Three

Dear Grasshopper,

You are three years old today, and I can scarcely believe what a big boy you've become this year. You have learned to ride a tricycle (which you have since outgrown), to use the potty, to sleep in a big boy bed and cut your own food with a knife.

You have started school and learned a lot about what it means to be a friend, to share and to care about others. Your curiosity knows no bounds, and books have become almost a passion for you, which pleases me to no end. Books will be there for you the whole of your life, even a long time from now, when your Daddy and I aren't around, you'll have books to lean on. To take you to faraway lands, and to connect you to others.

You have learned to push my buttons, ho boy have you learned to push my buttons. You've also learned how to make me laugh every.single.time that you tell your father, "I not your boy! I mommy's boy!" and then you add, "Today!" so that he can hold out hope that tomorrow you'll decide to be his boy. But you never do.

You can recite your ABCs almost perfectly, and finally stopped saying, "T,U,V, double X, Y and Z." Which made me secretly sad. You have been known to count upwards of twenty, but never when I want you to show off. That's when you decide to only count to 2.

You are sweet and affectionate, unafraid to ask for a hug whenever you need one. Even at 3:00 in the morning. You have wonderful manners, and say "please" and "thank-you" to almost everyone, almost every time. You compliment my cooking, even when it's just a "buddy-jelly" sandwich. You even say, "Tank you Mommy for making dinner!" each night, and berate your father if he doesn't do the same. I honestly have no idea where you got that idea, but it makes me feel loved and appreciated, something a Mommy often doesn't feel.

I am so proud of you Grasshopper. You are the best boy a Mommy could ask for. I can't wait to see all of the things you learn, and all of the changes you'll make in this 4th year of your life. I love you.

Your Mommy Always and Forever,

Natasha