at 2...

I've reached the "terrible 2's" everybody!  (Hurray!)

Let me tell ya a little about what life at age 2 is like these days:

• I'm the good-natured kid who continues to keep my parents guessing.  My big sister was the good eater, the good sleeper, the predictable one... you know, the kid that would make someone believe they could write a book on parenting or something.  Me, however?  Ha ha.  My way is much more fun.  I keep 'em humble.  

• I ditched the idea of being contained a few months ago when I started climbing out of my crib in the middle of the night.  But NO WAY am I going to stay in my toddler bed all night.  Are you kidding me?!  Sure, I'll take a short afternoon nap in there, and I'll even go to sleep at night in there (as long as you hold my hand until I'm out...), but you better believe that I'll make my nightly pilgrimage to Mom and Dad's room.  To their dismay, sleeping in between them right now is how I roll.   And for their own survival and mental sanity, now is not the time for them to fight it.

• To add to my unpredictability, I can be a finicky eater and meal time is often a stage for me to show off my "best" behavior.  You think you want me to eat vegetables, Mom?!?  You think I should be buckled in?!?  You think food should stay on the table?!?  You better think again.  

• But to my credit, now, there's WAY MORE about me to love.  I'm a really fun-loving, athletic guy.  I love my big sister, and when I'm not trying to tackle her, I absolutely adore her.  She's starting to get more and more frustrated by me, though, as I'm asserting my will around here more.  I'm great for teaching her patience.  

• And you guys, my speech is really improving!  The other day, my mom was telling me something that she didn't want to do, and I surprised my whole family with these words:

Pretty awesome, right?  My vocabulary might be small, and my language is often in Swahili, but I am making huge strides!  ("nooooo" is my favorite word right now)

• I LOVE my Mommy and Daddy.  I have separation anxiety when they leave me in the church nursery or with a babysitter.  I'm calling out their names LOUDLY wherever I am.  Secretly, Mommy kind of likes it in public because then there's NO question as whether she's the babysitter or not.   

first pair of Jordans

• I like to think of myself as quite the cool kid.  At 2, I've now got my first pair of Jordans.

And the sunglasses don't hurt my style, either, wouldn't you say?  (thanks, Mamie!)

But even this cool kid needs his Mama to kiss his little boo boo's.  

• There is no talking about me without talking about bats and balls.  It's what I love the most in this world, and I'd play ball with you all day if you let me.  I'm quite a natural with the bat, AND right now it looks like I just might be a south paw, too!  Mom and Dad, I know y'all aren't... ahem, the most athletic people out there, but you'd better be getting ready to watch me from the bleachers someday!

• Speaking of how unpredictable, yet good-natured I am, here's a little snapshot of me when I popped up out of bed at 11:00pm one night and instead of giving in to their frustration with me, Mom and Dad decided to laugh along with me:

Two years old is pretty great.  I'm learning, and I'm growing.  I'm super active and I can be awfully stubborn, too.

One thing's for sure, though...

I've got a family who's CRAZY for me, and I'm pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to them.