Birthday week

Three years ago today, I was still pregnant. Three days overdue. Huge and miserable. In the midst of trying every conceivable method to coerce my reticent baby to make his appearance.

In just a few days, my baby will turn three. Three.

Every time I try to write about this, I get a prickly panicky feeling and end up staring at a blank screen. So I decided to start slow and write a little something about the big day a few days in advance.

But how to quiet that oh my god he's getting so big - I'm getting so old - how is it that life is whizzing by at mach ten - panicky feeling? With cuddly pajamas of course!

Here is a pajama photo montage of the big boy, through his 2.9 years.

Wee pajama laden baby. As a January baby of a first time mama, he wore a hat (even indoors) until June. 

His poor brother only gets a hat when it's below zero.

He was a chunk-a-monkey, with straight wispy baby hair, who never ever slept.



Who needs sleep?


He walked early - around nine months, but didn't have much to say until he was about two. His first word? "Shoe"

Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.



Then suddenly, his brother arrived and in an instant - he was a big boy.



Big brother.

Before my eyes - he blossomed into a bat-swinging, ball-throwing, ice cream loving two year old.



Did someone say ice cream?

Now as we approach his third birthday, I can't help but be awed by his transformation. And to think, we're only just beginning to see the boy (and someday the man) he will become.

Never too big for footie pj's.

There now, with the help of cozy-comfy footie pj's I have broached the subject - my big boy is turning three this week.  He's starting to bank memories that he'll actually be able to recall with understanding. Now it's my job to make sure this birthday is a good memory.

That's a pretty good summary of my job here - to load him up with good memories - unfortunately I get so bogged down in the every day struggles over diaper changes, hitting, and tantrums that I lose sight of that particular facet of motherhood. The milestone that this birthday provides gives me some perspective on just how fast this opportunity will disappear.