Three

Dearest Bubba,

Today you turn three, and I promise to write you a letter every year so we can laugh about all you have done in a twelve month period. Lots of it will be silly, and funny, but sometimes it will be sad and heartfelt. So, here we go, my little dude.

Since turning two, you seemed to take The Terrible Twos as a challenge, and you rose to it magnificently. I cannot begin to explain to you how many times I have told you to stop jumping off the couch, or how much I have shrieked at you to get off the baby because he is NOT a horse. You acquired a love for stuffed puppies, and hard plastic dinosaurs. You fell in love with and out of love with homemade enchiladas quicker than any person I have ever known. Cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt became a staple in your diet, and we were pleased to see you eating everything in sight.

We took you to an Orthopedic doctor about your bowed legs, and he told us to switch your shoes to the wrong feet and it would fix you right up. I thought the man was mad, loony, crazy, but to my chagrin it worked. Your legs straighten out, and you started to fall down less when you ran... You still fall down quite a bit, but I suspect that is because you have the genes of a klutz running strong in you. You have had at least two concussions and very likely fractured your nose, or broke it... The ER visits for you are almost as high as Little Baby.

The biggest change in your life has been that Daddy deployed this year. While you are perhaps our most challenging kid, I suspect Daddy misses you something fierce. You are his miniature, and we both went through such hell to make sure you survived. Watching you say goodbye to Daddy at the airport when he had to leave was heart breaking. For days, you wandered around the house asking "Daddy??" in every room. I am not sure what was more sad, seeing you do that, or one day suddenly realizing you had stopped looking for him. It has taken literal months for you to want to Facetime with Daddy on the tablet, and I know for a fact you want to talk to him, to see him, to hear him.. Today, on your big third birthday, you happily chatted with your Daddy and I think we both wanted to cry with happiness.

Bubba, you are such a tough little guy - so naughty, so smart, so sweet all at the same time. The stubborn soul that carried you through the NICU and helped you survive infancy is the thing we love the most about you. Your sheer will and determination for life is amazing to behold. There is not a single thing you need to change about yourself my love, and I hope you grow up knowing that.

Happy Birthday, Jamie.

You are kind,
You are smart.
You are strong.
You are brave.
You are important.

I love you, always.