To Eli on your 3rd birthday.

To Eli on your 3rd birthday -


Third birthday, little boy?  Were you not born just yesterday?  You're supposed to be my "baby", so you have to slow this process down a little bit.


To describe you, I'd have to say you're an attention getter.  Before you were even born, you demanded it.  Surprise.  So much for birth control - Eli's coming anyway!  Your first sounds were your pathetic raspy breaths with your fluid-filled lungs, immediately vying for the attention of everyone in the room.  You were the only 8 pound baby in the NICU - looking like a giant in comparison, but still so pathetic with all your tubes and monitors.  After we brought you home, you had trouble eating and lost way too much weight.  You didn't gain your birth weight back until 7 weeks, leaving mommy with constant threats from the doctor to re-admit you to the hospital.  You had acid reflux.  You were simply a hot little attention getting mess.


Before we knew it, your bright, happy-go-lucky personality presented itself.  You were constantly grinning from ear to ear, flirting with everyone within sight.  Your smile had the capacity to light up the entire room (and still does).  We nicknamed you our little "love bug" because that's just what you are.


Around 3 months you decided to go completely bald.  And, I mean completely.  That's definitely a way to get attention.  


You were sick a lot as a baby.  Who even knows how many ear infections you had?  We eventually got you ear tubes and guess what?  You didn't just need one set - you ended up needing two (so far).  


Once you began to talk, you shocked us with your ability to communicate so well, with your crazy vocabulary and way of saying things.  You continually amaze us with the things that come out of your mouth.  You used to walk into a room and announce, "Heeerrrreeee's Eli" as if you even needed an introduction.  You now introduce yourself as Eli Jackson and at one point refused to belief that Sniff was a part of your name.  Nope, you were just Eli Jackson.  You talk to random people all the time, as you are not the slightest bit shy.  Not only do you talk to people, you make them laugh.  Daddy and I laugh to the point of tears almost on a daily basis - mostly when you come out of your room at night with something on your mind.  I wish I understood your randomness or could grasp what goes on in that little head of yours.  There's simply no good way to describe you, Eli Jackson.


You are so many things.  You are full of life, full of energy, full of joy.  You are crazy, you are lovable, you are endearing.  You are spontaneous, you're a cuddle bug, you're a stink bug.  You love extremes, your brother is your best friend and you know you are loved.  Just the other day you told me, "I know you love me, Mom.  Don't be mad at me."  You have insight and understanding that surprises me, coming from a 2, now 3 year old.  In so many ways you are oblivious, and that's part of what makes you so darn cute and irresistible.  You definitely know how cute you are, and work it every chance you get.  You also know you have both Mommy and Daddy wrapped around your finger.  


The fact of the matter is - I cannot imagine a world without Eli Jackson in it.  You filled a hole in my heart that I didn't know I had.  You were the best surprise I never knew I wanted.  You were perfectly planned by God and you are perfectly you.  I could search the world over and not find another person like you.  You are that special, you are that unique and you are that loved.


I wish I could bottle you up as you are.  I wish I could always have those cute bare feet running around my house, that lovable baby face I cannot kiss enough, that itty bitty baby budda prancing around in your undies.  (buddha is your name for bottom).  I wish you would always pronounce your name as Ewi Jackson Niff.  I wish you'd always tell me, "Mommy, I love you so much.  You're my best friend."  I wish you'd always ask me to pretend to be a momma dinosaur and you will be the baby dinosaur.  I wish you'd always rub my hair when you're tired - even though you've ripped half of it out :)  I hope you always make all your crazy faces that make me laugh even when I'm tired, upset or even sad.  I know you'll always bring joy to my heart and I am so thankful for you.  I know you have to grow up, and in many ways I have to constantly let go - but you will always be my Eli, my love bug, my baby.  As much as it makes me sad to see you grow, I'm also excited to see the boy and man you become.  Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and couldn't have hand picked a more perfect little boy to add to our family.  


Mommy, Daddy and Silas love you more than anything in the whole wide world, to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond.  Happy, happy birthday baby boy.  I love, love, love you.  My cup runneth over.

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