Two

While I was pregnant with Bode, I remember wondering how I could possibly love another child as much as I loved Maggie.  Other moms always said the love just multiplied, but really?  I wasn't so sure.  Then he arrived on October 17th, 2011.

Bode Christian Gibbs.  All eight pounds, seven ounces of him, with a sideways cone head (thank you, thank you, epidural!).  And my bond with him was immediate.

Photo by Lemon Peel Photography

My son.  The soft dark hair, the deep blue eyes, the perfect little lips.  Oh my heart.

Since then, all of our lives have been enriched by the arrival of this sweet and rambunctious child.  Steve's. Maggie's. Mine.

And now he is two.

So who is Bode at age 2?

He is a mama's boy.  When I see him running toward me after any time apart, with the happy cry of "Mama!" my heart melts.

He is all about physical touch.  Morning cuddles, rough-and-tumble wrestles, just-because hugs, crazy tickles, and hand-holding.  That boy just has to be close to those he loves.

He is a sports lover like his daddy, inevitably.  "Football!"  "Volleyball!" "Basketball!"  (Ok, they all sound more like "Ba-baw!")  If Steve is watching it, so is Bode.

What he lacks in vocabulary (it's coming along), he makes up for in expressive gestures and enthusiasm.  And if all else fails, he'll take your hand and guide you to what he wants you to see.

He loves animals, just like his sister.  Puppies are at the top of his list.

He is SILLY!  Who knows what he says half the time, but he thinks he's funny with that impish look on his face.

And that term, "all boy?"  I always used to think that was an odd phrase, and, honestly, I kinda thought it was annoying.  All boy?  Yeah...he's a boy.  Of course, he's all boy.  But now I get it.  Bode fits that description to a T.  He is ALL. BOY. 'Nuf said.

So to celebrate these first two years of life, we ventured to a pumpkin patch with Uncle Jim, Aunt Angie, and cousins Eli and Liliana.

More pictures to come.

And finally, here is a video Steve put together of Maggie's birthday celebrations as well as Maggie's and Bode's joint family birthday party a couple weeks ago.