This boy who is 2

I wonder if he will always be this way, this boy who is 2. The parts of his personality that so evidently come through, and have since he was a baby; what will this look like as he grows? To me his characteristics and tendencies seem so well defined for one his age, and I wonder where this all came from? How did he get to be this way? I think it has less to do with me than I could have ever imagined, and more to do with the inherent nature God gave him. Watching him grow and experience life, seeing how he'll respond, what will catch his interest, is a joy for me.

Asher, at 2 years old, you are...

... bright and observant. You notice so much for your age, sometimes things I wish you didn't notice, but you do anyways. These past 2 weeks you've learned your phone number and you can now tell that to me when I ask. You learned the alphabet by playing a puzzle game with Papa over the period of a week or so. You remember people's cars and know who has already arrived at an event before us by pointing out their vehicles. You know where we're going by the landmarks we pass. Every week as we go to church you say "There's the fire station" as we get close. You memorize the lines in books, and could probably do a pretty good job "reading" to me some of your favorites. Today you read one of your Lightening McQueen books to yourself and I swear you got almost every line, "How many race cars go around the track? One, two, three!"

... passionate. You want to know everything there is to know about cars and tractors and trains. You spot these vehicles a mile away, even before I see them. Your eyes light up and sparkle when you see an excavator digging or a dump truck dumping. You recreate these scenes with a million unimaginable objects at home. Spoons, pieces of paper, toys, cups, anything you can find is some sort of construction vehicle. You know the names of almost all your dinky cars, and not a day passes when we don't have some elaborate conversation about this.

... reserved. You study new situations and people and need time to get comfortable. You're cautious and slow to warm up. You like to know about these things in advance, and then will stand back and observe and watch before you participate in something new. Undoubtedly your thumb will find it's way in your mouth and you'll finger my sleeve. Our new swimming lesson, at a new time, and with a new instructor, really threw you off. When you are unsure of a situation, you'll say "I want to go to my house now" and you stick close by. Once you're comfortable and familiar, you're able to let go, relax, and learn. You like the familiar. You like the known.

... into the details and routine. You line up your books in a straight row against the wall or on window sills. You match up your Cars character dinky cars to the corresponding picture in a book. You have to have your green cup to drink water, your juice cup for your juice, and your milk cup for your milk. We have to read stories and cuddle at bedtime, with you on the side of the lamp, and me on the side of the heater, of course. You remember order, and you like repetition. I can't tell you how many times we've read the same books, over and over. I can't count how many times you've watched the Cars movie, and still it is your first choice when you watch TV.

... sensitive. You feel things strongly and you show it. You're empathetic and point out to me when someone else is sad. You get sad when characters in books are sad. Your face always lights up in the Llama books when he's happy that his Mama comes back. You're able to say "I'm frustrated!" and "I'm sad" and "I'm happy!". You need to talk about your feelings as you feel them, and you express them in other ways when you don't have the words.

... loving towards your friends and family. You talk often about the important people in your life and ask to go to their house. You giggle and run and laugh about things that don't make sense to anyone else with the toddlers you tote around with. You have little friendships that matter to you, and you want to spend time with these people. You are always excited to go to Nana and Grandpa's house, and never fail to remind me that Matthew and Dexter will be there too. You remember the names of people in our church who you've spoken to in passing. You wave excitedly at special adults who have taken a liking to you. You have just started to say out of the blue "I love you, Mama". You talk to Levi in a little baby voice, and hug and kiss him, and smile when he smiles at you. You pray at night for those you love; "Thank you God for ..."

This is how I see you now, my sweet boy who is 2 (you remind me often that Levi is a baby and you're a little boy). I love your personality and the characteristics that make you who you are today. How you will grow and change and develop, that I do not know. But what I do know is that, just as I love all these quirks about you now, as challenging as they sometimes can be, I will love who you are growing up to be too. I already do. Asher, you have my heart.