Dear Lincoln,

Honey, slow down. You are growing up too fast. I feel like I blinked and my baby has disappeared and an amazing little boy is in his place.

Thank you for letting me grow and learn to love more and more each and every day.

I love how your nose crinkles when you smile big… Your auntie Karine taught you how to do that, and now it happens all the time.

I love how you don’t speak much, but when you do, there are plenty of ways you know how to say no.

No. No Way. Um, no. uhhuh, mmmmm no, nononononononononono.

And somehow they are all still cute.

I love how you say uhoh and oh nooooooo.

I love how you come down to my office and your face lights up when you see me. Then you enthusiastically wave and say HIIIII!!!!

I love how you sneak over to the box you know I keep the mints in my office, grab one, then look at me, bring your hand up to your face with one finger up and eyebrows cocked saying “just one momma?” without having to say a word.

Then two minutes later, after that mint is safely in your tummy and forgotten about, you are back for another mint, with your hand up asking for “just one”

I love how you know how to say Thank you and Please (in sign language still, but you are working on your words every day). You not only know how to say them, but when to say them.

I love how you know how to speak, but you choose not to. When we try and coax a word out of you, your eyebrows go up, and you just look and say no. Even though you will say it when you want ten minutes later. — I blame your dad for your stubbornness.

I love (kinda) how you would say Momma as long as I wasn’t in the room, then once I came in the room and someone would try and get you to say Momma, you would just look and point at me, not saying a word.

I love way more than that, now that I actually get to hear you say momma. I will never get tired of hearing you say momma.

I love how you get really excited when we can wake daddy up in the morning, just to climb into bed with him, give him a kiss and a hug, and immediately push him out of his warm spot so you can steal it. You are my child through and through.

I love how you are so intricate with your hands, and you are determined to figure out how things work.

I love our squeezy hugs.

I love that you know how to sign excuse me when you toot.

I love that you love to laugh and do it all the time.

I love how you wait at the top of the stairs for me when I get home from a wedding or a long day out. Your eyes light up and everything is good in the world.

I love how much you love strawberries.

I love how you don’t shy away from my camera, but light up when I take pictures. Makes me want to take more and more.

I love how you and daddy will play so rough while I am downstairs in my office, that it sounds like the house is collapsing on us, just to hear your squeal of delight moments after a loud bang.

I love how you get all shy around the ladies. But only for a minute, then you are giving out hugs like they are going out of style.

I love that, when giving you food, we always need to make sure both hands are full of said food, otherwise, we obviously did something wrong. Or when I give you a piece of my muffin, you calmly look past the small piece I am handing you, just to grab the piece that was supposed to be for me, and gobble it down.

I love your sense of humor

I love that you are a genuine and sweet soul and, unless you are in pain or hungry, you are oh so happy.

I’m sorry that you got your hunger grumps from me though. You do turn into a turd in 2 seconds flat once you are too hungry 😉

I love that you are already potty training and you are so excited when you get pee pee in the potty.

I love that you let me mis-match your socks still.

I love that you are you.

Happy birthday my sweet and wonderful little man.

xoxo,

Momma

Feel free to see what I loved about the first year here!

And thank you to my amazingly talented good friend Barbie Hull Photography for capturing the essence of my family so well for our family session 🙂 xo