Dear Jacob XXIV

Dear Jacob,

 

You are two and a half years old, and when people ask me to describe you, all I can say is that you are a hoot. You can make sentences like, “I like to drink water!” some of the most exciting ever spoken.

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You wanted to play Hide and Seek this weekend, and went into the kitchen, calling out “Hide and seek! Hide and seek!” It was very funny when I correctly guessed where you were.

 

The other day, I told you we were going to make cake—this easily convinced you it was time to leave the playground—and you responded, “Ooh, I love cake.” When we were closer to home, you told me, “Mommy, you make a cake for me and I will make a cake for you.” You are as sweet as you are funny.

 

I spend a lot of time quoting you these days, because I want to hold on to everything you say. It’s not that I don’t love watching you grow. Last week, you put on shorts to go enjoy the warm weather, and all of sudden, you were dressed like a little boy—not a baby, a little boy.

 

When I went to take a picture of you, you insisted that Henry be in it, too. I love that you wouldn’t take a photo without him. I hope you keep this attitude for many years to come.

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You love Henry very much, and not always as gently as I’d like. Henry doesn’t seem to mind, for the most part, and I am trying to make sure you have positive interactions. You have the energy of a two-year-old, though, and your yelling does startle our little guy from getting fed sometimes!

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Your daddy and I love, love, love spending time with you. Sometimes disciplining you drives me up the wall, but I remind myself what Jim Stenson says—“Pay now or pay later.” I am being firm with you now so that you will have the strength of character to deal with what life throws your way later. The little things add up, for better or worse.
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You are a strong boy, and smart. You can spell your first and last name, but not the middle one yet, despite that being the shortest! You’ll get there. Recently I watched you work lacing cards with dexterity I hadn’t noticed before. You learn more every day, and I am so impressed with the good-natured, friendly, happy person you are. You are sweet, kind, and so, so important. Don’t ever forget that.

 

You still say no to just about everything, but then do what it is that needs to get done. You push your boundaries, and I understand that is part of growing up. Still, I lose my patience when this process takes too long, and I am sorry for that. When I feel like my brain is functioning, I am trying to be a strong, steady example for you.

 

I hope that I am doing all I can to help you be the person God needs you to be. From the moment I knew I was pregnant with you, I knew that my job was to help you be something for God, to somehow serve God. So far, you are doing that with your smile and love. Someday, I imagine it will be with much more. Whatever it is, it will be all the more fruitful if that pure joy doesn’t fade.

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I’ll end with a new quote from you that just warmed my heart (pun intended). We made strawberry ice cream, and I asked if you liked it. Your sincere response was, “Mmm, it’s very warm.” For all you’ve got figure out, temperature is not your strong suit.

 

You are discovering this world, step by step. I pray we can lead you into it with grace, courage, and strength, so that you can be all that you are meant to be.

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I love you, my sweet boy, today and always.

 

Love,
Mom

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Dear Henry X

Dear Henry,

 

You are four and a half months old and coming out of your baby shell. You smile and giggle and melt the hearts of anyone who looks at you. You really like when I stand you up on my lap. This, in your experience, is one of the best things ever. Most of the comments we get about you are that your cheeks are scrumptious. A lot of people are also saying that you look a lot like Jacob.

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You are very close to rolling over, from your back to your tummy. You get most of the way there, but can’t seem to lift your head up enough from that angle. Soon, I’m sure. You are just about ten pounds lighter (less heavy?) than Jacob, which means that two weeks ago, when he was “widin’” on you, you didn’t argue for a second.

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You are in a wonderful stage, perhaps my favorite baby stage. You are sturdy enough to hold yourself up some, but not enough to wiggle away. You fit perfectly into the ErgoBaby, my preferred baby carrier, and I love that I snuggle with you all during Mass and whenever else I take you places in it. I love picking you up when you’re sleeping, or just after you’ve woken up and you’re still a little drowsy. You fit in my arms so perfectly. You are hands down adorable, and so, so handsome. There is something special about you, and I love watching it unfold, day by day.

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Though there is that something in your eyes that looks like home to me, there is so much I still have to learn about you. Without being able to put words to it, I know that you are a special little boy and very important both in your own right and as a member of our family. Your daddy, big brother, and I love you so much. You make all our days brighter and not one of us can get enough of you.

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I am trying to be sure that I speak and behave as best I can around you and Jacob, to be a good example for you. I remind Jacob that you will learn from him, especially. He is certainly someone to look up to.

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Jacob: “Smile, Henwy!”

You are a bundle of joy, love, and hope for me, and I am so grateful for that, for you. I hope you always know how special you are to me, today and always.

 

With love,
Mom

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How an Ice Cream Maker Made My Mother’s Day

This year, John was not able to be with us for Mother’s Day. He was in California, attending and celebrating his younger brother’s graduation from college (go, Joseph!). I met said brother when he was something like twelve or thirteen years old, and I am so proud of who he is as a young man, a brother, a brother-in-law, an uncle—and a student: he graduated with honors! Bummed as I was not to have John around, he had very, very good reason to be away.

 

The bonus was that before he left, John gave me a Mother’s Day gift. We don’t always do gifts. More often we celebrate with a meal or an outing, so this was a surprise. It probably shouldn’t have been, because I’ve been raving about the ice cream maker attachment for our stand mixer for weeks. I can’t eat dairy for Henry’s sake, and a summer without ice cream is not summer, to me. We’ve been buying “ice cream” made with coconut milk, but that stuff is expensive, especially considering how good it is and how quickly we go through it with all of us—not just Jacob—eating it. I’d been trying to justify getting the attachment for John’s birthday next month (mine is just before Labor Day), but John had a much better idea.

 

We’ve had it less than a week, and I’ve already made three batches of ice cream. Jacob will watch the thing go for a full twenty minutes, updating me on its progress (“It’s going awound!”). One recipe was a bust, but the other two—oh my goodness! The woman behind the blog, SpeedbumpKitchen, is a genius. Her kids have dairy, egg, and nut allergies (sound familiar?), plus she’s a pediatrician. I took her basic vanilla recipe and added in cookies to make cookies and cream, and separately, pureed strawberries to make, well, strawberry.

 

Thanks to her recipes and her cone recommendations, last night Jacob had his first ever ice cream cone.

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Every time we find something else Jacob can eat like a “normal” kid can, we are so grateful. Living in a city, in a time with easy Internet access and so many people sharing their recipes and goods online, we are so fortunate to be able to find things like dairy-free ice cream within reach. And the stuff is darn good, too!

 

I grateful that Jacob could eat the ice cream cone, but I was probably more grateful for the effect it had on him. After a day of pushing the boundaries, contradicting me at almost every turn, he ate this thing without a peep, spilling maybe one drop of the whole thing. And then he fell asleep super easily. That might have been the greatest gift of all!

 

Scratch that. Knowing there’s most of a quart and eleven waffle cones still in the kitchen is even better!

 

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