Dear Noah,

Today, you turned two years old.

You had a kind of rough morning this morning, and I carried you downstairs then sat with you collapsed against my chest. I looked at This Mommy and said, “Remember how I used to sit with him like this, only his feet just reached my belly?” She chuckled and nodded. You’ve grown from 21.5 inches to at least 3 feet, and from just under 10 lbs to roughly 35.

On the whole, you’ve never been more charming. You talk constantly, speculating on the activities and whereabouts of your trains, dinosaurs, and other toys, and repeating things you’ve heard — either recently or often, we suspect. Twice during dinner last week, you shrieked loudly and then said, “Noah, stop screaming.” And stopped screaming. In Sunday school today, you repeated the last two words at every pause in the story. “Water above!” “Growing things!” “Two legs!”

Yesterday, we had a birthday party with lots of your friends, at an indoor “bouncy castle” playground. Kaylee came, with her big brother Alex, and also Maggie & Sidney from day care. Tommy & Laurel came from music class, and our neighbors Asha and Nina. Liam couldn’t make it, but he came by today with a police car that you really like.

We still love seeing you with Kaylee. I first noticed the two of you connecting when you were just 7.5 months old, and I came home from my first business trip away from you. I arrived at day care as soon as I got in, and sat and nursed you to sleep in the play area. You dozed for about 45 minutes, and then Kaylee came by to see what was going on — you woke to her voice and seemed torn between clinging to me and going to play with her.

She’s still all up in your business, grooming you, hugging you, trying to either take or feed you your birthday cake. The two of you took turns chasing one another all over the indoor playground yesterday, and she inspired you to climb the big slide all by yourself.

Not that you don’t also love playing with Maggie. Last weekend you ran for her at the playground, and the two of you had a blast when her Daddy and I decided to take the two of you out for dinner. Maggie’s Mommy was working, and so was yours.

Actually, we think you’ve become more social and confident with your friends. You’re sweet to Laurel, who loves to help you, and excited to see Sidney and Tommy whenever we see them. You’re a little more shy with Asha and baby Nina, but you don’t see as much of them as you do the others.

The last month was a little crazy. Your other Mommy was away for 12 days, working at the Super Bowl. About half the mornings that she was gone, you looked for “This Mommy” (as you now call her) or asked if we could “wake up This Mommy?” Two or three times, your next request was to look for Grandma, who visited for the first few days that This Mommy was gone.

The presence of choo-choos distracted you slightly from her homecoming, but you’ve been even more loving and affectionate with her since she’s been back.

Tonight, when she came into the room at bedtime, you lost interest in me completely. This Mommy played “baseball” with you, with your duck coaster and no bat, and read you the Firetruck book and the Baby book. I got to refill your water and put the choo-choos in bed.

Speaking of bed, I’m afraid to mention this for fear of jinxing it, but I can’t help myself. You’ve slept past 7 am for the last two mornings! Have we reached the shangri-la of toddlerhood, the alleged reliable long nights of sleep? I’m pretty sure you’ve never slept for 11 hours in a row before, or at least not more than a tiny handful of times.

(To be fully honest, you did wake up around 5 yesterday to announce, “Mommy? Diaper wet. Diaper sooooooo wet.” But you dozed back off and so did I. You were telling the truth, and as good potty training parents, we should probably jump on those cues, but this first trimester of pregnancy is kicking my ass. All I want to do is sleep, and almost half the time, I go to bed right after you do and I sleep until you wake up.)

Anyway, my sweet boy, I am loving this age, and find it amazing to realize that I love you more and more every day. I never imagined that would be possible. I know that This Mommy feels the same way.

Love,

That Mommy