Des,

You turned 28 months over a week ago.  I’m so sorry this letter is so late, but things around here have been insane.  Between your sister’s UTI and all of us being sick, I just haven’t had a moment to sit down and write this to you.  And I apologize for that.

My boy, I love you so much, but lately, you have really been testing your limits with us.  You are constantly seeing what you can get away with and at what point your Dad and I are going to start freaking out.  And I gotta say, dealing with this has been exhausting.  You fight us on everything, whether it’s taking a bath, putting on shoes, eating your food (even food you like), or letting us change your diaper.  And as much as I know that this is natural, that it’s just a part of childhood, I gotta say, I really don’t like it.  I’m not the most patient person in the world (you’ll figure this out soon, if you haven’t already) and dealing with a kid who is refusing to listen to me and do as he told drives me crazy.  And because of this, because you want to see what you can get away with, you’ve been spending lots of time in timeouts.

And this is something you hate. You hate when we make you go to your room and sit in there for all of 2 minutes.  You cry and yell and act as if we’re murdering you.  And I hate that you feel that way.  I don’t want to go through this, and I really don’t like disciplining you, but I know it’s something that’s needed and has to be done.

But, in happier news, you are really grasping colors, numbers, and letters.  You still haven’t mastered your ABC’s, but you can recognize certain letters (like S and A) and will point them out to us.  You also know the basic colors and love to tell them to us.  And just a few weeks ago, I overheard you counting to 10 all by yourself.  Honestly, the way I reacted, you would have thought that you just cured cancer.  I whooped and hollered and told you over and over again how amazing and smart you are.  Then, when I tried to get you to count with me, you refused.  And you refused to count for your dad for weeks.  But we’ve both heard you again now and you’ll count with us (sometimes), so we’re happy about that.

You’ve also become a master at telling your sisters apart and will inform people who is who.  You also like to talk to them, telling them good morning sister when you wake up, and giving them kisses.  You’ve also realized that you can reach in and hit whatever sister is sitting next to you in the car, so we’ve had to keep a closer eye on you.  But overall, you’re very gentle with them and love to help out with them (something I greatly appreciate).

My love, every month, I’m amazed by you.  I’m shocked by how much you grow, how much you learn, how well you speak, how easily you understand things.  Watching you grow has been by far the greatest adventure of my life – and I’ve loved every minute of it.

So keep growing, my boy, and thanks for letting us tag along for the journey.

We love you more than you know,

Momma and Daddy