Dear Brayden,
Today, you are three. It’s not surprising, but all the same, I still can’t believe that we’ve had you in our lives for three years already. Time will always propel itself much faster than we can ever keep up with—so we will try to slow down in every way we can think possible, before your little days are gone in a flash and you are somehow big, right before our very eyes.
The biggest change for you this year was becoming a big brother. At first, I am sure that you didn’t like the role. But you are warming up to the little guy, and I am positive that before we know it, you will be a pro at being the big one—and you will do it with pure enthusiasm, as you do all things. You have turned into a helper because that’s just what your little heart was made to do.
There are so many things about you that bring your daddy and I great joy. You have shaped into a little three year old toddler, full of love, affection and a little bit of mischief.
Your zest for life is incredible. Your energy is unrivaled and I certainly have learned that it is impossible to keep up with. You are full of spirit and you just by being you, you fill us with it every day.
You are daddy’s dream come true, because your thoughts are consumed by anything involving a ball. You could play sports all day and not give a whoop about any of your other toys. I know, deep down, that he is so happy to have a son who will follow in his athletic footsteps.
You are a remarkable chatterbox. Sometimes, you can go on for a couple of minutes, without taking a pause. I go dizzy trying to follow your explanations and suggestions of activities. Your stories go round and round and there is no other toddler I know that can talk nearly as much as you. You definitely didn’t get that from me. Much to my dismay, you will talk to anybody within earshot—strangers and friends alike. I am sure that half the people you try to talk to wish that you would go away after you get going. You go right up to people and tap their arm and then burst into a million words. Once upon a time, you were shy.
Your appetite leaves most parents jealous and wishing that their children had half the ability to eat as you do. I don’t know if you were just born an eater, or its something that we instilled in you, but somewhere along the way, something went right. You would eat all day if we let you—and you actually enjoy healthy things, surprisingly. We never have to make a second dinner because you will always eat what we are eating . . . you seriously eat it all. And I wish I knew your secret, because you’ve only gained four pounds this entire year. If you ever figure out how you eat so much and hardly gain a thing, please, please let your momma know. (And on a side note, I am a little nervous about your teenage years.)
Your attention span has never been good, but you’re a boy and I hear that it’s normal. You’ll bounce from one thing to the next, without coming close to finishing the first, and then bounce right back again. If I try to sit down and do something that involves learning, I know I have about a thirty-second window before you’ll be on to the next thing. I do not envy your future teachers, for they will be challenged by your energy. But they will also be smitten by your affection. And they will smile at your antics.
You would rather be out somewhere than be at home. You would eat fruit over any other food. If your clothes have some sort of reference to athletics, then you are a happy camper. You are in love with swimming, and the beach. If where we are going involves “friends”, then you are gung ho. You get attached to people quickly. You would choose “big people” over kids your own age, if you were given a choice of who to play with. Your favorite store is Dick’s Sporting Goods. You constantly talk about Chuck E. Cheese. If you could pick anyone to go visit, I think you would choose your cousins AJ and Riley—you talk about going to see them a lot. Your best friends are John, Kaitlyn and Tobias. Your favorite Bible Story is David and Goliath, and you like that and Jack and the Beanstalk because, for some reason you have a thing for giants. You would listen to us read you Fairy Tales all day. You like to feel important. You still love the Wiggles, which is amazing to me. You call “Lifesong” by Casting Crowns “your song” and you sing along to it, proudly saying, “this is my song!!” whenever it comes on. Your giggle is infectious. Daddy is your “best big guy” and Papa is your other best big guy.
You are three. And you are the best little three year old in Mommy and Daddy’s world.
You are you. And I love that.
Love, Mommy
newborn, child and family photographer
rochester new york