TWO

Last night after I had put Mason to bed I sat down on the top step to pet Bubba & shortly after I burst into tears.

Why??

Because my baby was turning two tomorrow. 

I know - it sounds ridiculous....or does it? Please tell me that this is normal behavior?

Anyone??? 

Today is a bittersweet day. My sweet little boy is turning two years old & it is also his last day in Toddler 1 at daycare :( The last part of that sentence deserves a post all by itself so I will have to write about that sad milestone another day. 

TWO years - 24 months - 104 weeks....that is the amount of time that has gone by since Mason was born & I remember that amazing day like it was yesterday:

(Mase minutes after he was born & today on his birthday)

At two years of age, Mase is becoming his own unique little individual & he is pretty awesome! His never-ending energy, sweet demeanor & creative little spirit makes him a truly remarkable little human being & I feel SO privileged to be his Mama.

Weight: Mason had his 2 year appointment this week & weighed in at 29 lbs (80th percentile) & is 36 inches tall (90th percentile). Since his last appointment at 18 months old he only gained 1 lb but grew a crazy 5 inches! The pediatrician told us he will probably be at least 6' tall once he is done growing which makes us both happy since we are secretly hoping for a future as a KU basketball player :) He is wearing 24 mos/2T clothing, size 5 diapers & has a 7.5 shoe size. He also went from wearing a wide shoe to now a regular so he is definitely slimming down & getting tall. Ugh - I just wish he would stop growing so darn fast!!

Eating: Whenever Mase is hungry, he will sign & say "eat" & is really good at letting us know. Some of his favorite foods are chicken, fish, pasta, sausage, apples, bananas, strawberries, yogurt, eggs, cheese, ice cream, peanut butter, cereal & Chick-Fil-A. He is still not a fan of hamburger & green veggies. We recently got rid of the nightly bottles, he drinks with a sippy cup or through a straw & is eager to drink from a regular cup...supervised of course :) He signs/says "more" & "all done" as he pushes his plate & cup out of the way when finished.

Sleeping: This has been my greatest challenge by far as a parent & only because I have totally enabled my child....I will admit it. For the last 6 months, Mase would wake up in the middle of the night, I would immediately get up, go in & change his diaper, put him in bed with us, give him a bottle & he would sleep like an angel until 6am. 

After many nights of interrupted sleep (while my husband slept like a baby) & with his upcoming 2 year appointment looming in the back of my mind, I decided it had to stop....the co-sleeping AND the bottle of milk. SO that is what we did. "Operation CIO" began on a Monday night & after 3 very LONG, tiring & upsetting nights I am happy to say by Friday I had a little guy who slept from 8pm-6am without waking up, we have gotten rid of the bottle & Mama is finally getting some sleep!! Let me tell you, it was bittersweet for me to get rid of that bottle. It made me realize that my baby is no longer a "baby" & I will probably never make another bottle again :(

He has his special blanket, pillow & stuffed puppy that he always has to sleep with & he still has the paci at nap-time & bed-time. Will be working on getting rid of the paci in the near future!

Milestones:
- Mase is talking all the time & has recently started putting together 2-3 word sentences. He says "where's Daddy/Mama/Bubba/Millie?" "want another one" "what's that?". He probably says about 40+ words - some are harder to understand than others but I can usually figure out what he is saying. I have to "interpret" his speech for Daddy quite often :)
- Can understand & comprehend what we say to him.
- Uses a fork & spoon really well when eating.
- Can throw a ball, runs (which is sooo cute), kicks the ball forward.
- Can name all his body parts, points to our body parts & the dogs body parts when asked.
- Hide & Seek has become his favorite game & we all "play" at least once a day.
- Loves to help Mama vacuum & clean around the house.

- Tries to brush his teeth, wash his hands & dry them by himself.
- Loves to listen to music, sing & dance & will "sing" along with some of the songs. No idea what the words are but you can tell he is trying to sing along :)
- He has started to have an opinion about what he wants to wear, what he wants to eat & want he wants to do....already at 2 years of age!!

This precious boy continues to be a blessing to our lives & I can't imagine not having him in it! He is such a cool little dude & amazes me everyday to all the new things he is learning, doing & saying! We are looking SO very forward to what this next year has in store for us!!

We love you so very much little Bubba :)