Dear Aiden,
You continue to delight us with your dancing and your charming smile – as long as you are getting exactly what you want. I love watching Dancing with the Stars with you as long as I have just had a double shot of espresso because you want your mother and I to dance with you every time the music plays. You do not like to dance alone, no, you will grab us by hand and I am sure that if we didn’t start moving our legs and arms you would try to move them for us. I see leadership qualities in you already, leadership and delegation, the two go hand in hand.
You love music, when you hear a song with a good beat you smile with this look that says you know there is something special happening. Music isn’t just sounds thrown together, but rather a gift from God and you seem to understand that at only 22 months.Â
Your grandparents keep you a lot when your mom is working and you love it at Grandma’s house. She has a big yard and a big toy car for you to ride in. You love to sit in it and put the dogs in it and then you make Grandma and your mom get in it and only then are you happy. When you are around you are the center of our lives, what did we do before you were here?
One night while I was laying on the floor you climbed up on my back. I decided to take you for a ride and what a mistake! I had to crawl around the couch again and again while your mom snapped photos. Exhausted I finally put you down and sat on the couch, but after a while you remembered your new found toy and you insisted that I get back down on the floor again. You pointed with your little hand, first at me and then at the floor and then you made this smiling face like, “You know what to do, don’t play dumb.” So I got down there and gave you a few more laps on the Eddo Horse. Remind me to get some knee pads.
Sometimes when I get too tired to do anything I just sit on the floor by my couch and you enjoy climbing all over me. I think once you thought my head was a bounce house and you continually jumped up and down on it with delight. Then when you tired of that you used my stomach and shoulders as a launching pad.
I love having you around, however, you are not a kid that likes to just sit in a lap and be still. You don’t like being held for long periods of time, you’d much rather be jumping on something or pushing your lawnmower or riding on my back. I treasure every moment that I have with you and this morning on my way to work I scooped you up and you let me hold you for almost a full minute. Moments like that are nuggets of priceless gold. Holding your soft toddler body, kissing your sweet chubby cheeks, telling you I love you, they mean more to me than you will ever know.
I love you,
Uncle Eddo