My "baby" boy is two years old. Not a baby at all, really. He is independent, expressive, communicative (and somewhat understandable), a problem-solver....etc....He's moved on past all baby stages (except maybe potty-training--that's the last hurdle).
He had a fun and mellow little birthday...there was A LOT going on that day, namely, a wedding (see my next entry). So we were down in California, the whole giant family, and we were all pretty exhausted by the time the festivities were over that evening. So Chad and I threw a cake together at about 9:00 pm (ten minutes making a very hastily-arranged circus on the top). He opened his presents, ate cake, and went to bed. Not the biggest fanfare of a birthday ever, but 1) we don't do big birthdays anyway, and 2) he couldn't care less. He got his cake... and his Leaptop.
I think it was my sister, Tera, that told me one time, "It's funny how having more kids makes you appreciate each one more. Because you have a second, you love the first even more." Something along those lines. I don't think I fully understood what she meant, especially because we were still basking in the newness of our first little dude. Now we have Risa, and now I totally get it! There is something about seeing your second go through all the stages that your first has passed through that strikes a nostalgic chord: "Ah, remember when Coren rolled over...Remember when Coren first laughed....Remember...." And my love for Coren gets deeper. Kind-of a weird phenomenon. But true. I love my little awesome boy!
Some of his two year-old milestones/highlights:
-How, all through December, he said "Awesome!" every time we passed a house with Christmas lights on.
-His two new favorite phrases: "Hey, what you doing?" and "No, ya not."
-He says "okay" instead of "yes" every time.
-He's a Pixar/Dreamworks addict: his favorite movies are "Woody," "Dragon," "Frek" (which actually sounds pretty dirty coming out of his not-quite-enunciated mouth), "Memo," and "Dubbles" (Incredibles). I now have all of these memorized, down to the background soundtrack.
-When he comes out of his room in the morning, the first sentence he says always ends in "cookie!", although he has yet to get a cookie for breakfast.
-He loves puzzles, especially his shapes one that tells the name of each shape as you put the piece in.
-He loves plain noodles (hot or cold--yuck), fruit (still and forever, I think), olives, eggs (scrambled and hard-boiled), oatmeal, craisins, chicken nuggets, hamburgers and Taco Bell.
-He can be reasoned with--If he starts to panic/get upset, I can usually calm him right down by saying, "Coren, calm down. Take deep breaths." "Okay," he says, in a weepy voice, and then he pulls himself together (this doesn't work as well if he's on his third day of sleep-deprivation).
-He pretty much LOVES that Risa loves him/is always watching him. He loves to bring her toys, make her smile, scare her, etc. He often will pretend to ignore her as he watches her intently in his peripheral vision--this cracks me up!
-He loves dancing with "Mommys" to "Magic" by B.O.B. This is his favorite song.
-Discipline is still tricky because, when in trouble and asked whether he wants time out, he always says, "Okay," and puts himself in his room. Luckily, he doesn't need time out that often--he's a pretty good kid.
Yes, Coren is a champion in the Brooks household these days. And honestly, I'm not dreading the terrible twos yet... that may change. But for now, I've got the cutest little dude alive!! Happy birthday, Styx! Let's make 3 a good year (what was I saying about potty-training??).
