Tough

Being the second child, Gryffy doesn't have as many activities to show off (preschool parties, recitals, etc.). So I want to set aside a post to honor our little man, the Gryffster (a.k.a. "Tough"--that's what Great Grammy "M" calls him).
Right now, Gryffy's 22 months old.  He has an attachment object--a small plastic zebra that he carries with him everywhere. Over the past month he's gone from saying practically nothing to beginning sentences! He loves to sing in the backseat of the car with his sister to the Signing Time DVDs, and he has a full vocabulary of signs, only Mommy doesn't understand them. Gryffy's teeth are finally sprouting too--two front teeth and one molar on the top, and three front teeth on the bottom.
When I think of Gryffy though, I think of the way he pulls my face in with his hands for kisses, the way he loves to play outside (especially in the mud) and slide down the playset into Lorelei with peals of laughter, how he very carefully eats a strawberry and trots over to the cabinet, pulling out the trash to deposit the strawberry's leafy tip (brilliant, thinks Mommy), how he squeezes his eyes shut and beams his big front teeth to showcase his stunning smile, and how he struts with his chest out, a walk he owns. And of course, the special bond between Gryffy and Lorelei--I can't even begin to describe how much they love each other, and how this makes my heart soar.
Every night, as I tuck him in, I say a prayer and blessing over my boy. And I tell him what a remarkable spirit he is, that he is God's child first, and I'm so blessed to be his mom. I know God has a tremendous journey waiting for our little buccaneer. What a treasure he is, just like his big sister!