Today is Liam’s birthday. It’s been three years since that wonderful, AMAZING day where he was born. I can say without hesitation that it was the best day of my life. Even now, thinking of it brings a big smile to my face.
It has been a wild and crazy three years with little Liam in our lives. He’s the sort of child that will NOT be pushed to the side, that will NOT be not noticed, that will NOT be just your average “middle child”. He quite deftly marks his place in our lives and it’s all we can do to just keep up with him.
He’s a ball of energy, a life-force to be reckoned with. It’s easy to forget that he is small and just as frail as the rest of us. Because he’s a “tough guy”. I’ve never seen a child fall down quite as much as Liam does. And mostly, he picks himself back up with a yell of “I’m okay!” and he’s back at it again.
Three is the age I dread. He’s already such a handful, that I’m afraid of having more heaped on my plate. But at the same time, I have to admit, this new age and maturity has been kind of… FUN. He’s talking more, doing more and actually even listening more. Still, I don’t want to make it sounds like he listens to us often. Just more than NEVER which is how he was before.
He has great capacity of cruelty when it comes to his little sister. He sees nothing wrong with running up to her and smacking her on the head, pushing her over, tripping her as she takes her first toddling steps and stealing toys from her on a whim. I get the impression that he feels entitled to rough her up a little, seeing as she just waltzed into his life and took his position as “baby”. Plus, she is JUST a baby, she doesn’t need that doll/sippy cup/car/book. Liam finds himself in “baby jail” (aka the pack n’ play) quite often because of this.
He also has great capacity to love. Perhaps, he’s the most loving of all the kids. He’s the most likely to run up to you in the middle of playing to give you a spontaneous hug and kiss. Despite the frequent brutalizing of Evie, he shows a great deal of concern for her when she’s unhappy. And he just idolizes Harry, following him around like a puppy dog and clamoring for his attention. He’s a papa’s boy at heart and would quite happily go off to work with Kile every day, just to be near him. His favorite place to hang out in the mornings is on Kile’s lap, sippy cup in hand and stuffed dolphin tucked under his arm.
He loves cars. Like most boys his age, Hot Wheels cars are his vice. And the movie “Cars” is arguably his biggest obsession. He would watch that movie 24/7 if I let him. I have a strict “1 ‘Cars’ per day” viewing policy. It’s adorable to watch him get so into something. His fondness for Disney comes next and for months now he has been able to identify the Disney logo. And while no Disney movie is quite as fabulous as “Cars”, it still is a cause for celebration. And I may be scared of traveling across country with this wild, ball of energy, but the look on his face when he first sees Disney World and the cruise ship will make it all worth it, I am sure. I literally cannot wait to see what he thinks of it all. What will he do when face to face with Mickey Mouse himself? The child’s head might just pop off his shoulders.
This isn’t a terribly eloquent post and it’s hard to be eloquent about a child like Liam. He’s a do-er. He’s a mile a minute. He’s a lot of everything in a small package. And quite simply, I cannot imagine our lies without him. Quieter and more peaceful, perhaps, but also emptier.
So happy birthday, Liam. I can’t believe how fast you’re growing. And I look forward to watching you grow some more.