2nd Birthday Letters from Grandparents

I'm excited to get back to Carter's 2nd year letters.  I just had to do my weekly bumpdate and everyone enjoys Wordless Wednesday so much, I didn't want to skip a week.  I can't believe there are only 3 days until Carter's birthday!  Read the birthday letters Carter's grandparents wrote him last year here.

Oma:

Dear Carter,

I’m so glad you’re in our lives.  You are so much fun, and it’s so neat to see how good a mom my daughter grew up to be, and to see how good your uncles are with you and they’re both so different in what they do with you.  I love watching you with your daddy and opa, too.  The first time you saw a carousel you wanted to ride it, but the minute it started you were terrified and you never really got to the point you liked riding one until your daddy went with you.  You enjoy life so much that you make everyone else enjoy themselves.  With you everything is fun, even work.  Something I think is amazing is that you will ask to go to sleep.  You’ll say night-night in such a cute way when you get tired and are hoping to go to bed soon.  That’s something your mom and uncles never did.  When we visited family in St Louis and we were there a couple of hours past your bedtime, you carried your mom’s shoes to her and said, “Go”.  

  

It continues to amaze me how good natured you are, how smart and loving.  You love all the dogs, but for some reason really like Bobbie.  Maybe because she’s more your size and she’ll sit in your lap.  You have added a lot to our lives.  This year you’ve really grown a lot and you picked a name to call me.  You started with Ma, I think because you hear your mom call me mom.  You added an “o” in front a few times, and that’s Grandma in German and since I was born in Germany and grew up hearing Oma, we thought it was a nice name for you to call me.  You have the perfect German accent, too.  It makes me think maybe we can learn a few phrases in German just for fun. 

 

It’s so much fun to watch you work something out, and practice until you’re good at it; even with crafts you concentrate and work really hard to make it the way you want.  You love to read, which I think is wonderful.  You’ll sit and listen to entire books which is pretty good for your age.  I read one to you about a Christmas parade and the band in it, and at the end there is a knock at the door and the doorbell rings, and I asked you who it could be.  I asked you who you thought it would be before I turned the page.  I expected you to say one of the animals in the parade, but instead you said, “Ungie”.  And you’re right, when your doorbell rings it’s usually an uncle.

This next year is going to be so exciting to see what else you learn, and then to see how you are with a sister.  I think you’re going to be a wonderful big brother.   

Love, Oma

Opa:

Dear Carter: 

Happy Second Birthday!  

We know that you will have a great one. You pretty much like everything! And, everyone likes you! You have an amazing and engaging personality. You like to say “hi” to everyone you see, including dogs and cats, animals at the zoo, fish at the aquarium, pretty much anything that breathes, you like. Having an engaging and kind personality will make life pretty easy for you. Having so many people who love you; mommy, daddy, gpa, gma, opa, oma, ungies, auntie, great grandparents, and others, is very important. You love having everyone visit and get excited whenever the doorbell rings or when someone knocks on the door.  

You are also going to be an awesome big brother. Your sister will have you looking after her and helping your mom and dad to take care of her.  

It is difficult to think of a favorite memory since there seems to be a favorite memory every time that we visit you or you visit here. I would have to say that I love listening to you laugh and talk. It is also fun to watch you run, which you do very quickly. You have a really good memory and can listen to a long request and then do it. Last week Uncle Thomas asked you to get him a cookie. No one else knew that he asked you that and when you ran into the kitchen and asked for a cookie your mom told you that you should have a healthier snack. You got really upset hearing that and said “cookie a few more times.” Oma suggested to your mom that since it was Thanksgiving that you could probably have a small piece of a cookie. So, I gave you a small piece of a cookie and you ran into the living room. We did not really know why, but then we found out that you ran into the living room and told Uncle Thomas “cookie” and gave it to him. You were not upset that you could not have a cookie, but that you could not get one for your Uncle Thomas. You were really happy when you were able to give him the cookie! Even at your young age, you are thinking about other people!!! 

Happy Birthday! 

Love, 

Opa

Gma:

Dear Sweet Carter, 

Happy 2nd Birthday!! I can’t believe you are 2 years old already; time really goes by quick when you are having fun.   And boy do we have fun when we are together.  I have always loved your laugh and you sure do it a lot.  Your eyes sparkle, your mouth flies open and you laugh with so much gusto it is contagious.  

That is probably why one of my many favorite memories was when I was cutting your hair for the second time.  The first hair cut was heart breaking because you cried and cried and worked so hard to get away from Gma.  Gpa had to hold you in his arms as I tried to hold your head still.  

Your first haircut.

When we started the second hair cut you sat on Gpa’s lap and started squealing with laughter when I ran the clippers up the back of your head!  You had all of us in tears laughing along with you.  I think cutting your hair while laughing was probably just as hard as cutting your hair while crying! 

Your 2nd haircut.

Gma got to cut your hair a third time November 16 and this time you sat up nice and straight on a chair all by yourself, with the cape around you, waiting patiently.  The first two swipes of the clippers you threw your head back laughing and then got use to the vibration and sat real still.  

Your 3rd haircut.

Carter, you are the sweetest grandson a Grandmother could ever want and I love you very much! 

Love, 

Gma Cox 

Gpa:

Carter, Carter, Carter… 

I must say you have made a definite impact on not just your mom and dad, but the whole family, and it’s all been good! It has been so fun seeing you grow, watching you looking at the world and figuring out how it all works. This next year you will be adding “big brother” to your list of new things, and judging from your compassion and kindness you will do a great job. 

One of my favorite Carter moments this year was when you declared me “G-pa”; this is part of what makes being a grandparent so special! Another of my favorite memories is when you run down the hallway of your house; you get those little legs just a going.  These moments have definitely found a spot on my memory shelf!

Happy 2nd Birthday, love G-Pa Cox