To Noah, From Mommy

To my little man,

Well no, that's not right. Because today you are the BIG 3!

Looking back, I'm not sure we could have chosen a better name for you.

Noah - "peaceful" or "comfort".

I truly believe that speaking that over you every day for the last three years has helped mold you into the amazing little guy you are today.

Baby boy, you have the sweetest, most gentle spirit.

And while we've had our share of struggles in your barely-begun life, you've never lost that peaceful, comforting personality. When I'm sad or hurt, you crawl in my lap. When others want to play with your toys, you don't mind. If someone knocks you down, you get right back up (although I can't say Mommy and Daddy stay so peaceful when this happens!). You are full of smiles all day long.

And while you may not be saying a whole lot with your words, you say a whole heck of a lot with that big heart of yours. People are naturally drawn to you. Most would love to scoop you up and hold you. The joy you get out of life is infectious. Random friendly strangers tell us how adorable you are and genuinely love interacting with you. You've changed people's hearts and perceptions, and you're still so young. I can't imagine the impact you're going to have on others as you grow.

You're a favorite among the therapists. You have so many cheerleaders rallying behind you, little man.

When you say a word or finally initiate play with extended family members, I always have a crowd of people running to tell me about it and celebrating with us.

I love watching you play with your Daddy.

You two are so funny, giving each other high-fives (except you prefer a fist pump), running around the house, and going on daddy-son dates to Lowe's and McDonalds.

You're my little buddy.

I love how, even though you don't speak, I know exactly what you want when you want it. There's no doubt that that mommy-baby bond has grown in amazing ways. You've blown me away with your ability to stay so happy despite your struggles to communicate. You never throw major tantrums or have bratty moments. If anything, you're tender little heart gets broken when someone pushes you out of your comfort zone.

You love it when other kids play with you, especially the big kids.

You adore your grandparents. So much so that you don't even notice when we sneak out for a date. You're too busy playing. At your Grandaddy and "Mama D"s house, you love to check out their cool fireplace (don't worry, it has a door and you're always supervised), jump on their big bed, and play your Uncle Bud's drums. 

At Granddad and Granny's, you like to count the numbers on their clock. You also love to "help" Granddad in his office. You'll sneak in there and play with the mouse, type on the keyboard, and pretend to make phone calls with his cool office phone. Granny always has treats waiting for you in her kitchen. She even has a special drawer just for you and saves bags of Panera Bread chips for the next time you visit. As soon as you walk in, you go on a hunt for Granny's zebra cakes. Mommy and Daddy weren't too thrilled about this habit, but it's still super cute. You also love running around the livingroom with their little dog Mini chasing you. You two are quite the pair.

At PopPop and NaeNae's house, you love hanging out in the "man cave", playing with Aunt Madison, and getting lots of tickles, hugs, and kisses from PopPop and NaeNae. 

Some people say that kids with autism aren't creative or lack an imagination. But I'm not convinced that's the case with you. You have such an interest in music. You love to sing the Calliou theme song. If a song comes on the radio, and you want to sing along but don't know the words, I'll hear a little voice singing, "Caaaai-ooooo, Caaai-oo..." It's the sweetest thing. You also love the "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" song, especially when we go really fast. We still sing "Jesus Loves Me", and you like having me help you sign the words.

I have a feeling you'll eventually play some sort of instrument when you're older. So far you've shown an interest in the piano, drums, guitars, and keyboards. Personally, I think it'll be the drums like Uncle Bud, but we'll see.

You enjoy coloring with sidewalk chalk (and secretly bringing the chalk indoors and creating some artwork on the walls and furniture with it...). You enjoy painting, coloring (more with markers than crayons, because the colors are brighter), and playdoh.

Your favorite toys are anything Thomas related, plastic animals (the kind that look real. the giraffe is your favorite), cars, music toys, and anything you can hammer. 

You still like books and attempt "reading" them yourself. Your favorite right now is your Who? book, because I tickle you when we get to the "bees!" part.

You know where the parts of your face are, although you find the concept of "I" and "eye" a little confusing. :)

You love to jump, especially on our bed when Daddy is taking a nap.

Your favorite food right now is still chips.

We had a good run with the healthy fruit/veggie popsicles, but after I changed them to casein-free, you weren't as impressed. You've yet to try them again.

There aren't many things that bother you, however you absolutely hate getting your hair cut.
The majority of the time is spent with you sobbing. The feeling of the hair all over you makes you so mad that you start to sweat, which makes the hair stick to your face, which makes you even more mad.
It's a good thing you look cute with long hair.

Your favorite places to play are Monkey Joe's, Discovery Place Kids, the park, and the fountain at Birkdale (but only in the evening. You refuse to go in it during the day for some reason).

Your words are still few and far between, coming and going randomly.

But we're working on it. And even if you never talk, I'll still be so incredibly proud of you no matter what.

You're the sweetest, most amazing little boy, and God could not have given me a more perfect baby.

You're such a blessing, and I'm excited to see what this next year brings for you.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Love you so so so much,

Mommy