Dear Henry,

Welcome to the world, son! You have made us a family of four. You have made us the parents of two children, “somebodies” parents, if you will. You were one month old on Friday.

This month we have listened to your grunts and coos. You are warm, round, sweet and floppy. We have snuggled and gotten to know you. You have snoozed in our arms and looked at us with your dark blue eyes. We love watching you get a little more alert each day. You are a very good baby. You’re not giving Mama and Daddy a ton of sleep at night because you are so hungry nearly every two hours.

You love nothing more than to eat. We have watched in amazement as you seemed to grow by the hour. The doctors have been shocked at how much weight you have gained. You already graduated from newborn to size 1 diapers. You can wear newborn and 0-3 month size clothes, but 3 month sizes will fit you very soon. We are pretty certain you are more than 10 lbs., up from 8 lbs. 2 oz. at birth.

You are already a patient little brother. When your big sister gets a tad zealous with her love and and excitement, you take it in stride, never crying when she kisses and hugs you a little roughly. We giggled when she shared her princess stickers with you. She likes to show you your baby toys, even if you are deep in sleep and can’t see them.

When you were born you had so much hair, including some down your back and on your arms. Everyday you shed a little more and get a little more bald up top. We laugh at your balding and wonder if this means you will be spared male pattern baldness as an adult. We wonder what color and texture your hair will grow in when it comes back.

We are so excited to see you grow and spend our lives with you. Thank you so much for bringing joy to our family. We will never forget your first month. I love you, Henry,  my sweet, sweet boy.

Love,

Mama

Dear Charlotte,

For the past few weeks I’ve been asking you how old you are, just to hear you say “I’m two!” because it’s so sweet and adorable. I think it’s a mama thing. Mamas have to deal with their babies getting older. The thing that has surprised me is how much I have loved the three-year-old narrative that follows “I’m two!”

You usually say, “But on my next birfday I’m gonna be free!” I ask why we had your party early and you say, “Because the baby’s comin’ at my birfday and I’m gonna be a big sister!”

Today your birthday remained your own and your brother or sister remained wombside, making us wait, just like you did until three years ago today. It’s okay. You’ll probably be glad not to have to share November 2nd when you are older and little siblings are not cool.

Happy Birthday! I’m  convinced, sweet girl that the old song is true. Three is a magic number.

“The past and the present and the future
Faith and hope and charity
The heart and the brain and the body
Give you three
That’s a magic number”

-Schoolhouse Rock

This year of age 2 has been wonderful. Since 2 1/2 you have left toddlerhood and become a full-fledged preschooler with gusto, never looking back. You are potty trained now. You still wear a Pull-Up at night, but we’ll get to that. No rush. You have left behind some toddler toys, and replaced them with your imagination. Daddy and I are amazed all the time at the stories you act out in your head and the scenarios you come up with. You’re always asking us to come to your playroom for a “picnic” or come inside Rapunzel’s “tower.”

You love your friends and classmates. You can tell us what’s happening at school each day and what you’re learning. You always want to know what letter something starts with or what a color is in Spanish. You say, “Let’s do shapes Mama!” That means you want to name what shape something is that I point out. You told your teacher recently that the square she drew was not a circle because a circle has no sides and no angles. The teacher asked you if you wanted an algebra book. We laughed. We are so proud of your excitement to learn. We have a feeling the “why” phase is fast approaching as that word comes up often.

With all of this “threeness” is you asserting your independence. We frequently hear “No! I do it by myself!” Overall, you are a well-behaved kid, but listening to Mama and Daddy or your teachers is tough for you sometimes. It’s a balance for us to encourage your independence, but still learn boundaries and manners. We’re learning.

We love how brave you are. When some kids your age scream and run away from things, you don’t. It’s not that  you weren’t scared of the zombie Halloween decoration we saw trick-or-treating, you were. But, you mustered up your courage and headed to the house anyway with the determined look Daddy and I love.

“A man and a woman had a little baby
Yes, they did
They had three in the family
That’s a magic number”

Three will mean big changes for you as  you become a big sister and we become a family of four but we know you will be up for it strong girl. This was a birthday we celebrated as a family of three for the last time. It was magical.

I love you, my darling, darling girl.

Love,

Mama

Last week we celebrated our 3-year-old before she really turned three. I made some cute invitations with Charlotte’s picture, clearly depicting the theme.

(True story. We got to the Disney store and I saw the price of the Rapunzel wig. I said, “Charlotte, put this on and let Mama take your picture!” It was robbery. No way. Maybe for Christmas. Maybe.)

We had all of her little classmates and friends at a local bounce house kiddie facility. Bounce, pizza, cake, out. Awesome. This place was a party producing machine. I didn’t have it in me to get all Pinteresty like I did last year you know, being nearly 9 months pregnant and all. (Note the message in the sun on the invitation.)

We kept asking her why we were having her party early. She said, “Because da baby’s comin at my birfday on Nobember 2nd!” True. There is a real likelihood that that our children will have the same birthday. Charlotte was due Oct. 28 and born November 2. (Thank you, Pitocin!) This kid is due Oct. 30.  So, seriously, they could have the same birthday.

People act like this is a big problem or something. They always say, “Oh! That would suck if they have same birthday!” Huh? Seriously? There are many, many siblings who share birthdays.  Want proof?

Meet my twin cousins Scott and Meagan. This is them on their 1st birthday in 1983. Cute right?

See. twins and other multiples are siblings who share birthdays. I find it hard to believe sharing a birthday with your brother or sister is as scarring as people keep telling me it is. They’re like, “Oh my God! Are you going to have SHARED birthday parties?” Um, yeah. Probably. Like next year when they’re 1 and 4. What do they care? Cake, presents, done. They’re kids.

People are then like, “But, what about when they’re older! They should have their own day!!!!” Geez, relax. If we act like it’s bad thing, it becomes a bad thing. Guess what? We’re gonna make it an awesome thing. So help the person who says anything negative to my children about shared birthdays. So, Baby #2, don’t worry. If we meet you on your sister’s birthday it will be awesome! Anyone who said it isn’t is not invited to our awesome parties. So there.

I think I first noticed it when we were  brushing her teeth. It had to be a year ago or more. We were facing the mirror and I reached around her face to help get those back baby teeth. Her little fist grasped the handle to mimic my back and forth movements. That’s when she got frustrated like toddlers do.

She switched the brush to her left hand and continued brushing.

Now, I had seen her use both hands while eating and coloring, but it was the frustration mimicking my right-handed movements that made me realize for the first time that we are right-handed parents possibly raising a left-handed child.

I understand she’s only 2 1/2 and could show ambidextrous qualities until age 5 or 6, but she really seems to favor her left. If she is left-handed she will be following after her Papa, my father-in-law, her grandfather. I personally think it’s really awesome. The lefties I know are really smart. I don’t know if they are any smarter than right-handed people, but there are studies showing that their brains do work differently.

Lately I’ve been asking left-handed friends and coworkers, “Hey, when did your parents notice you were left-handed? How old were you? They usually shrug and say something like, “I don’t know. I’d have to ask my mom.” I think it’s moms who recognize this stuff and start researching whether Ned Flander’s Leftorium really exists so they can get proper supplies for their little southpaws.

My only concern is being able to help her learn to write and do other fine motor tasks. I’ve found if I turn her to face me while brushing her teeth, I can use my right hand effectively and she can then mirror me with her left hand. Any opposite-handed parents have tips for raising a child using the other hand? When did your child show left or right-handedness?

I write this today because it’s International Left-Handers Day! Let’s hear it for little lefties and the parents raising them!

For the past four days we have had uninterrupted time together as a family over the July 4th holiday. Aside from Instagram and Twitter, I strayed from the Internet and lived my life slightly unplugged.

I often found myself staring at my daughter. I tangled my fingers in her curls and listened to her imagination unravel in tales of princesses, and Little People farm animals. I heard her stories of microscopic, half-imaginary boo-boos that had appeared on her legs and arms. She was quick to regale us with opinions of what foods are yummy and which are yucky. She pushed us away in the water and tested her bravery as she explored jumping in the pool.

I noticed that more and more, my daughter is no longer a baby and I can’t stop her from continuing to grow up. We are along for the ride. Her ride. A ride through fairy tales and daredevil feats. I’ll be here to admire every curl and kiss every boo-boo.