Happy Birthday, Reeshy-Roo!

Happy 2nd Birthday my Reeshy-Roo!!

Your birthday was on Monday (the 19th), but I feel like we've been celebrating it all week. On Friday we all stayed home together (because you had a bad cold and we felt like you should stay home) and we gave you your birthday present from mommy and daddy (a geo-trax train set). You love it an played with it all day long. You call them your "new choo-choos" and love to control the train with the remote, or "hammer" as you call it, because it resembles a hammer, I guess.


On Saturday, you got a present from your great-aunt-Nancy- a fun magnetic farm book, which you played with enthusiastically.

On Sunday we made you a birthday cake, which you helped mommy decorate with sprinkles of your choice. You delighted in us singing you Happy Birthday and even tried to blow out the candles all by yourself. You thought your yellow cake with chocolate frosting was very yummy and asked for more after you devoured your first piece. That was not a shock to us.



Monday was your actual birthday, and although mommy hated taking you to daycare, I knew you would have fun celebrating it there with your friends. Before we left, you got to open a present from Grandma- some books. I sent cookies with you to share with all your buddies, and I knew Pam would make it a special day for you. I sang Happy Birthday to you again and gave you extra hugs and kisses before dropping you off. You came home that day with a Diego safari set and cookies on your face, so I know you had fun.

Birthday cards and well wishes have been arriving all week. When asked how old you are now, you say "Be Two!" and try to hold two fingers up (you can get one, but can't quite control the others- it seems to be either all or nothing for the rest of them). You love the Happy Birthday song and like to sing it now to other people and toys. You even sang it to mommy :-)

Little man, how can you be two years old already? You are officially not a baby anymore... it just doesn't seem possible. It's really hit me this week, how much you are maturing recently. You want to do almost everything yourself...the other day you were listening to music on the computer and I was hovering above you. "Mommy go over there," you said and pointed across the room. My bubby boo wanted to be left alone! Talk about bruising my mommy ego!

You want to help do everything. You like to read by yourself. You have very definite preferences for food, tv shows and music. You seem to have a greater understanding of the world every day and always amaze me with what you pick up from casual conversation and observation. You're also becoming increasingly stubborn and are testing your limits with mommy and daddy. I still think you are basically compliant and easy-going for your age, but you do have your moments- we've had our share of public embarrassments the past few months. Most of your "misbehaving" have been related to running away from us. You have such a mind of your own- you want to go where you want to go and when you want to go there- no matter if it's at home and you want to go upstairs or downstairs of if it's at the store and you want to go down a different aisle. You don't listen to mommy when she tells you to stop or wait- you just go faster! *sigh*

You seem to have a better understanding of time now. You use the word "after" often in relation to when you can do something. Such as "watch show after daddy game." Meaning you can watch your show after daddy watches his game. If I say you can't do something, you immediately say "after..." and then whatever is going on, such as "after nap" or "after eat". You always have hope, don't you? :-) You also are using the word "remember" and telling me you remember things that have happened in the past. Today you pointed at the decorating sprinkles and said "member (remember) making cakes?" I love that you are making memories now that might last a long time- into adulthood even. The more you verbalize your memories, the greater the chance they will survive in that intricate mind of yours... so I encourage your reminiscing.

You're finally starting to correctly identify colors. You can usually point out blue, green, yellow and black. You can also identify some shapes- circles, triangles, squares, stars and hearts, and often tells me that is what you're drawing (although all your drawings are actually large, loose circles).

The Typical 2-Year Old, you have many favorites, so I'll take the time now to share of them:

TV:
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Jo-Jo's Circus
- The Wiggles
- Thomas the Tank Engine
- Jungle Book Movie
- Care Bears Movie
- Little People
- Finding Nemo
- Happy Feet

Toys:

-Trains
-Cars and Trucks
- Books
- Paints
- Ride-On Toys
- Anything that has buttons to push and parts to manipulate
- "pretend" toys such as his microwave and play food, phones, and keys- you like those that look and feel real

Food:
- Crackers, cereal and carby things
- Mac and Cheese
- Noodles
- Baby Corn
- Carrots with ranch dip
- Sweets of any kind (cake, ice cream, candy, etc.)
- Pickles
- Yogurt
- Meatballs
-Potstickers
Strange mixture of food, isn't it? Of course, just because these are your favorites, doesn't mean you get them often. We do the sweets and pickles sparingly. Luckily you will also eat other food- these are just the ones you especially love and are sure to gobble up.

Songs:
-Wheels on the Bus
-Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
-Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Teapot
- Octopus' Garden
- Down on Grandpa's Farm

Animals:

-Lion
-Monkey
-Penguin
-Elephant
-Giraffe

Games You Play:

-Pretending to drive vehicles, such as trains, buses and trucks. You sit and steer pretend steering wheels and "buckle" your seat belt. You also always have a destination in mind (library, store, restaurant, or home).
- Cooking food in your microwave for mommy, daddy or your stuffed animals
- Pretending to be a lion- roaring and all
- Pushing around your school bus with "guys" in it
- Dancing in crazy circles to music
- "I'm gonna get you"- basically me chasing you and you running away laughing hysterically
- Making your stuffed animals drive your big car
- Reading books in your tunnel tent
- Pretending to go to the library and brining me back pretend books to read, each on a different subject that you make up (cows, buses, monkeys, etc.) I then have to make up a story about the subject.



Reshen, you are such an delight. I couldn't have asked for a sweeter, more snuggly little guy. I love that you still want me to hold you before bed. I love that you still like to snuggle in the morning. Your hugs and kisses are the highlight of my day. You are such an amazing little person. I celebrate your achievements, marvel at your sharp mind and applaud your independence... but there is always a small speck of wistfulness for the baby you are leaving behind. But even though you are growing up, you will always be my baby boy. Always.

Love You To The Moon and Back,

Mommy