Owen is 2!

My sweet little boy turned 2 last Sunday!  I really am finding it hard to believe I have a 2 year old.  Where in the world did that time go?  Owen James is the delight of my life and I can’t wait to brag on him a little in this post and overload you with some videos of what he can do now.  I definitely had a little mommy guilt for not doing a huge party for him this year.  I told William we should just do a little cake and ice cream party.  But then William politely reminded me that I don’t do just cake and ice cream.  Meaning, I don’t do any party small.  And he’s right.  So we just decided to get balloons, presents, and cake and celebrate with us.  We’ll go big next year.  Yes, I already have something planned in my head. :)  But then Ellie will be one next year too.  Drat.  Well, you all just better be ready to come over for 2 birthday parties pretty close to each other.  He had his 2 year old well-check last Monday.  He screamed bloody murder for the nurse while she weighed and measured him, then danced laughed and sang with me while we waited, and then screamed bloody murder again for Dr. Melvin.  But big plug for our new doctor, really love him and the ways he tried to calm Owen down.  He is now 2ft, 1o inches and weighs in at 27 lbs, 7 oz.   Dr. Melvin said that Owen was just a little under the average for weight and a little over the average for height.    Food: in general, he’s a pretty easy eater.  He’ll try most things although he’s getting pickier in his toddler stage.  He would live solely on string cheese and yogurt if I’d let him.  Oh, and his favorite boxed snack, Annie’s Snack Mix.  He’s a great breakfast eater and loves William’s smoothies with yogurt and fruit and usually loves oatmeal. Sleep: It gives me great pleasure to write that after 2 very long years, Owen is finally starting to sleep through most nights.  Every couple days, he gets up at 2 or 3 and William usually goes in and sleeps with him.  He goes to sleep by 8 (I’d love this to be earlier, but alas) and is up for the day by 6 or 6:30.  His afternoon nap is usually only about an hour unless I help him get back to sleep, but that’s getting harder to do with Ellie. He’s getting pickier about which books and songs we sing before bedtime, but still loves to read his Bible, which melts my heart.  We have 4 that we rotate through, but his favorite by far is the The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers.  He loves to sing This Little Light of Mine, especially the verses about hiding it and not letting Satan blow it out. The terrific 2’s: There are some awesome aspects about this age.  He is learning so much and he cracks me up everyday!  He is obsessed with cars and trucks and all things that go.  Cars litter our house on every surface, in the kitchen, bathroom, and living room and you have to watch where you step.  He still adores reading and loves the storytime we go to every Tuesday at the library.  He loves to sing, dance, stomp, and hop and we often through a dance party in the middle of the living room.  He would play outside all day long if I’d let him.  He sits in his crazy coupe car and pretends to drive.  He also loves to play “cook” in his kitchen and make me different things to eat and really enjoys helping me pour ingredients into the mixer while baking.  His favorite song is currently The Wheels on the Bus and as witnessed in the video below, he likes to dictate what and who is on the bus. :) Owen is learning things like crazy.  I couldn’t even attempt to write down all the words he’s saying.  He’ll repeat anything you say and tells us long stories which of course we pretend to understand.  He knows all his colors and is getting pretty good at counting to 10.  He’s finally starting to show some interest in letters and knows O for Owen, M for mom, D for dad, and C for cow.  Here he is counting and singing Up, Up, Up which is our current favorite library book/CD:

The terrible 2’s: But along with toddlerhood, came some not so fun things.  He is getting really good at throwing tantrums.  Mostly around bath and bedtime.  We literally have to hold him down to brush his teeth and get a diaper on him.  He also hates being told no, especially when is comes to having fruit snacks before 9am. :)  Another hatred is getting his nails or toenails clipped.  And coming in from outside.  And going to bed.  And getting his face washed after meals.  I sure hope these are all normal toddler things because sometimes I wonder what happened to my sweet boy.  Being a big brother:    I won’t write much because this is all about him, not Ellie.  But he loves her.  And he loves to smother her with kisses and hugs.  Yes, he’s been a little more needy and says “hold you” all the time, but in general, he’s been a great big brother! His birthday morning french toast: And a few pictures from his birthday before church.  He got to move up to the big boy classroom.  You can see by the pictures how it went.  I never got paged, but when I went to pick him up, he was asleep in Miss Pam’s arms. :) This has been the most amazing ride these last 2 years.  He has changed my life in so many ways and I cannot wait to see the boy he grows into!  Happy 2nd birthday Owen!!