Foto Friday vol. 32 - Two and a half... sigh!

As of November 9th, my little nugget, Bubba, is officially two and a half. I don't normally celebrate the "half birthday," but do, of course, recognize it as the marker for adding the all important 'half' to a child's age. For weeks I've been answering the question, "How old is he?" with "Almost two and a half," mostly, I suppose, to hang on to that "younger" toddler age. Two and a half rounds to three and I am just not ready for that at all! Time moves entirely too fast and specific memories of things done at certain ages and stages fade as new memories are made.

In light of this, here are a few specifics about you, Preston, as a now 2 1/2 year-old...

- You are 35.5 inches and 30 pounds. You are just about to bust out of your size 8 shoes and we can't find a hat that will stay on your head when you take off running!

- My heart soared when I said the following to you: "It's time to go get your socks and shoes on," and you excitedly said, "I'll go tell Neener!" I followed as you ran down the hall, went up to Gracie, knelt down and signed, "Shoes, socks, on, go!"
I stood there thinking, "He is such a good brother to her." And then, you tackled her. Ugh.

Other things you've recently said (or now consistently say as a "big boy") that have made me laugh out loud (despite my best effort to stifle it), made my heart soar or just surprise me because you so easily pick-up and apply language...

- "Mama, is it ready yet?" "No, Bubby, not yet." "Aw, ma-an..."

- "I'll be right back... stay there." (Hmmm... does someone say this to you, too?!)

- "Good morning, Mama. Good morning, Neener. How you sleep?"

- "Neener, are you okay?" She cries or seems irritated... and you say, "Mama, Neener upset... hurry!" (I love that you describe emotions now... upset, happy, sad, tired, mad, silly, funny... you often announce how you and others around you are feeling.)

- The other day all four of us were playing in your room. You were looking for something and walked over to where you last saw it, got a perplexed look on your face and said, "Hmmm... that's funny! Where is it?" (It took Daddy and I everything we had not to bust out laughing at your little dialogue.) You proceeded to move things on your shelves and in your bed. Finally, about five minutes later you yelled from the family room, "There it is! I found it!" It was your little fire truck and it, along with the ambulance and police car, is often in your possession.

- "Oooh yummy, that my favorite!!" (Really... your favorite, Bubby? Is it possible for everything to be your favorite? It is when you're two and a half!)

- You loved the Halloween decorations (even the scary ones once you knew they were pretend). When we'd drive by the ("Thriller" like) graveyards around the neighborhood, you pointed to them and said, "Look, Mama! Halloween!" and then you'd let out a pretend, albeit very loud, horror film-worthy scream and laugh hysterically.

- "Sorry, Neener. That's okay." (Said as you do something you shouldn't have, accept your own apology on her behalf and then pat her back or kiss her nose. I almost forget that you're admitting naughtiness that needs addressing!)

- You saw that Addison was home across the street and you were bound and determined to go see her! Luckily, you cannot manage the lock on the gate... yet! "Mama, I go see Addison, now!"

I absolutely love it when...

- You laugh out loud. You have the best belly laugh when tickle-wrestling with Daddy. Actually, you both do!

- You tell us you love us. You do this often, unprompted, along with doling out hugs and kisses... such a sweet, affectionate boy.

- You tell us about your dreams. Each morning and following naps, we love asking what you dreamt about. It's often monkeys, elephants and other zoo friends. Lately, though, you wake up in the morning with the most amazing, imaginative stories about your dreams. Whether the great tales you share with us are from your dreams or just your imagination running wild (encouraged by our oohs and aahs and genuine wonderment), Daddy and I love hearing about your dreams.

At night, you love falling asleep with company... usually Mommy or Gracie. Nap time can be difficult at home, as you fight so hard against resting, but when you do give in, you don't mess around!

- You absolutely insist people acknowledge each other, especially your sister. When someone talks to you or to me, you make certain that they also say hello to Gracie. If they ask you how old you are, you answer and also tell them how old Gracie is. You are such a protector and advocate for her; you have already learned how to help her have a voice. I love that about you.

- You tattle on yourself the minute Daddy comes home or calls. No matter what you did during the day and no matter what time it happened, you make sure that Daddy knows. I love that Daddy always gently thanks you for being honest and then talks to you about why you did the naughty thing(s) and why they aren't okay. I hope you always are this forthright with your wrongdoings!





Other things you do...


- You easily ride your tricycle well over a mile a day... often in one shot... breaking only to balance on neighbors' brick borders, jump pavers like a leap frog and count bugs and/or flowers. You love finding puddles to ride through and then pedal in circles making all kinds of patterns. You want to ride all the way to the park, but I will not let you because I am certain I will have to carry you and your tricycle all the way home after you've played! Someday, my little man, we'll give it a shot when Daddy can pick us up if need be! (Just last week we took your tricycle to the beach and you rode along the Pacific as all the grown-ups on bikes passed you by with a smile. What a lucky little guy you are to have already cruised the beach paths on your bike!)


- You have found another use for your tricycle (aside from riding one-handed and with no hands)... you put one foot on the back platform and push with your other foot as you hold the handle bars. "Look, Mama! Bubby has scooter!" Then... much to my dismay (because I know what kind of daredevil tricks are surely in your future), you hold the handle bars and hop over the seat as you're rolling. Ay, ay, ay!

- You love all things related to sports and truly are a natural little athlete. Daddy just raised your basketball hoop and we had to get you a little heavier duty ball to increase the challenge! You frequently run out back to practice dribbling the ball and take a few shots. You still love hitting balls off your "T," but much prefer to take a swing at a slow pitch. David Beckham better look out because, like your Daddy and uncle, you are quite skilled with the soccer ball. You can drop kick, you can easily aim and kick with both feet and you can dribble a ball across an entire soccer field! Surely the whole neighborhood can hear you scream, "Goal!" while playing the backyard!

- You like "working out" with Daddy. And, you're a good trainer, because you often remind him he needs to do it!

- You love to dance and sing. You love singing with your music in the car and dancing to Mommy's music at home. Your current top dance request is to Michael Franti's "Say Hey (I love you)" which is referred to as "The I love you song, Mama," in our house!


- This one is included at Daddy's insistence (it's a Daddy kind of thing, after all). After tooting or burping, you first proudly ask, "Did you hear that?" Once your wondrous sounds have been acknowledged, you then say, "Excuse me!" and giggle.
Ah... boys.

- I am amazed at your receptive sign vocabulary. One of my most favorite things to do is sign sentences to you and you'll translate. After Gracie's school Halloween parade, you sat in the kitchen with Daddy. I asked you, "Did you tell Daddy what you did today?" You didn't know where to start (it was, after all, nearly 8pm) so I signed behind Daddy, "You went to school with Gracie and walked in the parade." You said to Daddy, "Bubba go school with Neener and walk parade." Unbelievable.