8:54 AM

Seth at 8:54 AM, February 01, 2013. Exactly three years old.

For Seth, my last:

Three years ago at this exact time you were born. Much like your brother a lot about you remains the same as it did a year ago, even in the wake of great changes.

You are still my bulldozer and are the opposite of shy in every way possible. At three you alternate between barking out orders like a drill sargeant and saying things so sweetly that angels must pause to listen to your voice. When you have a mind to do so you move faster than anyone I know and you conduct yourself with great purpose always.

You are a thinker and a prankster which is occasionally often a dangerous combination, but mostly funny – at least to you. You laugh like nothing else at your own jokes and when you really laugh it's with your whole body. It's impossible not to laugh with you even when I should be sending you to your room instead.

Flirting with cuties is still high on your list of favorite things to do and to this day you still have a beyond-your-years swagger about you that makes me nervous for the "grils" you fancy (which is pretty much all of them). They don't even stand a chance.

Speaking of which, you still fit like a puzzle piece when we cuddle.

Like your brother, you also favor your right hand and can count to 100 and beyond, manage small sums and are keenly interested in words. You have entertained a small crowd more than once in public reading letters and words (loudly) off of store signage. Dan is also a hot priority of late.

You enjoy anything that is the opposite of Nate so your favorite number is 21 and your favorite colors are red and sometimes green. While your brother is a "fox", you prefer to be called "passenger" which isn't so much opposite as it is contrary. Oddly enough, three years less a minute ago, you were still my passenger.

I intentionally left something out of this story at the time, but unlike your brother you remember being born and told me about it then. It was "Fast... and bright!". You also said you liked it. I mention this now because you have a fantastic memory for all kinds of things and recall stuff all the time that catches me by surprise.

This is just a little bit about you at three.

I hope you have the happiest of happy birthdays today, Seth.

All my love,
Mommy