Happy 2nd Birthday Mack!

My sweet Mack

I cant believe that two years have come and gone. In some ways, its flown by. And in others it has seemed like a lifetime!

 

I'll never forget your delivery. You had gotten stuck, big fella, and Dr Pohl had to work for a while to get you out without your shoulder getting hurt. Being the phenomenal doctor that he is, I didnt really know that anything was serious... till I saw you for the first time. You were so blue, Mack. And you didnt cry. And all of these special nurses flooded our room and I couldnt see you.

Unlike with your sister, I already knew what it was to be a mommy. I was protective from the moment you were born. With Rhyan,  I was so overwhelmed that I didnt know what to do. When you were born, I knew it was MY job to make sure you were healthy and well cared for. And it scared me so much to see you be born blue and not breathing and crying... and not be able to help you.

I remember lying on the table asking over and over and over "is he ok?". Your initial apgar was a 3...
And after what seemed like 15 minutes but was actually more like 1 minute, they showed me your beautiful PINK face. And you were screaming. And it made my heart so happy :-)

Little did i know, you would do PLENTY of screaming over the next two years. HA!

Little man, you keep us on our toes! You are SO full of personality and emotion. You are quite "vocal" and we never have to wonder how you feel about anything. You are sure to let us know. You are quite the little talker! My favorite thing that you say, of course, is "mommy, i wuz you". Melt. My. Heart.
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You are a lover of all trains! Thomas trains, especially... but any knock off trains will do. You love to go over train tracks and tell us "its very bumpy!". You LOVED the Day out with Thomas that we did for Rhyan's birthday! At Rhyan's birthday party, some sweet friends (the Karmelins) gave you their sons old train table... and you were instantly in LOVE! In fact, we were finally able to successfully get you to do room time with you because of that very train table :-)

 

You have become such a good napper/night time sleeper. As of your birthday, you were still in your crib and you love it. You will ask to go nite nite and for nap! You still nap for about 3 hours a day and for 11 hours at night! After the months and months of having to deal with reflux and finally doing CIO, it makes me so happy to know that it all paid off and that you are well rested.

We are working on sharing your toys with your sister... you seem to think everything is "mine".

Your favorite night time routine is to read a couple of books (your favorites are "Little Red Caboose", "Baby Bible" and "Tractor on the Farm" books), then sing the Thomas theme song together, then we pray together and finish out the night giving kisses. Its become a fun game for us. We have 5 kisses: buffalo (tap foreheads), lion (rub cheeks), butterfly (eyelashes), Eskimo (noses) and fishy (lips). Its my favorite part of my day with you!
And then you say with me "nite nite, sleep tight, dont let the bed bugs bite, sweet dreams, i love you".
Its the same thing I say to Rhyan each night and the same thing I said to my Mommy and Daddy.

You are still a good little eater! And oh my word, how you LOVE your milk. I've never known a child that loved milk like you do!

You have great manners and add "sir" to everything... appropriate or not ;-)

After meals, you now take your plate to the sink and with help opening the fridge, you put your drink away!

You are in a size 5 diaper in the daytime and size 6 at night. You do not have any comfort items that you sleep with, except your thumb.

 

Mack, you are so stinkin independent. Its both a fun and frustrating trait. You want to do EVERYTHING for yourself and pitch royal fits if we have to help you, but if left to do it yourself, you pitch a fit too because you get so frustrated! It leads to a lot of frustration around here. haha! But son, we love you! And we know that the Lord can use your BIG personality and independence for His glory if you will let him.

Having said that, you keep us on our toes in parenting you. Most days, we feel like we do not do a very good job... but that keeps us humble and praying for wisdom and discernment with you. We are doing our best to be consistent with just putting you in your chair in your room if you're having a fit and telling you that you can come out when you are all done crying. Funny thing is, the crying gets WORSE for the first few minutes in there and then you'll come out and in your sweet little voice say "i all done mommy". What a booger! I know one day we'll laugh about all this ;-)

You love your big sister! And she loves you! You love to chase each other (although you get mad if she's too much faster than you!) and tackle her. You pretend to want a hug and then BAM, take her down!

 

 

Mack, you may keep us on our toes and drive us a little batty, but son, we love you like nothing else! You are so fun and full of life! Your laugh is contagious. Your smile is so so sweet. You are so playful and like to come up with games. You are creative! You are loving and kind and empathetic when someone is upset. You are Mack. And we are so very grateful for ALL that you are!

Happy Birthday to my little big man! I love you, McKinnon Andrew Ford!