turning two

My baby boy turns two tomorrow!

We celebrated yesterday with a small party at our house joined by some family and a few close friends.  Aunt Judy made this amazing cake, which tasted as good as it looked.

I can't believe it has been two years since Zachary's remarkable birth.  They have been years filled with ups and downs and hopes and fears.  But most of all the days between then and now have been filled with love for this unbearably adorable little boy and amazement at how much he seems like any other toddler entering his terrible twos.  

I think one of the things that struck me most about his birthday celebration was how little I thought about the special circumstances that surrounded his birth and the challenges of the resulting rehabilitation, but instead was focused more on matters such as making sure there was enough food and drink and the score of the Redskins game. 

I wasn't thinking about lung disease, mucous plugs, feeding therapies, or any of the other unresolved medical and developmental issues, of which there certainly are many.  But yesterday I felt like I was able to put those very important issues into perspective, at least more so than I have in the past.  One of my greatest worries is that I have become so invested in being the parent of a preemie that I'm missing out on just being a parent. 

So my pledge to my son for his third year is to be a little less protective so he can do what little boys do while I work on being a little more father and a little less caregiver. 

Happy birthday, buddy.