyland for the first time. You loved meeting Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, and Mrs. Incredible. I’m fairly certain if you had seen Jack-Jack, you would have screamed and possibly caught on fire.

Your favorite food is probably chicken and french fries. You also eat a lot of pouches. Once Upon a Farm is your go-to. You don’t eat nearly as many vegetables as Audrey did at your age, and you're not interested in trying new things unless they’re full of flavor. You were willing to eat gumbo at Tiana’s Place at Disneyland but not the mac and cheese, and that sums you up perfectly. If it has a lot of flavor, you’re intrigued. You’ll eat any vegetable in soup, but raw veggies are not for you, and we’ve accepted that.

You eat a lot of soup, year-round.

I still cut your hair regularly. You have hazel eyes that melt everyone, and people always comment on your eyelashes and dimples before they say anything else about you. I love when you introduce yourself: “I Byer.”

For your birthday, your dad and I bought you tickets to your first rave. Lenny Pearce’s “Wheels on the Bus” is your jam, and we can’t wait to see you dance.

You love to color. You love to cook. You love to eat cookies. And you love to tell other people what to do.

You are visibly and undeniably a blend of your dad, your sister, and me.

You are so much more than we ever prayed for. When God blessed us with you, He was showing off.

As Martina McBride sings:
“You’re a standing ovation after years of waiting for a chance to finally shine. Everyone calls you amazing, I just call you mine.”

Xoxo,
Your Mama