happy birthday (last week)

dear mason,

2 years! how has it already been 2 years? wow, time has flown by. it seems like yesterday i'd hold you in my arms and you'd smile at me. and then i'd set you down and you'd giggle at me from your swing, without a care in the world. such a happy kid, so content. bringing so much joy to my life...
ahem.

dear mason,

wow, 2 years? is that all? i swear i've aged at LEAST five since you've been born.

don't get me wrong, i do love you. more than life itself.

but you exhaust me. it was pretty obvious the way you came into this world... what with that terrifying emergency c-section and you making a tangled mess of that umbilical cord and then squeezing it while they tried to yank you out of me... you were a force to be reckoned with...

and you were a keeper, that's for sure.

and then your incessant need to be awake all the time. really? really!?!

you give it your all. you are determined and passionate. and nothing gets by you.

and i must say, its nice that you no longer scream every waking moment. because, for real, your first year of life about did me in. i mean, i know some day you are going to change the world, fight injustice, stand up for the orphan and the widow, run for president, invent something incredible... all i know is, you better thank me at your inauguration for not murdering you as a child. (and don't be laughing like i'd be joking about that... you were, lets face it, pretty much a monster.)

but i love you. i mean, sure, its annoying that all you want now in life is daddy. like when i stumble in your room to your freaking out, middle of the night screaming and you go all ballistic and throw yourself to the other side of the crib and yell "dada, DADA, DADAAAAA!!!!" that doesn't exactly warm up a mother's heart.
but i do think you are really smart. like knowing how to get into my bathroom cabinet to get out all the first aid ointments. or eat vaseline. or shave your face. or stick q-tips in your ears.

so maybe this year we could work a bit on developing your speech. lets start with a calm version of, "mommy, may i please have a snack." and "thank you. you are the most wonderful woman in all the world." but if that's too much maybe we can work on "please" "snack" and understanding the term "patience, mason."

i love that you are driven. that you want to grow up fast and do things like color with markers (but lets keep it on the paper, ok?), glue and glitter, run out into the street (ok, but notsomuch), and sit at the table with the big kids...

that is, until you are actually allowed to sit at the table and then you adamantly insist upon sitting in the high chair.

life is on your terms.

although currently annoying for me, its a very admirable trait. don't ever let people bully you.

(and yet, please don't be the bully...)

you are quite a perceptive child. i can tell your brain is really working in there. you notice everything around you. and you focus real well on your toys, especially cars and trucks. is it possible for a 2 year old to be addicted to matchbox?

all i know is, whoever invented the whole toy version of the trailer attachment thing, thanks for nothing. about 85 times a day i hear, "uh, uh, uh, uh, uh?" (which doesn't look nearly annoying enough in type) and look down to you holding the truck that became detached from its trailer, AGAIN.

i know, it could be worse. you could be 16 and addicted to drugs.

but really, do you absolutely need to have 6 cars lined up in your crib each night to go to sleep?

it is a good thing you are so cute.

not that looks are that important, so don't let that go to your head or anything.

unofficially here, its also cute how you blame your siblings for everything. you can barely talk and yet you've already learned the most important trick in the book. but sometimes, its pretty obvious its you. (such as: "who pooped their pants?" "eh ah" "ella did not poop in your diaper!" giggling... "ben nen" "bennett did not poop in your diaper!" laughing now... "ma ma!" um ok, definitely not...)

you are so charming. you know how to give great smiles and provide dramatic entertainment for your audience. and when you get to the far end of the park and i yell for you to come back, i may seem annoyed that you turn and grin at me and then slap your hands over your ears and start running the other way, but it actually is very cute.
but if you could stop hanging from high playground platforms or climbing on ladders above my head, i would appreciate that. oh, and also, there is no need to bully other 1 year olds and scowl at them when they start playing with your sand toys.

i love you, little monster-mason.

in spite of all my complaining, you bring such joy to my life. you are energetic and passionate. your exuberant excitement over passing trucks and airplanes and play doh and yogurt is delightful. your sheer giddiness over the sight of your siblings after being separated for an hour or so is so rewarding to a mommy. and the way you run to me with your arms outstretched and your eyes and mouth open wide, with all that jolly laughing coming from deep within...

yeah, i'll keep you.

happy birthday. (and there's no such thing as terrible 2's, k?)