Birthday Letter to George

Dear George,

Cliche but it's true....tears fill my eyes when I think about you and how you've grown in the past year. To think that you have overcome mild torticollis (no head tilt lately or left sided weakness!), battled chronic ear infections (got 2nd set of tubes and tonsil & adenoidectomies this past June), and were on the "late" end of reaching physical milestones....now you outrun your twin sister, hop repeatedly on one foot, throw football spirals, bat a pitched ball, and turn somersaults like they are no big deal.

You have the sweetest little deep man-voice and since your surgery, talk in full conversations and show great compassion, insight and problem solving abilities through words and actions. You are so determined and passionate and energetic and rambunctious about things you do. You frequently help Mama with chores; vacuuming and sweeping are your favorites and you are a stickler about wanting everything picked up and put into its place. You even take dishes or cups to the kitchen counter without being asked!! You are slow to warm up in crowds and new social settings, very cautious and observant. You love all things "boy": sports, tools, trucks, body-pinning Abigail to the floor, watching sports on tv. In your quiet play, you have a zest for reading, playing with cars, and using fine motor skills for turning screwdrivers or cutting precisely with a knife (supervised of course; might be a budding chef like your daddy?).

You adore your Abigail, though you usually call her "Sister" . You are one of the few that Abigail allows to call her "Abby". You want to know where she is at all times, and truly miss her when she is gone. You love to hug her (though sometimes a bit too hard!), kiss her, and play with her. She is your very best friend.

You are slow to awaken, just like your mama, and you take a while to get going in the morning. You still love your sleep, thriving on two hour naps and at least twelve hours at night. You snuggle with a pile of sleeping friends in the corner of your bed daily, with favorite "Bunny" and "Blankie" always in your clutch. You excel in routines, especially our bedtime routine of bath, brushing teeth, reading 2 books (you pick one, Abigail picks one), saying prayers, thanking God for the day's blessings, and singing "Jesus Loves Me". You just started singing about 6 months ago and in typical George fashion, waited to make a peep until you knew the song perfectly.

You just graduated from OT to tackle some sensory defensiveness. You resisted wearing woven shirts, shoes other than your favorites at the moment (Crocs or blue or brown tennis shoes), brushing your teeth or hair, eating new foods, wearing hats, or dressing yourself. With great interventions such as brushing, deep pressure, crashing, and assistance with modulation, you have mastered many of those issues. You wanted to wear new baseball cleats all on your own, wore a 3 piece suit for Ms. Texas Amy's wedding without a fight, and eat whatever I ask you to eat. You brush your teeth much better now, and love to wear your new Texas Longhorn hat!!

You recently mastered riding your tricycle full-speed ahead! You were so proud this weekend when you rode all the way down our street! You still love to be outdoors more than anything, including going to the park, hiking or searching for bugs. You love to help with grown-up projects, whether it's weeding the flowerbed or watering the plants or using tools with Pop. You are not such a fan of coloring, but you love music/ marching bands (drums, violin, and trumpet) and painting and play-doh. You are definitely a lefty, using your left hand for everything! And you have to have your daily "pb sam-ich". Unfortunately, you got your mama and daddy's incredible urge for sweets...you love chocolate anything, ice cream, and cake!

You love to be on-the-go. You spend most of our time in the car noticing things we pass, searching for fire trucks, tractors, and construction vehicles. You love our childcare setting at Ms. Amy's with Rachel and Gideon (both whom you adore) and NorthHaven Day School with your new favorite Ms. Abby. You enjoy going to church, playing at the mall, going on playdates with friends, and roadtrips to visit family and friends. "No home Mama!!" is what you tell me often! But then again, you enjoy being in our safe space with all of your things...

Males in your life are still significant. You adore your grandfathers, begging for horsey rides on Grandpa and "working" with Pop. You love to shadow/copy anything Cliff does, wrestle with Caine and Hudson, be silly and scream with Asher and Cache, and watch any other big boys playing! But there's a tender side to you too, as you love on and gently care for Gideon and the many babies in our lives.

You wear 2-3T clothes, skinny and tall. You recently started paying close attention to clothing, wanting to wear shirts with your favorites, such as sports ("Oka-homa or Longhorns"), Thomas, firetrucks, diggers, or animals. You just mastered putting on tops and bottoms by yourself though you still have difficulty with shirts going over your head. You began potty training this week. You had to come to it on your own terms in your own time and now you are finding success!! You love to wear underwear and think it's great to have the choice of peeing outside or inside. You have taken great pride in this and all accomplishments.

I love to stare at your sweet face, stroke the back of your hair, kiss on you...all the things I know that I have finite time to do because you won't think it's cool in a few years. You are stingy with your hugs and kisses with everyone; it's a real privilege when we get them!! I love it when you see me and say, "Mama, you so booo-ful (beautiful)". You have a sweet or sneaky, sly smile and a contagious laugh that fills the room!! You love to say, "Smile, Mama!" as a reminder when I get caught up in tasks at hand or discipline. You love life, and love to be happy in it. You brought tears to my eyes when we were out for a walk/run tonight and in response to thanking God for the sunset, you said "God is in my tummy, um, my heart!" I pray that you always know how blessed by God and loved you are, my precious son! I am blessed to have you in my life. I love you Georgie. Happy 3rd birthday, my big boy.