two years later

At this minute two years ago, my water broke.

Thirteen hours later, I saw Asher Paul for the first time.

His birthday is significant both because it marks the moment Asher joined our lives, as well as the moment I became a mother.  Some people write sentimental things about their children on their birthdays, but I'm just not good at sentimentality-on-demand.  I love that boy more than I know how to say, but I would guess you already knew that.  So in honor of Asher's second birthday (tomorrow), here are a few recent moments with the birthday boy.

This afternoon he stacked all of his blocks on top of his dump truck.  After announcing, "OH WOW!  I DID IT!"  He said, "Trapeze?  No, it's an ELEVATOR."  

Last week as he was coloring, he started pretending to write.  "A.  S.  H.  Y.  10.  spells Dog-dog!"  

Earlier this week a friend came over to decorate Christmas cookies. We wouldn't let the kids eat the cookies while they were decorating them, so Asher would decorate one, lick off all the icing, and decorate the same cookie all over again.

This is what it's like to live with Asher.

It's hysterical. And exasperating. Full of affection and silliness and running and many, many words. He is developing a sense of humor alongside a sense of independence, which means that I have several moments every day wherein I try to feign sternness and hope I don't laugh out loud. And while I don't think I love him more now than I did two years ago, I can say without a doubt that I had no idea living with him would be this much fun. Happy birthday, Asher Paul.