Two and a half.

Dear Liam Worth,

You recently turned two and a half and it's hard for me to believe it (or accept it, really). With the way you're shooting up and suddenly conversing with us, it feels like college is just around the corner. Slow down, little buddy. Here are some favorites of mine right now:

+ You've adopted "Mama" as an endearing name for me that's all your own. We've always called me "Mommy," but when you're especially tired or sweet, it's Mama. Or Mama-doo. Sometimes it sounds more like "Mawmaw" like I'm your 90-year-old great grandmother, but it's always said with such tenderness that I don't mind. (When you really, really want something, it's "Mommygirl." How could I ever say no to that?!)
+ Dad is "Dadda" or Daddy and Lane is "Wanie girl" or "Pwincess" and is always the first person you want to see when you wake up.
+ Your transition from crib to big boy bed just after Lanie was born was flawless. You've never once gotten out of your bed without asking, which wasn't really something we instituted, but we'll take it. Sometimes on Saturday mornings when we want to sleep a little later, we'll hear you in your bed just happily talking and singing for up to an hour before we come get you. Then you say, "Sweep so good!" and ask to "slide out?" and hop right down.
+ You're a terribly, terribly picky eater. On the plus side, some of the (very few) foods you like are actually healthy: you eat hummus by the spoonful, gobble up scrambled eggs most mornings, and will gladly eat almost any fruit. We've resorted to hiding lots of things in smoothies: handfuls of kale, whole avocados, or even shredded chicken. We're desperate here, buddy.
+ Your little language is hilarious and impressive. Instead of saying "yes," you always say "okay."
Me: Did your hurt your head, buddy?
Liam: Okay.
Me: Are you going to be ok?
Liam: Okay.
Sometimes you sound like a valley girl. The other day, when I told you you needed to wait for me to get something for you because I was nursing Lanie, you said, "Umm... I need it, like, right now."
+ You're super proud of your daddy and love to watch him sing at church and tell everyone around us that that's your dad.
+ You go to new places with very little hesitation. In the last few weeks, you've been to two different church nurseries and spent the night at Mimi and Poppy's house and have just jumped in like you've been there your whole life. You're rarely ever shy.
+ My favorite time with you is when you're supposed to be going to sleep, and sometimes I sneak in and sing you one more song or just lie on your bed and talk to you. When I asked you the other night what you were thinking about, you responded, "Umm... dinos. T-rex. Big teeth. Sharp claws."
+ I know I'm biased, but you're astoundingly smart. Thanks to a Steve Green CD that's straight Scripture, you can say about 20 Bible verses from memory.
+ Just today at lunch, I saw you with your head bowed and heard you talking very quietly and asked what you were saying. You responded, "I'm talking to Jesus. I cwose mine eyes just wike Mommy."
+ The other day, you told us, "Jesus came help people. Mommy help people too. Help people at hospital. Daddy help people too. Daddy help people hearts. Biam want help people too sometime!"

If I could freeze you at this age (and maybe take away the occasional whininess), I'd keep you at two and a half forever.

I love you to the moon!
Mommy