Dear Puppy,

In two days, you will be three years old!  Where does the time go?  You’re still a baby, aren’t you?  Yes, I say, but no, you say.  You’re a BIG MAN, according to you.  You want to do everything yourself.  Getting dressed, washing your hands, brushing your teeth, putting on your sneakers and your jacket, even buckling yourself into your car seat.  You’re a fiercely independent little fella, and I love your determination and your fire.

You are Daddy’s “buddy bear,” and Kelly’s “Prince Charming,” and Mommy’s “puppy.”  You are the sweetest, silliest, most hilarious little soul.  Twenty times a day, I catch myself gazing at you in wonder.  How can you possibly be so big and bright already?  Weren’t you just placed in my arms for the first time yesterday?  You were, and yet you weren’t.  But just last Sunday you fell asleep in my arms and napped on me on the couch, so you’re still a baby.

On to the things about you.  Your love of fire trucks is going strong – especially the trucks from the firehouse near our home.  You love nothing more than to walk or ride your bike over there, shoot the breeze with the firefighters, and inspect the vehicles.  You’ve amassed such a fleet of toy fire trucks that I can’t even count them anymore, and you even have two toy firehouses.  I love that you love trucks that help people and keep your neighborhood safe.  You have such a big heart.

A more recent love: gorillas.  You’re a big zoo fan and you love lots of animals, but gorillas and orangutans have your heart.  A trip to the zoo is not complete without a visit to the Great Ape House.  (Come spring, there will be a baby gorilla.  I can’t wait to see your eyes light up.)  You love to comment on what the apes are doing – especially Baraka, the gorilla, and Redd, the baby orangutan.  Your delight in them is infectious.

Then there’s soccer.  If you see a ball, you have to kick it.  (This has caused some problems – like when you kick someone else’s ball, or when you kick a playground ball into something suspicious and liquidy.)  You’re really athletic for such a little guy, and you can kick the ball halfway across the field if you want to.  The soccer field on our block is one of your happy places, and the big kids are so nice about letting you play with them when you come tripping up to the field, clutching your big sister’s soccer ball to your chest, all hopeful smiles and impatient feet.  The best is when the field is empty, though.  Then we run and run and kick and scream with laughter until we fall down exhausted.

I can’t even tell you how much your smiles light up my world.  And your mischievous smirks, and your sweet arms reaching up and around my neck.  “I love you, Mama.”  Or, “Pretend I’m Redd and you’re Batang.”

You’re shockingly smart.  Not to be all braggy, but – your brain is truly amazing.  You know more about orbital dynamics than most adults I know, and you’ll hold forth on the topic to the whole playground (while wearing your space shuttle cape backwards, of course).  Your vocabulary includes hydration, intransigent (you told your beloved nanny, Regular Kelly, that she was being intransigent the other day – sigh), echolocation, antagonize, paleontologist, and more.  People are always shocked at how clearly you speak and at the big words that come out of your little mouth.

You’re unabashedly you.  You love to put on your Darth Vader jammies and have a tea party (#KyloRen).  You adore Darth Vader and shout “Hey, it’s my buddy!” every time he’s on the TV screen – which is often, because you ask to watch Star Wars on a weekly basis.  (80% of your wardrobe, at least, is made up of fire truck and Star Wars-themed clothes, and you often request your “Master Yoda glow-in-the-dark” shirt.)

You love to be outdoors.  The outdoor world is your happy place and immediate cure for anything that troubles you.  If you wake up grumpy from your nap (bad dream?) I always know how to make it better – throw on your sweatshirt and sneakers and hustle out the door to play on the playground, kick the soccer ball, dig in the sandbox or just breathe fresh air.  You love nature, too.  You’re happy to hike on foot most of the time, these days, and you find opportunities to hike everywhere – from the dirt road at Mount Vernon to the bushes on the edge of your favorite playground.  When asked where you’re hiking, you always answer: “Shenandoah.”

You’re so very sweet.  You share your nanny with a baby girl, and you’re so very gentle and loving with her that your nanny is constantly getting asked if you and the baby are siblings.  You’re teaching the baby to crawl and you love to hold and kiss her.  You’re also crazy about your sister’s friends – especially her BFF, S, and another friend, C.  Really you’re just a dear kindhearted little spirit with so much love to give.  You’re forever hugging and kissing and reaching up to hold hands.

And you’re still a mama’s boy.  You are looking for me from the minute you wake up, and you’re in my arms every chance we both can get.  There is a special place in my heart reserved just for you and I must kiss your little cheeks a thousand times a day.  They say there’s nothing like the love between boys and their moms and I can attest to the truth in that.  You’re my treasure; you light up my life.  I really can’t see how the world muddled along for so many years without you, and I sure am glad you’re here now.

Happy birthday, my puppy.

Love,

Mommy