It's 2012 and tomorrow you are turning two years old. I don't know where time goes. Just last week you looked so small to me. Now, I can see subtle changes in your face. You're thinning out and losing some of that babyness that I love so much. You're growing up and turning into such a Big Boy!
I don't even know where to begin. We've managed to keep you alive for TWO! WHOLE! YEARS! You've attempted to thwart our efforts many, many times. Hey, remember the week before Christmas when you fell and bonked your eye on the train table and got your very first shiner just in time for photos? I do. How about Christmas morning when you fell down 5 steps at Mom-Mom's and Pop-Pop's house and got a three inch rug burn across your forehead? Yeah, I remember that too.
This year has been amazing, wonderful, and just about everything I imagined life with a toddler would be. While you technically started walking before your first birthday, you were full on walking less like a drunken sailor during the weeks after. So, you mastered walking after your first birthday and during your second year.
In March, you moved yourself out of your crib and into your big boy bed. ALL BY YOURSELF. You gave the crib up cold turkey. We had been slowly introducing you to your big boy bed because you learned to climb out of your crib around Thanksgiving. No more slow. We've learned that you do things on your own time and we love you for it.
You're still not talking much, but we get new words every so often and LOVE the words you learn. Right now you're big on "thank you" and "go." Your "thank you" melts my heart and at this point, you can probably get whatever you want just by looking at me with your big hazel eyes and saying "hangoo!" You "hangoo!" when you hand me things and when I hand you things. We get you to say "hangoo!" for everything now. It's almost replaced "please" as your manners word. If "hangoo!" or signing "please" doesn't get our attention, you grab our hands or our pant legs and say "go go go!" and drag us to the object of your affection.
Speaking of affection, you're excellent at it. Your bear hugs are the best in the world. You still don't give "real" kisses but prefer to blow kisses at everyone. You give hugs unprompted most of the time. Sometimes, I grab you up and smoosh you and you find that hilarious. Mostly. Sometimes you scream. Mommy takes full responsibility because usually you scream when I take you from playing with your toys.
You and "Addy" have a fantastic relationship. You quit calling your daddy "Dada" and "Daddy" and shortened it to "Addy" and it's usually said with a question in your voice. When we get in the car and daddy runs some trash to the trash can, you scream "ADDY!" until he's safely in the car. You roughhouse with daddy, appropriately. You go up to him and punch his belly and climb all over him and ride him like a horsey. You do not like it when mommy plays with daddy. I'm not allowed to hold his hand, or hug him, or kiss him. You push me away because he is YOUR "Addy!"
You also have a very loving relationship with your Pop-Pop. When we visit your grandparents in New Jersey, you can't get enough of him. I think it's because he takes you on adventures. You go outside! And walk on the sidewalk! And play with rocks!
We traveled a lot during 2011. We went to New Jersey, Utah, and Washington. You met a lot of your family and wowed all of them with your pleasant personality and easy going demeanor. You are a pro at flying. You aren't too horrible to sit next to on a plane. You don't cry when we take off or land. You do cry when you are forced to stand in line in the jet way. You just want to move, move, move.
In December, Amy, Brandon, and Calvin moved back to North Carolina. You missed your buddy Calvin. To combat some loneliness, we put you into daycare Monday and Tuesday mornings. We were hoping that it would help develop your social skills. Well, I can say it certainly has. You love your daycare and the boys that are there with you. We often ask if you want to go play with your friends and you emphatically respond "YEAH!" We've learned to quit asking the night before because you get upset when you can't see your friends right now.
We also enrolled you in swim class. Swim is NOT your favorite activity. You're still not entirely sure of the tub. You seem to warm up towards the end of class though, enjoying jumping off the side of the pool and kicking off the wall. You do not like laying on your back in the water. I think it gets in your ears. You're very similar to mommy in this matter.
You mimic animal noises. You can moo, snort (pig, mommy wouldn't teach you "oink" like the other kids), cheep cheep, squeak, and you meow and bark. But you don't "woof" YOU BARK. It's one of our favorite sounds. You mimic sirens and I believe you have recently started "caw"ing due to the insane amount of crows that have been in our trees lately. You call juice "loo loo" just like your daddy called water "loo loo" when he was your age.
We found out that you're going to have a baby brother or sister in November. You have no idea what is going on, however, when asked where mommy's baby is, you point to my belly. If we ask where YOUR baby is, you point to your own belly. I promise you, Jack, that I will make sure that you feel just as loved as you do now once the new baby comes. I joke that I'm growing a replacement because you're getting too big, but you can never be replaced as mommy and daddy's first baby.
There are so many firsts that we experienced with you this year and daddy and I cannot wait to experience many more.
Happy Birthday, Cap'n Jack!
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