Happy Birthday, Birthday Boy!

My baby is 3!  That sentence will probably start to sound really crazy in future years, but 3 is still a baby, right? 

Here is what my baby boy is up to these days:

- Just went down for a nap with his "bop."  A reminder to never say things like, "MY 3 year old won't still be using a pacifier."
- Uses words like "usually," "probably," and "along."
- Uses phrases like "I decided to...," "That will be so cool," and "I'm so excited!"
- Has cute ways of emphasizing his point.  Nods his heads, looks at you earnestly and wide-eyed, and, for example, today when he passed out a special birthday treat to his friends at school, puts his head inches from his classmate and says, "Tin, this is special popcorn.  It's called kettle corn."  When he doesn't get a response, moves from 5 inches to 2 inches from his friend and says "Tin, this is SPECIAL popcorn.  It's called kettle corn."

- Loves his baby sister - they communicate right now by laughing (giggling, chuckling) at each other and through lots of physical attention (Jack to Cora) and adoring looks (Cora to Jack).
- Is a cute middle man/interpreter.  We will be sitting in a small group and if he likes what one person is saying, he will turn to someone else and repeat it word for word, as in, "Daddy, Mommy said she will share a bite of her sandwich with me!" (with big, bright eyes, and a happy-go-lucky smile)

- Is a happy-go-lucky guy a lot of the time.
- Is WILLFUL, unique, odd, charming, and goofy, as I'm sure both Jacob and I were when we were little (are now?)
- Has a sweet soul.  Example: Jacob and I ate lunch with Jack at school today and sat through his class' goodbye circle.  They end with a hands in the middle cheer and today they said "Happy Birthday Jack!"  Well another boy is having a birthday in a few days and asked to have his name called out, so the class did.  Then another girl said let's do one more cheer.  The teacher said, "Jack, should we do Happy Birthday Jack again?"  To which Jack, replied, "No, let's say Happy Birthday to Tin" 
- Says "thank you" unprompted (sometimes) as in "Thank you Mommy" Always makes me smile :)

- Thinks all firemen and fire trucks are the definition of awesomeness. 

Jack's fire truck "cupcake cake"

Knows many local firemen by name, lights up to a hundred watts when he sees a truck driving down the road, and can spot a fire truck in a second no matter how hidden it might be in a picture/someone's toy chest/etc. 

You can imagine he was pretty thrilled when the local fire truck came to his birthday party!  We'd dropped an invitation off at the station earlier in the week, but I wasn't thinking they would actually come.  This act of kindness absolutely made my day as well as Jack's!

- The night before his birthday party, Jack slept with the cardboard picture of a fire truck that came in the package of the fire truck balloon we bought for his party.  Absolutely enamored is the best way to put it.

How could I have had any concept how rich my life would become by having this child?  December 3, 2009 was no doubt the longest day of my life, but the days since have been more vivid, more lived,  more colorful, and more meaningful because of this little boy.  I love him so much and am so proud to be his mother.

Happy Birthday Jack!