Last night, I kissed goodnight to my one-year-old baby, and tonight I kissed goodnight to my big TWO-year-old birthday boy! As one of my 1st grade students put it, “He’s a big boy now. He’s not a baby anymore!” The past few weeks have honestly been a little rough for me thinking about this big transition. Don’t get me wrong, my Kamden has been very “two” for a while now, but hitting this new year mark is a big deal for Mommy!

Last year, I remember thinking that his first year was the toughest and best of my life. I was beyond ecstatic to have my first baby, something I had dreamt about and longed for all my life. Within days of Kamden Jack’s birth, I was googling, “high-needs baby” and quickly learning tricks to help soothe my very needy not-so-happy-to-be-an-infant baby boy. We learned a lot that first year, and I believe in my heart, that nurturing and tending to his specific needs allowed him to become a sweet, happy, silly, and confident little toddler.

This second year of his life though has definitely, by far, been the best!! You hear it all the time from parents, “you’ll love them more than anything,” and “it’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.” I have to say, it is the greatest love I have ever known. There is absolutely nothing like bringing a life into the world, raising them the best that you know how, and then experiencing the payback in sweet little kisses, tight hugs (or “hucks” as Kam would call them), and those genuine, unprompted moments of affection and love that they start to show you.

My son has always been a very active one. From the womb to the living room, he has been non-stop (part of the reason I think he hated being an infant that couldn’t run yet)! So, does he always want to give kisses and “hucks”? Well, no… He’s a busy boy, and he is two after all. However, give him time, and although he’d almost always rather play hard than cuddle, I have learned that one benefit of my son’s intense activity is that he loves hard as well. My heart melts every time I hear him say, “I-you, Mommy. I-so-much!” When we have rough tantrummy days, he will still take the time every now and then to come up on my lap, look me in the eye, grin, and say, “Mommeeee” in the sweetest little voice in the world. The greatest love I’ve ever known… in a tiny, dark blond, brown-eyed, little two-year-old boy’s body… reminding me every day that everything is going to be alright. “I-you, Kam Man. I-so-much.” ❤