Ziyan is Two

*This is listed in my drafts, but perhaps I already published it... Either way, I wanted to share it again,.*

In the midst of Ramadan, Ziyan turned two. We hosted a party, complete with a 3 foot Cookie Monster balloon that has only just deflated, and marched on. But now, Ramadan is over, and I return here, to document and memorialize and love on my sweet third Z.

Ziyan came to us because I just was insistent that there was another baby for us. We weren't done. I knew it, I was outrageously persistent and he was born into this very house just over two years ago. Now, this two year old very much runs the roost. He talks all day. He tells stories! He wants you to know about his day and where he went and who he misses. He loves loves loves technology and video chats my parents multiple times a week. Mostly, he likes to see their smiling faces and immediately hang up, eager to call Nini or Nini Juju...only to also hang up on them. He starts the most ferocious circular game of "calling each other back" where I can easily have three people calling back sweet Ziyan who surely *accidentally* hung up. He loves counting, colors, trucks, and tacos. Probably in reverse order. He hits. He is just brimming with energy and he lets out out in multiple unexpected explosive ways: hitting, shaking with excitement, shrieking, spinning in dizzying circles.

"I hold you". I am the lucky mother who gets to hear his husky baritone baby voice exclaim "I hold you" multiple times a day. And he does! He is the perfect snuggler: he holds on just like a baby koala and he is as hot as a bag of coals no matter the weather. He lisps on "yes(th)" and I hope it never goes away.

He is inventive, or at least encourages me to be. What do the animals on your "old MacDonald farm" say? We have cows and chickens, but also a head that says "shoulders knees and toes" over here and over there."Here's some shoulders,  there's some knees, everywhere there's toes toes." He definitely appreciates a good joke (a la his father) and we make them all day. But with his snuggly side, we have a mommy on the farm that says "I love you" here and there. It's everything you could want in a tiny little package.

Ziyan is Two, in all ways amazing and exhausting. I love that he'll be my baby forever. As I always tell him, even when he's thirty, I'll be calling him baby.