Today is your second birthday, and what a day it was! We celebrated in style to the theme of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, one of your favorite books, by Eric Carle. I put together a picture collage of you in the shape of a caterpillar, and standing back to look, I could hardly believe how much you have changed in the past year. You have really gone from being a chubby little baby with only 2 teeth to being a little boy with bouncy blond curls. I remember last year on your first birthday when I gave you a piece of your birthday cake, you pushed it away and wouldn't even try one bite. Today when I placed a cupcake on your plate, you lunged for it, head first, mouth open. You have changed and grown, Levi. And I love who I see you becoming!
This year you have shown us that you are an energetic little boy! You are always on the move, climbing, running, and exploring. It's so fun to watch what you'll do next, and I'm always trying to stay one step ahead of you to keep you out of trouble. You curiosity is what propels you forward. You always seem to be thinking "Where does this go?", "What can I find over here?", or "What happens when I do this?". Today when you dumped a whole box of Cheerios on the floor, you seemed quite impressed with the outcome.
With that energy and curiosity comes a streak of mischief (I'm pretty sure the above picture demonstrates that point). And Levi you don't hide it well!! Whenever you are about to do something you are not supposed to do, you get this twinkle in your eye, and this little smirk in your face. It's almost as if I can read your thoughts, but you usually still beat me to the punch. I'm sure it happens at least once a day when we are out; I see that knowing look come across your face and you take off running. The moment I chase you is the moment your face breaks in a full blown grin and you run even faster. I'm going to be in trouble when you can actually out run me, little boy.
This year Levi you have also shown me that you have no fear. You are a risk-taker and don't hesitate to try something new. You climb the to the highest point at any play structure, you are not afraid try something that bigger kids than you are doing, and you approach unknown territory like it is an unopened present. This year as your big brother Asher played soccer for the first time, I had to fight each lesson to keep you off the field. You so wanted to join all those preschoolers in kicking the ball around. And if I wasn't trying to keep you off the soccer field, then I was chasing you as you ran for a path in the woods, or towards the middle of a teenage soccer game.
In spite of all this energy and fire in your spirit, Levi, you have ended up to be a boy who loves big. You are very affectionate and often will initiate hugs with other children and adults. There was a point in time this year when you used to high five everyone you met as we parted ways, even if that person was a stranger. You especially like to love on me, your Mama. When you are upset, you almost always instantly settle if I pick you up. In the car when you are sad, if we hold hands than you are content. You give the best hugs in the world because you put your whole self into it. Earlier this week, after an especially early morning wake up, you came in our bed and fell asleep on my chest. It melted my heart. You are a little lover, Levi.
One thing that hasn't changed this year is your smile. You were such a smiley, happy baby, and you have grown into a smiley, happy toddler. Your first birthday party theme was smiley faces, and I easily could have done that again this year. You have a big, toothy smile, and you show it off to anyone who looks at you. The moment a camera comes out, or anything that looks remotely like a camera for that matter, you find your way in front of it, smile big, and say "cheeeeeese". This is pretty funny to watch, especially when I'm trying to take a picture of something else. I have a lot of photos this year of you sneaking in front of my camera, half in the shot.
You love to smile and you love to make other people smile, Levi. I see you already as the class clown. In social situations, you try to be funny. As soon as you have someone's attention, and get a laugh out of them, you go all out - no holds barred! You seem to thrive off of other people's laughter - it lights your fire. I can hear that big, bold laugh of yours as you engage and interact with others, and with your brother especially. You love to be silly, and you love to make others laugh in doing so.
In spite of your easy going, and energetic personality, this year has had some challenges too. You were a late crawler and walker, which had me worried. You started doing a bum scoot to crawl around 12 months old, and started walking at 16 months old. A little bit of physiotherapy for low muscle tone really moved you along in that department, and I don't think you've slowed down since you started walking! In the winter you had a serious batch of ear infections and were on about 6 rounds straight of antibiotics. This has resulted in a visit to the Ears, Nose, and Throat specialist and, depending on what this winter brings, getting tubes in your ears is a real possibility.
The biggest struggle all of, however, has been your language development. I knew you didn't seem to be talking like most kids your age when you were around 18-months old. When I had it checked out, you were referred to see a speech therapist, and started therapy around the end of May. The therapist shared that she suspected you may have Childhood Developmental Apraxia of Speech, and that meant weekly speech therapy appointments, a possible long road ahead to get you talking, and a lot of tears and prayer on our behalf. I'm happy to say though that, although you are still delayed speech wise, you have grown leaps and bounds in these past 3 months. You easily have more words than I can keep track off, and although your pronunciation is not great, you can certainly communicate your point. At one of our last therapy sessions, the therapist told me that if she had just seen you now for the first time, she probably wouldn't have recommended therapy at all. That doesn't mean there aren't still hurdles to overcome, because there are, but you are overcoming them. You seem to be a fast learner Levi, and I think part of this is because of that energetic, curious, and risk-taking personality of yours. Some of your clearest words to date, and probably so because of the sheer frequency that you use them, are Mama ("Mumum"), Papa, "Ash-errrr", and "no no".
Levi, I pray everyday that, with that beautiful little mischievous personality of yours, that you will stay safe as you explore and learn. I hope that as you grow, and when you are grown, that you still approach life full of energy, curiosity, and wonder. I hope you always ask the right kinds of questions, and that you find Truth in your answers. I hope you always long to be joyful, and to bring joy to others. I pray that you always love others, and keep your affectionate side. I pray that the risk-taker in your personality, the part of you that challenges the limits set before you, is what turns you into an innovative and creative leader who thinks outside the box. And most of all, I pray that you know the depth of God's love for you, and the depth of my love for you. You keep me running, and it's because you have my heart, little boy.
Happy birthday.
Love,
your "Mumum"
