Monster's Third Birthday!

My Monster turned three last week!  He calls birthdays "happy days" and has spent weeks talking about "Monster's Happy Day."

My dad made these signs for us every year growing up.  The tradition continues...

 As I've said, three is a big one around here.  For Monster three meant cupcakes, and lots of them.  There were cupcakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner around here.

The kid had no fewer than 6 cupcakes over the course of 3 days.

We celebrated his "happy day" at school, at home on the actual day and at a little birthday pizza party with his pals.  'Cause he has pals now :)

his people

These two.  They kill me.

My sweet monster milked the birthday for all it was worth.  Just like his Mama taught him.  At his little pizza party on Friday night he ran around with excitement bursting from the seams.  Which was more than my heart could handle.  Monster likes to fly under the radar.  Unlike his sister, he makes you work for his smiles and excitement.  While she spends most of her waking hours wearing a smile that takes up half her face and bouncing her little body in joy, he tends to be more restrained, more understated.  He hangs back and watches, reads the situation and then decides whether to engage or do his own thing.

But at his "happy day"he ran around with a permanent smile on his face, joy radiating from his three year old body.  He greeted everyone with exclamations of Monster's Happy Day!  He knew it was a party and the party was for him.

My favorite moment came when we sang Happy Birthday to him for the third time in three days.  True to his shy form he was embarrassed by the attention.  Simultaneously uncomfortable with a group of people singing to him and thrilled with the cupcake in front of him, my little guy put his hands over his face, huge smile plastered on it.  It was a darling moment, so true to his little personality.

It's fun to see that personality emerge more and more as the months go by.  I can read him, predict his responses and guess how he's feeling about things.  It's fun to know him more and more with each passing year, this little person who is so connected to me yet also a completely separate being.  I'm always surprised when new facets of his personality emerge.  I carried him for nine months, have spent more hours with him in the last three years than anyone else, and yet there is still more to know.  He is still revealing himself. 

And every day I fall a little more in love with the person unfolding.

 

Happy Birthday Monster!  We love you so much.