Happy Birthday Little Buddy!!!!

Yesterday, Three years ago (!)  I looked like this:

And then this happened: 

 (go on, be jealous of my labor face.)

(good thing I had that headband!)

And Weston looked like this:

Even though his head was a little wonky, I still loved him. 

I sound so cliche saying it, but I never knew how much such a "tiny" (at 8 lbs 10 oz) little boy could change my life. Despite being stubborn, defiant and at times pretty whiney, this guy has such a calming spirit to him. He has helped me be less dramatic (since there's only room for his drama at our house), has helped me be more patient, loving, grateful and easy going than I ever could have imagined.  Either that, or I'm going insane and only in my delirium I think these things have happened. Not to mention he has taught me all things boy, which were all foreign to me before, such as truck noises, Ninja Turtles, scary growls, 

Anyway, now, Weston looks like this: 

Clearly, he looks just like me and gets all his good looks from his mother.

Next year we will tattoo that same design on his face permanently, since he freaked out so much about washing it off in the tub that night. Parenting fail? I think not.

Some of my favorite things about this kid:

* Every night he likes me to "read" him stories from my head while we lay in his (my) bed (that he has taken over). He likes books, but prefers me to just tell him stories. Have you noticed how many fairy tales have threes in them? The three little pigs, the three bears, the three billy goats gruff... those are some of his favorites. Although, right now, he's totally on a Snow White kick. He thinks the Hunstman is awesome.  Anyway... When I'm finished with the story and say "the end" he always says "no Mom, there's more pages". 

* Speaking of fairy tales... We went to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out pumpkins a few weeks ago. They had a giant straw 'pyramid'. I asked Weston if he wanted to go climb in the straw. He looked at me and asked, "The big bad wolf is not going to blow it away?"

* His daycare provider speaks Spanish. When I pick him up, I notice that she will sometimes instruct him in Spanish, and he quickly obliges (come here, go get your shoes, drink your milk, see you later, that kind of thing). However, if I ever say the same thing to him in Spanish at home, he looks at me, and slowly and loudly says: "MOM- I - DO - NOT - UNDERSTAND - YOUR - TALKING". Oh, really?

* He has a favorite blanket -- his "Debbie", which he carries around with him everywhere. It was crocheted by a dear friend's mother, Debbie, hence the name. He always has to put his fingers through the holes in the blanket, and a while ago, made a giant hole in the blanket for his hand to fit through. Before the whole blanket disintegrated, I asked Debbie if she would be so kind to make a new one, which she obliged. In the meantime, Weston's "Auntie Nana" (Josh's Aunt Merilyn from N.Z.) fixed the hole in his Debbie. On Sunday, he opened his "Debbie #2" and squealed with delight that now he has "TWO DEBBIES" and is now inseparable from both of them. 

* This kid is a singer (Hallelujah!!!!). He matches pitch, LOVES music, and is already better than David Archuleta. True story. He loves to learn new songs, and if I start singing a new song or nursery rhyme, he makes me repeat it OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER again until he has memorized the words. (remember that part about him teaching me patience?) Just the other day, we were driving in the car and he asked Josh if we could listen to Ellie Goulding. I have no idea where he learned that from, but I DIED of his cuteness!

* Usually in the dark, Weston grabs my hand, or cling to me, and then say "don't worry mom, I'll keep you safe!"

* When I do his hair in the morning, he always wants to look at it, and I always say, "oh, you're so handsome!" One morning, dropping him off at daycare, the wind was blowing. He got pretty upset, and said "The wind is going to mess up my handsome!" He constantly has to know that his 'handsome' isn't ruined.... Even though his hair DOES NOT EVER stay neatly in place. I love his mop head, anyway.

I don't know how 3 years goes by so quickly, but I'm wondering if I can find passage to Neverland? My wrinkles and his size 10 feet don't want to keep growing!