my two year old...

I can't believe it...my baby turned two yesterday. Now, with a newborn in my arms, he seems ancient, like a grown man to me. He's huge in comparison to little Claire. I know a lot is said about the terrible two's, but I think we're going to have a great time.

True, my son is an adrenaline junkie already--he is either going full throttle or asleep, but I love him that way. He still takes time for (brief) cuddles, hugs, and kisses. He's taking everything that he can get out of his days, and he's an inquisitive explorer. I love watching him learn. He loves to pull up a chair and watch me cook (this evening I found him shaking salt into my frying pan before I got started :), he loves to build "great towers" and wrestling with the "Daddy-monster". Listening to him laugh is one of the greatest sounds in my world.

His vocabulary is exploding, and he's starting to piece together three-word sentences of his own, not just practicing sentences that he hears us use. Of course, I'm glad that he does: sometimes he "rehearses" what we tell him while he's in his crib. Sometimes during nap time I'll hear, "No pushing Toby," followed by a dozen permutations thereof using most of his friends' names. He's learning how to obey now, and after a lot of discipline, he's getting it! He repeats "Obey Mama" to help him obey, and I'm teaching him to say, "okay, Mama" when he's responding. It's so cute, and it really does help him do the right thing.

Our weekend was too busy for me to get a party together in my sleep deprived state, so that will be next weekend. Wish me luck creating a tractor cake from thin air! :)