The Two's

So, E is two years old now. If you say, "Oh, no...TERRIBLE two's!," I may be compelled to hurt you. I don't think there is anything terrible about a two-year-old. There are good days and there are bad days, but mostly, there are just days when they are trying to figure out how do handle things on their own. There is nothing terrible about that. Thus far, we have been extremely blessed to have a very well behaved toddler. I am always so proud when people comment on how nicely he is sitting in a restaurant or behaving in public. My husband had to take E with him to sit through a church business conference the other night. Adults have difficulty sitting through these. E read his books and played with his iPad and behaved beautifully for the entire thing! We can take E to restaurants. He refuses to sit in a high chair or booster since he wants to be big like everyone else, but he behaves like a little gentleman as he sits on a regular chair with his head peeking above the table. The key to getting these results is knowing our child. When he is due for a nap and rubbing his eyes...guess what...not the time to take him to run errands. When he has been cooped up in the house on a rainy day...you got it...not the time to expect him to sit quietly for an hour. There are of course hits and misses on our toddler learning curve. Here are a couple examples of our recent adventures:

A Miss!

We needed groceries on Sunday after church. We needed them in the way that we had nothing in the house I could make a meal from and you would hear an echo if you spoke with the fridge door open. Yeah. We like to wait until we HAVE to go to the grocery store. One of the new stores in town has mini shopping carts for kids. I thought E might like "shopping" beside Mommy. Oh he liked it...just not the "with Mommy" part. He took his cart and was off to the races before I could even get my cart out of the bay. Let me remind you that this was right after church and I was wearing uncomfortable heels not suitable for baby chasing. I abandoned my cart and caught up to him at the back of the store where he had already proceeded to fill his cart with anything at eye level. This included spray butter, chocolate dipping sauce, bakery pastries, and a peach. Clearly, this was not a good idea. He was not happy to see me put back all of his carefully chosen treasures and even less happy when we had to put back the cart. The rest of the shopping trip was spent with him secured in one of the race car shopping carts, protesting my decision. Lesson learned. Part of me wants to take him back when I do not have to actually accomplish anything and just follow him to see what he picks up and what he does when his cart is full??

A Hit!

When we returned home from our grocery shopping misadventure, I decided to let E help me make a banana pudding for Daddy. This is the first time I allowed E to help me with a real kitchen concoction. He is all about autonomy right now and wants to do everything "big people" do. I gave him a whisk and let him mix the ingredients. He did a wonderful job! He was very patient, waited for my instruction to stir after each addition, and was very pleased with his efforts. We celebrated with the traditional "licking of the spoon."

Our current philosophy is, "Let him try it." Sometimes, it is just to see what he does when given the option. Other times, it is so he can learn from the mistake we know he is about to make. Bottom line though, you will NOT hear me say my child is a TERRIBLE anything in front of him. I believe in speaking kind words about a child when they are present. I think children as well as adults live up to the expectations you set for them. If your child constantly hears that they are "terrible two" or any other unpleasant descriptor, don't be surprised when they prove you right. Is my child perfect? No. Will he always behave? Of course not. Will he publicly embarrass me and make me look like a lunatic mom? Most assuredly. He is two and there is nothing terrible about it :-)

Playing with a Tiger

That's right! Today, we took E to Zootastic in Troutman, NC to the "cub experience." We spent the morning playing with an 8-week-old tiger cub named Spar. There are some moments in life where you feel like an awesome mom. Watching your kid giggle while playing with a TIGER CUB is one of them :-) The three of us had a wonderful time feeding, playing, and cuddling with this striped cutie. After the cub time, we took a tour to see some of the other animals. This was E's first time at a zoo and he really loved it!

Meet "Spar"

 SO Excited!

Yes, it was a great day! I love seeing the amazement and wonder on my little boy's face when he experiences things for the first time. Thanks to E, the staff at the zoo also learned the ASL signs for many of the animals. They are expecting to have a lion cub in residence soon and a new cub experience, so we will have to check back to see when we can do it again. How fun would it be to have a Daniel and the Lion's Den Bible lesson and follow it up with time with a real lion cub?!

Water, Water Everywhere!

 The final day of VBS is water day at our church. We bring a fire truck and they raise the hose high into the air on the ladder and spray down creating a HUGE shower of water for the kids. Don't worry, they pull the water from the river and it is not wasted. E's face was priceless when he walked out and saw the cascade of water. He put his hands in the air and said, "OHHHHHH!" He was the smallest one out there that decided to get into the spray. The other toddlers were more content with the puddles off to the side. As I have mentioned before, this kid has no fear.

Within the first minute or so of running into the water, E was knocked to the ground by an older kid that was not watching where he was going. That's just kids. They get excited. The bump knocked E on his booty and the momentum threw him on back so that he bumped his head on the concrete. After a short, 30 second cry, he was ready to go again, but this resulted in my husband and me "boxing out" around E and looking like crazed basketball guards in an attempt to prevent E being run over again. We laughed later at the concern that we may have taken out someone's kid if they had hit him. We were in full Mama and Papa Bear mode! I try not to be overprotective, but toddlers and hard surfaces are just not a good mix ;-)

Oh "Two"dles!

Today, my baby turned two! We had a Mickey Mouse themed party with family and a few great friends. Thank you to everyone who came to help us celebrate our wonderful little boy :-) I am running very low on photos because, in my craziness, I grabbed the camera, but not the camera's battery. Thank goodness for smart phones!

 We began the birthday morning by letting E run in and see his present from mommy and daddy waiting for him in the living room. E loves all things art so he now has his very own art center.

Cupcakes, fruit, Chick-fil-a nuggets, chips, candy, ice cream, and popsicles created a great party spread. Many thanks to my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, mom, and best friend who all helped me to prepare everything so quickly. The great thing about a summer birthday is the abundance of delicious fruit in season!

Mickey party hats for the little ones seemed like a good idea, but E was only interested in trying it on for a minute. It was cute while it lasted.

E really scored some great gifts! Clothes, cars, trucks, art supplies, building blocks, water sprinklers and college fund money were just a few of the fun things he received. One very brave and loving friend gave E his first drum set. He seemed get the hag of it immediately. After finding his groove, he even decided to jam with his eyes closed and his rock 'n roll face on. You may be able to hear him add in a bit of singing lol.

Proud Mama!

E had his therapy review yesterday to evaluate his progress and set new goals. E has only been activated with his CI for six months. After the evaluation, his voice and listening skills ALONE scored him at a "hearing age" of one year and eleven months!! E turns two tomorrow and it is amazing that in only six months, he has caught up to his real age even though his "ears" are only six months old :-) His therapists are thrilled and so are we. The evaluation did not even take into account his signing skills which are stellar and way beyond his verbal/listening skills. I am so proud of my smart little boy!!

Boy Dirt

Boy dirt is different than girl dirt. I have said this a million times. Boy dirt accumulates faster, smells worse, and is harder to clean than girl dirt. I don't have scientific proof of this, but my observations tell me this is basic truth.

Last night, our youth group got together to play kickball and cook out. I took E and let him play on the playground. He had a blast and even dragged one of our adult leaders down the tube slide with him multiple times. She was a really great sport :-) It was incredibly hot and he was a happy, sweaty little mess. I wiped him down with a baby wipe mid-play to cool him off and one of the young girls could not believe how dirty the resulting baby wipe was. You would have thought he had been rolling on the ground.

When I got him home for a very thorough bath, I lifted his chin and laughed out loud as I discovered a dirt ring on his neck. Seriously?! HOW does that happen? He was just playing on a slide, not making mud pies! E knows that mommy likes her baby to be clean and he graciously complies with my meticulous baths. Once again, I find myself mystified by the ways of the boy dirt! I am a firm believer, however, that messes should be made. You can always wash your hands. I encourage my son to play, get messy, get dirty, and have fun. Of course, I also teach the importance of good hygiene and insist on a good clean-up once the fun is over.

It's Been a While

Things have been a little crazy lately and I haven't posted anything recently, so here's a little update:

We took a little vacation. E spent the week being pampered by Nana.

 

While on vacation, we made some new friends.

We came home to lots of kisses and giggles.

 

We enjoyed a little down time on a rare, relaxing weekend.

 

E has been showing a lot of interest in sound and music. He tried his hand at the piano Sunday after hearing some of the older kids play.

 

We had another CI mapping appointment yesterday. E did a great job and really poured on the charm. He was rewarded with a trip to Cracker Barrel and an ice cream cone.

There you have it. Of course there has been much more going on, but I chose a few highlights. E continues to do new things everyday with vocalization, signing, and general toddler hilarity. He keeps us grinning and laughing and continues to be a true joy. I am so proud of my little man. Next on the horizon is E's birthday. He will be two! I cannot believe my baby is growing up so quickly :-)