Finn is Two

I'm coming back to the present for a minute because my baby turned two yesterday. 

I broke all the rules with this one. He slept in my arms day and night as a newborn. He wasn't on a schedule until well into babyhood. His crib still resides in our closet, partly because it's space efficient but mostly because I can't bear the thought of him being farther away.

I gave him a cupcake with two candles and my heart broke in half. Because I fear he is no longer a baby, but a big, big boy.

I felt a lot of mom guilt about not preparing much in advance to make his birthday special. I was being pulled in a hundred different directions as usual and his birthday crept up on me. I had a good, ugly cry on his birthday eve. I was equally devastated that my baby was turning two and that I didn't have anything out of the ordinary prepared.

Thankfully, when you're two, you are happy just to go to the park with your family. His brothers asked him the question over and over in the weeks leading up to his big day, "What do you want to do for your birthday?" Each time, Finn simply replied by repeating the word, "bir-day." It gave us a good laugh and made us realize he had no expectations.

We went on a lunch date at the mall and picked out a few small presents. I came home, wrapped them up, and Finn was so happy about playing with the truck he opened first that he could have cared less about opening anything else.

His brothers eventually convinced him to open a few more gifts.

Once we whipped out the cupcakes it finally sunk in to him that it was his birthday. We sang "Happy Birthday" to a relative on the phone recently and he immediately ran to the fridge, asking for "Ha-bir-day" (a.k.a. cake). To Finn, it isn't a birthday unless there is cake!

He kept an iron-clad grip on those new cars.

I don't know why I got so worked up over sufficiently celebrating his birthday because Finn was happy as a clam with the simplicity.

We watched the sun sink below the horizon on a day I hoped would never come.

 

But ready or not for his advancement in age, here are two things I adore about my two-year-old:

1. His older brothers pull me in so many directions with school and activities and life, but Finn reminds me to slow down and enjoy the simple things; like watching the garbage truck or running the bath water. In many ways, his life has been a free-for-all. Forget about storytime and playgroups - this one only goes to Target! But he is well-adjusted, sweet and happy. 

2. Oh how can I fit it all in two? He responds to the name Finn, but every time he sees himself in pictures or in the mirror, he says, "Crew!" He whips out the funniest deep man voice, especially when he wants something. He is a chatterbox and repeats everything I say. He loves his thumb and his beloved nie-night more than life itself. And I let him bring it almost everywhere because I just can't resist those puppy dog eyes. His brothers fight over who gets to lift him out of his crib after naps and I'm right with them because I can't wait to see him either.

Happy birthday, Finner Winner.