Sweet and Funny

Dear Sawyer,

You are such a sweet, sensitive little guy. I found you crying on the steps the other day and when I asked you what happened, you said you were sad because you had accidentally ripped a picture you had drawn for me.

And you are such a funny little guy. My stomach is still big from being pregnant, so you asked me if I was pregnant again. I said no and you told me, "Oh, I thought Daddy gave you another special hug." Haha!

Love,

Mom

You're A Big Brother!

Dear Sawyer,

For the past four years, you have been the baby of the family but you were officially promoted to Big Brother three days ago when your baby sister arrived! Some kids don't like it when a newer, younger, smaller kid joins the family but I don't think this is going to be you. For one thing, when I first told you that I was pregnant, you stood up on the couch, held your arms way out to your sides and shouted, "This is how much I'm going to love the baby!" Then during my pregnancy, you decided that the baby's name should be Cutie and you kept asking me on a weekly basis why the baby was taking such a long long time to get here.

You went through so many emotions during these first few days with MuiMui:

-Sadness: I went into labor in the middle of the night so you were still asleep when I left for the hospital. When you woke up and JieJie told you I was at the hospital, you cried and said you missed me.

-Wonder: The first time we video chatted after MuiMui was born, you saw her and said, "Awww, she looks so cute." When she started making newborn gurgling noises, you asked, "What is that cute sound coming from the baby?" When I brought MuiMui home from the hospital, you were waiting anxiously by the door when I came in and looked so happy and smitten to meet her for the first time. Your head was tilted, you had your hands clasped against your cheek and you had such a sweet smile on your face.

-Jealousy: A few hours after MuiMui and I came home, you asked me, "Why do you keep looking at the baby? Why you keep holding the baby?"

-Annoyance: That first night home, MuiMui woke you up twice. You came into my room and said groggily, "The baby interrupted my rest time."

Overall, though, you seem to be growing really fond of your new sister. And she is so lucky to have you!

Love,

Mom

A Holy Name

Dear Sawyer,

I say "Oh my god" and "Jesus!" a lot, which is not something I really thought about until you started going to a Catholic school this year. While you were playing with your cars in your room today, I heard you exclaim, "Jesus!" and said, "I know I say that a lot but I shouldn't and you shouldn't, either." You replied, "Because you are taking God's name?" And I mentally slapped my forehead and thought to myself, "Gah! I'm too late with this because your teacher already had a talk with you about it!"

So yeah, I said that it's impolite to take God's name. And then you had the cutest question: You asked me, "If I take God's name, does it mean my name is God?" Totally logical and totally sweet!

Love,
Mom

Trucking Along

Dear Sawyer,

Our neighbors in the house next to us have been doing a massive amount of landscaping and construction in their yard for the past year. They cut down a huge decades-old tree (our entire house actually shook when the enormous trunk fell to the ground), cleared out dozens of bushes and are currently building a concrete patio and what looks like a fire pit. It's going to be a really nice yard but you know what the best part is? All of that labor has provided endless hours of free entertainment for you! One of your bedroom windows looks out directly over the yard and you have spent so much time sitting o the daybed next to it and watching all of the work being done. A couple days ago, there was a cement mixer parked outside and a small bulldozer clearing away mountains of dirt. When you came home from school and saw them, you couldn't wait to run upstairs and shower so that you could sit on the daybed and watch all of the truck action. In fact, while Daddy was showering and getting you dressed, you kept asking me over and over, "Are the trucks still there? Are they still there? Can you tell them to wait for me?"

You sat at the window and watched your free Truck TV for the next hour or so, until the workers called it quits and went home for the day. What is it with little boys and vehicles?

Love,
Mom

Boogie Monster

Dear Sawyer,

This morning, you came into the kitchen looking sad and told me that you had a boo-boo on your arm. You showed me a tiny scab on your right arm, so I kissed it to make you feel better. But it turns out that it wasn't a scab--it was a dried booger.

Ew.

Love,
Mom

Cutie Mommy

Dear Sawyer,

More cuteness!

-When you were eating your after-school snack yesterday, you suddenly remembered something you learned at school and said, "Mrs. K said tomorrow on the calendar, some person is going to take a ship from one place to another place. Tomorrow. The day after this day." I was totally confused and asked you who is going on the ship. You replied, "Someone I don't know." Um, okay. It took me a minute but I eventually figured out that you were referring to Christopher Columbus!

-I was cooking dinner while listening to music on my iPad last night and you were hanging out in the kitchen with me. When I turned around to look at you at one point, you had opened the cabinet where the baking sheets are and put the step stool in front of it. You were sitting on the step stool, moving your fingers across the baking sheets as if you were playing a piano, swaying your head back and forth and opening your mouth as if you were singing. So cute!

-You are still super into dinosaurs and quote the LeapStart dinosaur book I got you all of the time. Allosaurus is your favorite dino and you always tell me it is "the deadliest dinosaur of the Jurassic period!" You have several miniature plastic dinosaurs and you have been carrying them all over the house in your PJ Masks lunchbox. You and I had time to play before school yesterday so we were playing with the dinosaurs and you looked like you were having so much fun. When it was time to leave for school, you gave me the sweetest smile and told Daddy, "I love Mommy the most."

-You were going to bed and I said, "Good night, Cutie Pie." You replied, "Good night, Cutie Mommy."

Love,
Mom

Future Roommate

Dear Sawyer,

Funny things you said recently:

"Drop-off [at school] is sad but pick-up is happy!"

Daddy: You look so handsome.
You: Yeah.

You were upstairs by yourself when you came downstairs and asked me, "Can you be near me?"

You sang this to me while I was cooking dinner last night: "I want to hug my mommy! I want to hug my mommy! Because I l-o-o-o-o-ove her."

Me (waking you up for school): Good morning, Baby Bear!
You (drowsily): G'morning.
Me: Hi!
You (still drowsily): Hi. I'm going to tell you a joke now, okay?
Me: Oh, okay.
You (fully awake now): Why did the train say "choo-choo"? Because it was going on a delicate track! Haha! You get it?
Me (thinking): Not in the slightest.

You: When I'm a grown-up, I'm going to live with Mila.
Daddy: You might have to ask her first.
You: I don't have to ask her. She loves me.

Love,
Mom