Happy Birthday

Here we are, on your 4th birthday, the day an adorable cutie with a lot of black hair and overgrown nails was placed in our hands... you had been in our hearts way before that though...

Let me be honest - the first few weeks were scary and we wished babies came with manuals. But we got past that with the mantra that as long as the baby is not crying relentlessly we are good. We trusted you to tell us when something was not confortable and you trusted us with, well, everything...

Then came the first sounds, first solid food, lets face it - first solid poop, first words, first steps and so on.. first birthday soon rolled by with you letting us know that you hate cake(am still surprised considering the amount of cake I had during pregnancy. Maybe you had had enough!).

And then you started getting independent. Being the over protective first time parents that we were we tried to control you. And you taught us that you are your own person and not just our baby. It took us a while but we have learned to accept it(most times atleast!)

And time flew by. You turned 2. You did not want anything to do with the cake. You didnt want to cut it and you cared least about gifts. All you wanted was to run around and explore. And thats exactly what we did. Or we tried to do. On second thoughts since you dont remember anything about it - lets stick with thats all we did all the time ;)

You learned new words. You were a daredevil. You climbed up a tall corner lamp(We have no idea how!). You jumped from everywhere. You figured your way around babyproofed stuff. We panicked. We watched you like a hawk. And we learned to leave you alone. Yes - we all learned to live with each other.

And then your 3rd birthday rolled by. You were excited this time about having your friends home for a party. You loved cutting the cake and blowing out the candles(although you wouldnt eat it). You were forming sentences and using 'because' much to everyones amusement. It got old pretty easily but we loved most of it :D

Another year rolled by and here we are - parents of a small handsome boy who we love to pieces. You have quirky responses to everything even stuff you have no clue about, you talk and talk and talk, you are opinionated and you know exactly what you want. You think any word with fart, pee or poop is funny.

From parents trying to make sure that you dont cry we have evolved to being parents who think that a little crying(or a lot, depends actually) is good for you and that it means we are doing a not-so-bad job. Yes, that helps us keep our sanity(ohh yes we are sane contrary to what you might see or think at times!).

You now try and spell different words. You have become a typical boy and already told me that you hate malls, clothing stores and shopping in general while specifically excluding toy stores. Those are fun you say. You love dirt, water, snow, sand(you get the picture - all things messy). And to our utmost joy - you speak malayalam too...

Even though you are growing up too fast and will be a young man before I know it, I want you to know that we love you. And that we will always be there for you. In the meantime, we will watch you grow every day,  every minute... to the wonderful person that we know you will become...