To my first born

To Champs, my first born - the boy who made me a Mama, on the night before we become a family of 4 and you become a big brother.  Boy oh boy am I nervous!  Knowing so much is about to change, yet knowing it will all seem like the new normal so very soon.  If there's one thing I've learned in my two and a half years of being a Mama, it's that every stage is just that - just a stage - and it all goes SO very fast.  The sleepless nights, the teething, the sicknesses, the issues/concerns, the behavior challenges and yes - all the sweet stages too.  The sweet newborn stage, the first giggles, the sitting happy, the crawling, the just starting to walk, just starting to talk until one day I look up and my little angel is a real person - though you're still so young in the grand scheme - you are a real little person, who's hilarious, smart and the absolute light of my life.

I could never have imagined the joy you would bring me - the laughs, the hugs, the kisses and the thousands of memories we've made already.  To be just two (and a half) years old, you have such an interest in everything in this big wide world.  You are so inquisitive.  You want to know everyone's name, what they're doing and then talk about it some more.  You love people and words and talking.  You love to sing and hearing you do so makes me smile every time.  You love to laugh and there's nothing I love more than laughing with you.  I'm amazed at your little sense of humor - you really get when stuff is funny.  You are so kind and love to make Mommy happy and hate when you think you've made me sad.  You take in everything I say and it makes me laugh so much to hear you repeat expressions later that I then realize how much I say.

Though I know you are going to have a really hard time with me not being able to give you all my attention after tomorrow, you really are so excited about your baby brother coming.  You have kissed my tummy probably 300 times in these last 5 months or so.  You have helped me get all his stuff ready - accepting that he is getting your old room, chair and other odds and ends.  You have been so sweet telling everybody baby brudder is coming in January!  Well it's finally here, sweet angel, you are getting a baby brother tomorrow.  We will be a family of FOUR and we can't wait.  You will always be MY BABY, whether you are the actual baby or not!

After school I took Champs to get frozen yogurt for one last outing with JUST US!!