I love 2-year-olds

Or at least mine.

I love the silly, sweet things that come out of their mouths as they really get into the groove of language. I love how squishable they still are. I love how they run on their sturdy little legs. I love how they give honest-to-goodness hugs and fall into your body for comfort. I love how their sense of humor starts to appear. I love that they suddenly want to do things on their own, even if they can't quite yet.

When The Boy turned 2, he was going through the sometimes rough transition from only child to big brother. But still, he was the perfect mix of boy and baby. Yes, he was whiny and angry with me when I came home from the hospital with The Lad, but he also introduced himself to his little brother in a way that made my heart flutter. He danced to the "music" of the breast pump and started telling us his stories about California. He said things like, "I your boy."

And now, The Lad is 2 and he is just as perfect. I miss the baby days sometimes, the milky breath and the weight of a baby on my chest. But I have a feeling that when the boys are grown and, lord help me, I'm the old lady in the grocery store, it's going to be the adorable 2-year-olds who make me blurt out to their young mothers, "Enjoy it while you can! It goes so fast!"

The Lad at 2 is all squishy cheeks and rubberband wrists. He flashes his dimples and sparkles his eyes while he sticks a bean up his nose. He demands to "climb myself, buck-el myself" when we get in the car, even though his fingers aren't quite strong enough to do the straps. He tells fart jokes and stories about his condo, taking his cue from The Boy. He wants to snuggle and hug and whenever he's hurt -- physically or emotionally -- he comes running for me, rubbing his head on my leg until I smooth his hair and pick him up. He wakes up happy and doing a family inventory: Where Daddyman? Boy-y? Brucie? Josephine? (That's the cat.)

He loves everything The Boy does, which causes fights sometimes, including tonight when The Lad and The Boy both wanted the T-Rex pieces in a game they were playing. When the boys started fighting for the umpteenth time over the T-rex, I intervened and whisked the frustrated and over-tired Lad off to rock and read before bed. "Bunnies," he said. "Read bunnies." This is the book where the Daddy Bunny one-ups the Baby Bunny about who loves whom more. At the end, the Daddy Bunny says he loves the baby "right up to the moon and back."

We read the book. And then we had this conversation.

Momma: What made you happy today?
Lad: Granny and PaPaw.
M: What made you angry?
L: Boy-y did. Take T-rex. ... Try bite him.
M: No. We don't bite people, even if we're angry. What else made you happy today?
L: T-rex did. (Spies the robot T-rex Granny and Papaw got him for Christmas) Play T-rex lil bit.
M: No, it's bed time.
L: T-rex go bed. Go bed, too.
M: Yes. Time for bed. (Kissing him) Who's my favorite Beastie Beast? (this is a nightly question)
L: ME!
M: Who's your favorite Mommalady?
L: YOU!
M: I love you.
L: Moon, back!

I love 2-year-olds.