To Braxton, Love Mama

My Dear Sweet Braxton,

Today is your 2nd birthday.  You are already 2 whole years old.  I step back while watching you play and wonder how so much time has passed since you were born.  I swear you were my brand new baby yesterday.  You bring me so much joy, and I hate that the years of your childhood are slipping by so quickly.  I wish with everything in me that I could keep you tiny enough to sit in my lap for forever, yet I dream daily of the man you will become.  Motherhood is tricky like that.  You will always be my baby, and it hurts me to watch you grow, but at the same time that growth brings me so much excitement.  Gone are the sweet innocent baby days, and here are the wild, testing, hilarious toddler days.  You are so amazing, you really really are. You have a very sweet and cheerful disposition, yet you have a way of standing your ground and really fighting for what you want. Though this is testing at times, I know that it is a great quality. It assures me that you will always fight for what you believe in, which is so important. That quality combined with the loving heart you have is a powerful combination. You are exceptional, and I am so honored to call you my son. 

Throughout my pregnancy with you, I was reassured by the Spirit that you are a choice spirit of our Heavenly Father. I was comforted in times of anxiety and told that you would be a source of great happiness in my life. I knew that you would be a happy, pleasant baby. A good baby. And you most definitely have been a happy child. 
Right now there are so many memories of you that I want to write in black and white so that I can always remember who you were at 2 years of age.  I do not know that my writing will do the memories justice, but it is my prayer that one day years from now, when you and I may be having a bad day,  that I can look back on these entries and smile and remember my sweet little Braxton.  After all, you will always be my baby. My sweet, adorable, silly baby boy who literally stole my heart the moment I saw you.  

Braxton, at two years old you wake every morning calling my name. And if Daddy goes to get you, you will not be picked up until he assures you that he is taking you to Mama. Your ideal morning starts with fruit snacks and a movie- usually Bambi, sometimes Winnie the Pooh. After about twenty minutes, we have had enough time to wake up happy and we turn off the TV to go play. You love to read books and point to the pictures. Your little board books will take us 5-10 minutes to get through. You are definitely an artist. We draw multiple times a day. Sometimes you ask for me to draw you tractors, fish, bugs, or deer. Lately though, you have started drawing your own pictures. Fish, sunshine, and spiders-- then you smash your spiders. It is hilarious to see. You are definitely a boy, as such you have the innate gift of sound effects. Whether it's guns, tractors, airplanes, or elk, you know its noise. You make them so much better than I can. You also love animals. You love to visit Grandma's house and see the ducks, chickens and horses. Papa even lets you "drive" the tractor. 

As boyish as you are, you still have a little bit of a soft side to your personality. You love babies and little kids. Whenever you spot a baby, you will stop and point, saying "awww beebee." It completely melts my heart. You will sometimes sneak Nessa's baby to hold and give kisses. I have no doubt that you will be a wonderful and loving big brother someday. You don't like it when people fight or wrestle. In fact, you will cry until it stops. You love to give kisses and hugs. Last week, when Daddy and I took you to the doctor, you asked him for "more" after he finished checking your heart, ears and mouth. When he left, you waved and blew him a big kiss. I am sure you made his day. 

You have turned out to be slow at talking, but have recently started repeating a few words. It is very exciting. You say mama, dada (sometimes), ham, hat, hot, baby, yes/yeah/yep, and most recently NO. Although your NO stage hasn't been too bad yet, I hear it often enough to worry about your upcoming toddler years. Please, don't test me too much! 

 Braxton, I pray that we will always be close.  I promise you that I will do everything in my power to build you up throughout your life.  I will always be here for you to talk, cry with, play with, run away with on bad days, and dream with.  I will be the person always cheering and supporting you wherever your life leads.  You, my sweet boy, mean so much to me. It is truly a privilege to be a mother to you, and one that I thank God for daily. I pray that I will have the strength, the knowledge and the faith to be the best mother I can be for you; that I will teach you to be strong in the gospel, to love yourself and others, to be kind and compassionate to all you encounter. I love you so much and wish you the happiest of birthdays today.

Love you,

Mama