Grant Alexander {Happy 3rd Birthday!}

Happy Birthday, Grant!

What a delightful whirlwind this past year has been. You took everyone's shudders and predictions about the "terrible twos" and you toppled them with 12 months of amazing growth, love, and joy. You're our precious gift, and we will never stop thanking God for bringing you into our family. 

Our wonderful first-born. Our precious son. We pray passionate prayers for your salvation, and we delight in seeing your tenderness and sensitivity towards the gospel. We are in awe of the little person that God has created, and we daily lift up the prayer that you will glorify God with the multitude of gifts we already see in your life. Grow strong, little son. Strong in body, strong in mind, but most importantly, strong in love and character. You are our gift. Our defender of the weak. Our Grant Alexander. Happy 3rd Birthday!

Character {at age 3}

Grant continues to amaze us with his willingness to learn and his consistent tenderheartedness. He is incredibly sensitive to the needs of his mother and he enjoys "helping" the kids around him. His playmates are mainly girls, so his awareness of being gentle with "princesses" is growing. He loves to hold doors, wash dishes, and lift heavy loads. He loves to meet needs and delights in fetching and carrying for his little playmates. He has a special place in his heart for weaker people and animals. He carries around the medical toys he got last Christmas and is forever checking people's (and stuffed animals') heart beats and reflexes. 

His strengths include an incredible attention to detail. He notices the tiniest change or alteration. We are very proud of the fact that he has begun to view change as an exciting thing. Fear no longer dominates his detailed observations, and we are incredibly proud of him for his increased flexibility and his new catch phrase/shoulder shrug, "It happens, Mommy."

Grant is consistently peaceful and joyful. His teachers in "school" (the Bible study we go to once a week!) repeatedly remark on his cheerfulness and forever-smiling. 

Milestones {at age 3}

Grant is my super-athlete. He loves running, jumping, climbing, throwing, and pummeling. This past year he's started learning to ride a bike (which he can barely reach the pedals on!), he went through a phase where everything was turned into a basketball hoop, and he loves to push/pull other children around in wagons, tractors, blankets, etc. This boy craves physical activity. We spend a large part of each day outside, and he is in heaven. 

Grant has learned to sing his ABCs and he can identify several letters. He knows his colors, animals, and a surprising number of tractor/construction equipment names. He loves "school," and likes to color, trace, and count (1-12 is solid, after that... the numbers get very creative sounding!). 

Grant is potty trained! Yay! (Sorry, son, if you're reading this as a teenager, but when you have a kid you'll understand.) I'm so thankful for the decrease in diaper spending. Hallelujah.

Favorites {at age 3}

Grant is a very good eater. Recently, he's developed an affinity for salad, and he even tries to filch lettuce from other people's plates when they're not looking. He loves french fries, "sauces" (i.e. salt, pepper, or anything his can sprinkle/dip), crushed ice, cheese sticks, grapes and strawberries. The one food that Grant still doesn't like are eggs. If I disguise them with potatoes, cheese, and veggies, he loves them. But a basic scrambled egg... ah, that he hates. 

Grant loves building things with Duplos, playing outside, and anything artistic. He loves painting, coloring, cutting, and scribbling. He loves playing basketball and football. He enjoys washing dishes, cleaning, and helping "Boo-Boo" (as he calls his little sister). 

His favorite things to watch are "Aristocats," "Mater's Tall Tales" (yes, this infatuation has lasted over a year... **sigh**), and "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood."

His favorite color is orange.

And he likes his bear pajamas. I think this is largely because the bear is brushing his teeth. Grant also really, really, really likes dental hygiene. 

We read for over 30 minutes a day, and we could probably read for several hours. He loves books and analyzing illustrations and "reading" along with Mommy. 

Grant loves his extended family. Videos, pictures, silly stories. He loves it all. We talk about his family often. And he thinks they're just the best people ever.

Grant has begun to learn about adoption. While we have always told him his amazing birth story and we pray almost every night for his birth parents, this past year, he began to understand what it means. He loves the fact that he has an adopted daddy just like Jesus had an adoptive daddy. He understands the concept that he didn't grow in Mommy's tummy, and he is very okay with that. He has even started asking pregnant ladies if they are growing another baby for his mommy! He enjoys the fact that God planned his story such a long time ago. And he loves hearing about how tiny he was, and how he looked like a little tiny raisin, but Mommy still thought he was the most beautiful baby in the world. 

Everyone is so quick to say that adoption exists because the world is broken. But adoption also exists because God brought hope. While walking through this with my son raises many questions for him (and Mommy battles insecurities and fear), I'm delighted in God working in my son's heart, even at this young age, to show him the beauty of his story and the power of true love. Not fluffy feelings-based love... but dying, life-giving, bleeding, forever love.

Dear son, you are our miracle, our blessing, and our joy. We could not be more thrilled at God's writing of your story, and your willingness to listen to it with joy and peace. We pray that you will follow the Savior who died to ransom you. And we pray that the many gifts, passions, strengths, and even weaknesses that God has designed in you would be used to highlight the glory of the God who wrote your story before the foundation of the world. You are our precious gift.

Happy Birthday, Grant! We love you!