My baby boy turns 21 months today. I said I would never be "that mom" that said my child's age by months after they turned one, but here I am. I'll stop at two, I promise think. But the truth is, so much changes between one and two that he's not just a "one year old" and honestly, it scares me to call him, "almost two," so 21 months it is. Micah has grown in leaps and bounds from his first birthday to now. From barely standing on his own to running, from saying a few words to talking in sentences. His vocabulary is probably the most impressive thing about him at this age. He is a talker like his mommy and daddy. :) I love being able to have conversations with him. From waking up in the morning and asking to go to the swimming pool, or in the middle of the day when he wants to play outside and at bed time when he's asking for a drink of water or to read his "Bert and Ernie" book. It's just fun learning what his likes and dislikes are. And even though his strong-will is showing through at times, I admire that he is developing his own opinions. I pray continually that he will grow to love and respect others and most of all, submit his will to the Lord.
Josh and I have begun discussing the big topics, like discipline and potty training. Even though we are parents of two children now, everything about raising Micah will always be new to us. Because he is our first born, we will always be "newbies" when it comes to him. We are learning and praying as we go. We don't have all the answers as to what works best in parenting - but the one thing we do rely on is the Holy Spirit's guidance. We know that God has chosen us to parent Micah and we don't take that lightly. He is growing smarter and more aware every single day.
One thing that I'm so glad he hasn't picked up on yet, is peer bullying. He's not even two yet and I've seen it happen already. It breaks my heart and makes the Mama Bear in me want to scoop him up and attack the little bully... but I don't. I sit back and watch as he brushes it off. He's not aware that those big kids are being mean - he just wants to play and be everyone's friend. I love that about him. As he grows, I want to teach him to keep his lighthearted attitude. I want him to laugh A LOT. And most importantly, be able to laugh at himself.
I want to share a typical conversation I have with Micah almost daily.
(screaming and pointing towards the door) "OWTSIDE?!" - Micah "What do you say?" - Me "Please, owtside, okay." - Micah "Ok, but lets go put your shoes on first." - Me (runs to his bedroom to grab shoes)
His adorableness in answering his own questions with "okay" at the end, is just too much. In fact, we love asking "What do you say?" about everything just to hear him say it. Along with saying "please" he's also learned to say "thank you." One of my favorites is when someone opens the door for us. Before I can even get the words off my lips he is already saying, "Dank yew!" This is a great example of him learning something by watching us do it. I've never taught him, specifically, to say "thank you" when someone opens the door for us - but it's an instinct of mine to do it without thinking about it. The same goes for saying "bless you" when someone sneezes. And just the other day, I heard his sweet little voice call out, "Bwess yew!" after Hannah sneezed. And even I forgot to say it that time. These are just a few examples of how our children learn a lot by us modeling it for them. It's a humbling realization to have and an even bigger reason for me to get up every morning and spend time with Jesus, with the hopes that one day my son will want to spend time with Him too.
I couldn't write a post about Micah without mentioning his love for sports. It is apparent that he has inherited his daddy's love for all things round that bounce (I am banned from saying the "b-word" and "love" in the same sentence, thanks to my immature husband) I can tell you that he has gone to sleep in his crib with a ball in his hand more times than not. He can already make 3-pointer shots in his little basketball hoop. And judging from the amount of times he has hit his little sister in the head with a (very very soft) ball, I am guessing he has a pretty good pitch too.
We've been so blessed to have Micah in our lives. He is such a joy! Even on the toughest days, I still want to kiss his face all over. I am so thankful God chose to bless us with Micah Jordan, 21 months ago. And Lord-willing we're blessed with another 21 years, I can't wait to look back and reflect on these special memories.
