On being two-and-a-half: Life with Mr. Adventure

Seriously, my sweet boy.

How is it possible that you are half-way to three years old? You just had your half-birthday and your old mum is shocked at how quickly you are growing up. Last night your daddy and I watched videos of you from a year ago and I can't believe all the tiny things I had already forgotten.

Life with you is wonderful, crazy, chaotic and joyful. You change daily, and one of the biggest joys I have is being able to discover the world anew with you.

Here's some of the things I love about you right now:

You are a tiny adventurer in a grown-up world. You love to understand just how everything works, both figuratively and literally. One of your favorite questions is "what happened?" which you ask with your eyebrows raised in concern. This question is generally followed with your other favorite..."why"? Followed, inevitably, with several more rounds of "why"?

You are stubborn and determined. Your Daddy says that sounds exactly like someone else he knows. I secretly take pleasure in this.

You continue to amaze us with how much you know. You can count to twenty, know how to sing your ABCs and recognize several letters of the alphabet. You also can name about a half-dozen shapes and point them out when you see them. You know a red light means stop and a green one means go. This makes you our unofficial back-seat police officer.

You talk about Friday alot, telling us "the vacuum is coming on Friday" or "Gus will go poop on Friday". I don't think you have any idea what Friday is. Totally cracks me up.

When you want to be held, you say "want hold you". This makes it impossible to resist your request no matter how full my hands are.

I love how you pronounce chocolate (chock-it), squirt bottle (co-co bayou), and spatula (spashoola).

Potty training is around the corner! You have the hang of going pee on the potty, but you aren't really interested in pooping there. In the middle of playing you will get a stricken look on your face and tell us "no poop" which is code for "I just pooped but I don't want to quit playing so, in case you are wondering, I don't have poop".

You love to organize and match. Sometimes to extremes (you only want all-green dishes for dinner). You love beads (as in Mardi Gras style). You love to cook (both pretend and real). You lavish love on Gus. You get very upset when he runs faster than you. (Hate to break it to you, but four legs are always faster than two.)

You are quite practical and a problem solver. When I told you that your soup was cold, you told me to put it in the microwave. (The fact that you even know the word microwave is amazing to me, much less that you are aware that it's how we heat up food!)

You insist we hold hands at the table before eating meals, and name everyone who is present. Then you throw your hands up in the air exuberantly and shout "eat"! We did not teach you this.

You lead a daily parade around the house, waving flags and insisting that we clap for you as you march by.

You love to jump off things. Very high things. And you land perfectly.

You are emotional and passionate. You can throw a mean tantrum but they don't last long. You are a professional at testing to see exactly what your limits are and if we'll enforce them. (We will.)

You love to be tickled. Depending on the day.

Edamame beans are currently your favorite vegetable. Depending on the day.

You wake us up most mornings, singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, or Happy Birthday. You still sleep in a crib although you've been capable of crawling out for a year. But it's comfy and your safe place and you like it.

You are incredibly bossy. Are developing a sense of humor. And usually repeat everything you hear.

You make us listen to 'Gangnam Style' at least three times a day. Sometimes more.

You can work the iPad and iPhones with shocking ease.

You have an incredibly big heart. You get very concerned when you hear someone crying. You kiss my ouches when I bump myself. You put a protective hand on Daddy's head when he bends over to get toys out of the cupboard so he won't hit his noggin. We find wooden cookies in our shoes, in the dog bowl and in the cat's beds---little treats you leave for us to let us all know you love us.

Well dear, try as I might to perfectly capture all that you are at this age, I can't come close. You continue to grow and what's true today will likely have changed tomorrow. It's such a lovely experience to watch you grow. And I'm a teeny bit excited to see what changes that three-years-old will bring.

But don't go there too quickly, OK?

xo

Mama