All About This Guy

It's been awhile since this little dude has had a blog post all to himself! He's grown so much, both physically and mentally. We've got a chatterbox on our hands these days-a willful, adventurous, joyful (most of the time), busy little chatterbox with big feet and dimpled elbows. We still can't understand most of his jargon, but he sure seems to know exactly what he's saying and has full-on conversations with us. He's learned tons of new words, and is even producing some two word phrases (i.e. "More cookie?!" "More choc'late?" He's my child.). I'm constantly surprised by how much he understands-a few weeks ago I asked him to go grab the Very Hungry Caterpillar book and bring it to me to read, not expecting him to be able to actually do so. But he went right over to his little shelf, rifled through all of his books until he found the story, and brought it right over! He's also outgrown all of his 18-24 month pants, and has thinned out quite a bit. In fact, 24 month/2T pants fit him perfectly in terms of length, but the waist is huge. His pants sag so low, I can see the bottom of his diaper; it's like a throwback to the late 90's/early 2000's over here. A little more about this handsome guy: 

-He will be two years old at the end of next month. Where is the time going?!

-He has been obsessed with washing his hands in the sink. And by washing his hands, I mean he says "Hans?!" and demands to be placed next to the kitchen sink so he can turn the water on and off and move the faucet back and forth. He also sometimes asks for baths and loves to lay on his tummy in there, like he's swimming. He's a bit of a water-bug. 

-Loves, LOVES, LOOOVES choo choo trains right now. And anything that goes, really. We have a train ornament on our Christmas tree that Colt has had since he was a little boy, and Jace loves to play with it. 

-He created his first piece of "wall art" just this morning on the garage and laundry room doors (with a black crayon). 

-He's been so cute about helping me around the house. He loves to sweep the floor (as soon as he sees me take the broom out of the closet, he tries to take it away from me and do it himself), and when I ask him to help me bring in groceries, he proudly carries his little bag into the house and up to the counter. He looks so pleased with himself, I can't help but laugh. He's also pretty good about throwing his own diapers away, and he will usually pick up his crayons and put them away when we ask him to, depending on the day (and his mood). 

-He has taken an interest in coloring. He asks for "ca'ans" (crayons) and paper, and uses a variety of different colors until the paper is filled with colorful scribbles. He predominately uses his right hand, and he's got a nice tri-finger grasp going on, rather than wrapping his whole hand around the crayon.

-This guy is notorious right now for alternating between moments of calm, sweetness, and snuggles, then at the drop of a hat crying and banging his toys on the furniture because he didn't get his way. Toddler mood swings, anyone?

-Loves to play outside, rain, shine, or snow. He loves to jump in the puddles and go visit the dog and chickens that live down the road.

-He has had some weird sleep patterns over the last several days. He's been waking up a couple times every night this week, and one day he woke up at 4:00 am (!). But the next day, he slept in until 9:00 am, which is unheard of. And the other night, he woke up at 1:30 and was giggling like a madman all by himself in his crib for several minutes. I'm not sure if he's growing, teething, or if it's a developmental leap, but it keeps things interesting.  

-Favorite foods include: Costco cheese pizza, fruit and veggie pouches ("Pouchie? POUCHIE?!"), cinnamon toast, yogurt, popcorn (especially cheese popcorn), eggs in all forms, tomato sauce, "treats," and meat (with the exception of ground hamburger). He also still loves Mexican food. He's definitely got opinions, though. He'll gobble something up one day, and when I give it to the him the next day, he'll refuse to eat. Stinker.

-Current favorite films include: The Polar Express, Toy Story, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Winnie the Pooh (both the original and the Christmas edition).

-Runs around yelling "Oh NO!" all the time, even when there hasn't been an oopsie.

-Loves babies, or at least pointing them out. Hopefully that continues even after we bring one home and upend life as he knows it. ;)