My Nephew Is 2

When you have a baby you know them by weeks for the longest time. Each month you are blown away that so many weeks have gone by. Pretty soon it's 6 months. Then with a blink they are a year. That whole year you are just waiting for it to happen. You know it goes by fast so you watch carefully as the days pass.

Then there is two. Where you try to search your brain for how many months they are. That second year is a dozy. You're so busy putting feet back on the floor and chasing down a toddler that you don't even really know the day. It's not just the rush though. The second year is not necessarily better, but so different. This year they are a tiny person with interests, thoughts, and a way of communicating. They have settled in to the family. You can't remember what it was really like without them. Your days are meals, cartoons, play, and so much laughter. Your days are a start to a brand new adventure brought on by curiosity and a thirst to learn. A lot of not so fun things too, but who counts those.

The second year is just gone. You aren't sitting and waiting because your mind isn't watching the time. It's watching them and their learning and growing. It's fast, but not so fast. That's why it's so sneaky. All of a sudden you realize they are so much different than two months ago in the pictures on the fridge.

So now he is two. Two years. I want to tell you everything about him. There just isn't enough time to put down his whole character, because believe me it's a lot. Aiden is kind. He is a gentle sole. He has been since he was itty bitty. He chuckles. If you ask him he is five. You have to tell him the Bubble Guppies are napping in order for him to drop the begging to turn on the DVR. He loves anything stuffed and especially monkeys. He's bright. If you want him to say something don't ask. Just say it and 100% of the time he will repeat it. I've never seen a child have so much wonder in their eyes. He takes in everything, and he loves it all. He's going to be a good person. I know it in my heart. He's going to help people and go places.

Being an aunt is a surreal thing. It was yesterday that I was looking through the glass at this tiny little screaming baby. We all hovered around and took in every feature. At eight months pregnant the tears were streaming. My mind was racing through all those precious memories I had with Bree. All the late nights, barbies, and secret games. The petty fights and the meaningful make ups. This was her son. We always knew this day would happen, and it was here. My best friend had just had the best thing that will ever happen to her. I love him. He's not my own. He is something entirely different, and really I have no idea how to explain it. I would do anything for him just like my own. I love my own because they are mine. I love him because he is hers.

He is my sister's son. He is my nephew. He is my daughter's best friend. He has so many roles in his life that mean so very much to me. He's growing and becoming himself and as he grows his life becomes more intertwined in the rest of ours. As bitter sweet as a second birthday is it is a magical thing.

Happy Birthday Aiden. I am so excited for your life and the years to come.