But....today I will make an exception. :)
My little boy - my baby!! - is 20 months old today.
In the past two weeks, his vocabulary has exploded. He's always been a "talker" but nothing terribly sophisticated. He invents his own words, or applies the same word to several things ("ba-ba" could be ball, Bible, or about three other things). But recently he's been way more bold about actually mimicking what we say, and stringing two words together.
He loves his books.
He loves his daddy.
He loves to wear hats.
This is how he puts on his own hat. Gangsta-style. :)
He loves doing something he thinks is hysterical and has a telltale squeal of delight that informs me, "You have GOT to come and check this out!"
Like here. I came out of his room to see poor Molly looking like, "I hate my life."
He hates making messes and will pull out a cloth to wipe up his spills (oh, if only I could remain in the delusion that this will continue through the teen years!)
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But he loves emptying drawers.
He's an amazing hugger. Like choke-hold.
He has an incredible laugh. I tell Matt that I wish I could bottle it up, and several years from now when he's out of the house, I can just uncap the bottle and listen to the infectious bubbly-ness of his giggle.
He knows he has a brother coming and knows he's in my tummy (though sometimes he'll point to Matt's or his own tummy). He knows that his family consists of Mama, Papa, and _______.
He loves to imitate blowing his nose and throwing away the kleenex. Last week at Meijer a man nearby sneezed and blew his nose and Levi about died laughing and started imitating him. Which made the man crack up. Which made Levi ham it up even more. I really need to start charging for this little one-man act at the grocery store.
He loves taking out the garbage. One scrap of paper or plastic shall not fall in our house without him whisking it up and demanding it be thrown away instantly. Dog hair tumbleweeds shall not exist in our house without him pulling out the Dust Buster and demanding it be taking care of. Immediately.
He exhausts us. The kid has unparalleled energy. Getting out the door in less than 20 minutes is a monumental feat.
His heart is just as desperate for a Savior as our own. Sowing seeds of grace into it every day is our greatest task.
We want him to be polite; but we don't want his manners to create a pridefulness that will give him cause to look down on others who are less "refined."
We want him to be intelligent; but we don't want him to think that success in the eyes of the world is the measure of his worth.
We want him to know the Lord; but we don't want him to make a profession of faith out of wanting to please his parents.
We want him to follow rules; but we don't want him to be crushed by rules and lawfulness. We hope he will be crushed by the tremendous and awesome grace and conviction of the Holy Spirit, and know that obedience follows a heart full of gratitude and love.
We want him to understand that he's not a "good boy" because he is inherently good of his own accord; rather that he is "good" before an awesome Lord because of the sanctifying work of Christ on his behalf.
What a tremendous weight of responsibility.
What a tremendous honor.
We love you, sweet Levi.
