My baby is 2!

I’m starting this post on Friday the 12^th.  Two years ago exactly I went to my last weekly check-up at the doctor before embarking on a five-hour drive home through snow and ice.  Thank goodness Connor didn’t decide to come a little early because he would’ve been on the news as a roadside birth since it took me less time to actually HAVE him, from the time real contractions started to his arrival, than it took me to drive home.

I could go on and on about this toddler of mine.  He is funny, sweet, talkative, curious, smart, and every other adjective you want your two-year-old to be.  He loves washing cars with the McHusband, watching Mickey Mouse and Chuggington, reading books, and putting his puzzles together.  We bathe him every other night but he loves baths so much that he asks for one every night.  I think we’ll definitely have to get him a pool for the backyard this summer.

Connor is still a good eater and has been loving oatmeal lately.  Broccoli too!  The one thing I know he isn’t a big fan of is chicken nuggets.  When I mentioned that to friends, they asked, “Has he had Chick-Fil-A nuggets before?”  Because, come on, who doesn’t like those?!  Yes, he’s had them and they just aren’t his favorite.  Dipping sauces, however, are a different story.  He loves them all.

It amazes me how much he takes in from the world around him.  One day recently the McHusband was out of town for work and I said so and said, “Daddy is on an airplane.”  Now when I tell Connor, “Dada has to work,” he says, “Airplane!”  I love when my little sponge wrings himself out and I get to see everything he’s absorbed from us and school.

Speaking of…  Connor will move up to the next classroom in March so he’s been spending a little time over there just to get acclimated to the new room, people, and teachers.  On the first day, the assistant teacher told me that he was the only one who didn’t cry and that he was one of the best listeners.  #proudmom  I wasn’t really surprised.  He’s fairly “go-with-the-flow” in general although he certainly has his terrorist toddler moments.

Luckily Connor is still happy to go for long walks in the stroller, and I hope he continues to be content as the weather improves.  We will also have to get the bike and…I don’t know what that kid-carrying-pull-behind thing is called but you know what I’m talking about.  Anyway, we’ll have to get that out so we can ride through the neighborhood across the street.

Connor still sleeps in his crib in a sleep sack.  That keeps him from climbing out, should he decide to try, but also keeps him warm.  Anyone who knows us in real life knows the McHusband and I like the house pretty cool for sleeping.  Connor actually asks to get into his bed to hang out with toys or books and in the mornings, he doesn’t want to get out right away…or for an hour after waking up.  So weekday mornings can be a bit of a struggle if he wakes up later, but it works out great for us on the weekends. He still has his two blankies and a pacifier and his stuffed dog – and yes, if he has one of those, he has to have them all.  He has started calling his paci a “pal.”  So it’s going to be that much harder to make him give it up since he’ll be asking for his pal.  We should probably do that sooner than later before this friendship gets even stronger…

We won’t go to the doctor for his two-year check-up and shots until the 26^th, but my at-home measurements have him weighing 34 pounds and standing 35” tall.  So he’s petite just like me.

I am so proud of Connor and what a wonderful kid he is.  And I’m proud of the McHusband and me for doing a good job with him for two whole years!  I have several friends with new babies and when I think back to that time, it’s amazing how short it was in the scheme of things.  Not at the time, of course.  Some days I thought we just weren’t going to survive.  But we did!  Not only survived, but we flourished!  I sometimes miss those snuggly infant days, but I mostly love Connor being this age.  He makes me smile and laugh every day and, as trite as it sounds, I love seeing the world through his eyes.

Unfortunately Connor is spending his birthday at home with me (my office is closed today) because he has pink eye.  He woke up yesterday with his right eye swollen and red.  As time passed, both eyes got kinda watery and by the end of the day they were, to use a very scientific term, "gooky."  He acted okay yesterday so fingers crossed he doesn't get a bad cold or an ear infection, which would be his first, to go along with case of conjunctivitis. 

Happy Birthday, Connor!  We love you more than you can imagine and we can’t wait to see what this next year has in store for you.