Friday, October 21, 2011

J - Two Years


Dear J,

Yeah, I know this letter is late, but that’s just how it is right now.  Sorry about that, kiddo.

You’re napping, and I have a few minutes, so I thought I’d jot these notes down for you.  You’re TWO now.  Two.  No really.  It’s already been two years.  I’m just amazed, but I’m happy to say that I have been able to watch and enjoy this entire time with you in our lives. 

The thing most people say about you is how very happy you are.  Of course, being two, you do love to say “no,” but for some reason, it’s always with a smile. 

What goes along with that, too, is that you have absolutely the sweetest and most agreeable nature.  I have to admit that this makes it pretty easy for us as parents, so far, which is nice, but it does make me worry a little about your future.  By that I mean that I worry you will be too nice to most people, and that you will be taken advantage of, and maybe even have your precious heart trampled by some girl(s).   Yes, unfortunately, it is possible to be too nice, and I’m afraid you’ll learn that the hard way.

In the end, that’s OK, though, because I’d rather you be a very kind person than a selfish or hurtful one any day.  Of course, I know there’s somewhere in between, and maybe that’s where you’ll end up, but if not, well, that’s quite alright. 

You have become chatty and are even starting to say some sentences – most of which are demands.  “Get up” to me (or, sometimes, “Up please”) and “Come here” (more like “Commeer”) to the cats and dog.  Also, the way you mispronounce some sounds is, of course, adorable.  “Fl” is “shw”, so “butterfly” become “bushwy” and “flush” become “shwush” (yep, we’re potty training).  For a while you said babadabee for bumblebee.  And our favorite, though, is “lah-thu” which is “love you”.  There are plenty of opportunities to use “oops” and “oh no”.  Ah, and your favorite, repeated at least 500 times a day is “uss at?”, or translated: “what’s that?”

You have brought an untold amount of joy into our lives, even though your desire to be “OUSSIDE!!!” often interrupts lunch, dinner, shopping, and whatever else we happen to be doing inside.  But who cares, really?  Life is good.

We love you so much,
Mom

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Interesting Study

I find these studies on the genetics of happiness so interesting, especially how the information ties back to theories around political systems.