Well, buddy, I can’t believe you are two years old today. The past two years have flown by. It seems just yesterday that I would take you out of your bassinet in the middle of the night as you fussed away and lay you on my stomach and kiss your soft, warm head in the cover of darkness.

It seems like yesterday that I would listen to your short, little breaths at 3:00 a.m. and wonder how wonderful having a son was going to be. It was on those nights that I would look at your angelic face highlighted by the street lamp outside our window and think ahead to what lay in front of us. But even then, I couldn’t have imagined the last two years.

I just want you to know that I love being your father. As I think back on the past two years I am struck by what a good soul you have. It is the quiet moments when I see you most as you. I hope I never forget the moments after a nap when you sit across my lap on the couch eating cheerios and drinking juice. We never speak but the looks you give me with your beautiful brown eyes make me feel more connected to you than at any other time. It is these times that I thank God for giving me a son.

You were late to the walking and talking, my little man, but my how you’ve made up for lost time! You have mastered the playground with slides, suspension spans and all types of steps. You talk to everyone who will listen, and you can even carry a pretty good tune. You are such a smart little guy with a very inquisitive nature. Just yesterday you noticed the drawers in the kitchen had wheels to facilitate opening and closing them. You pointed this out to me and then studied how they worked. That is so much like you. In fact, I have taken to calling you “my little engineer” as you are often fascinated by how things work.

Lately, you’ve come to say “Hi Daddy” when you see me for the first time. I love hearing those words, buddy. Thank you for being such a great little boy and giving this father such joy in raising a little boy. You are beautiful in every way my little Monk. I thank God that you were sent to me.

The last two years have been way more than I could have imagined on those first sleepless nights. Every day has been a joy. Every. Day. I have so loved being your father. I just wish it would slow down. I blinked and somehow two years have gone by.

Happy Birthday my precious little boy. I love you.