2 Years Old Holden

Holden you are two!

You are my sweet buddy. You are chatty, fun, sweet, and rough and tumble all rolled up into one precious little toe-headed boy.

Let's start in the morning. You have been waking up at 6:30 and it is killing me. You'll stand in the corner of your crib and scream daddy forever. Sometimes you'll go back to sleep but a lot of times we go in and get you. Of course, when I walk in and get you, you are not happy that it's not daddy and will lay down and whine until I peel you out of bed. Even though you've been up screaming for an hour, you aren't truly awake and are a little bear. You've recently hated getting your diaper changed and it's always a fun struggle in the morning. You LOVE your construction site jammies and hate taking them off in the morning. You are very good about putting your clothes in the dirty clothes hamper and cleaning up the items that you throw out of your crib.

Every morning you are excited to find your trains. I keep a set upstairs and a set downstairs because you love them so much. Once you're finally awake you light up with excitement and run through the house. You are one hungry boy. You're pretty easy going about what you eat and aren't as demanding as your sister. You love bananas and applesauce for breakfast and eggs are a favorite too. You are a pretty fast eater and when you are done, you are DONE. You still throw your food and drink on the floor when you are done and this leads to lots of time outs. You are pretty good about doing time out in the corner and we don't have to do a lot of sleep sack time outs with you! You get up and always say "sowwy mama" and give big hugs before you are off to the next activity (which your normally run to). I don't ever want to forget your little body running/skipping in just your diaper from the kitchen to the family room. You are full speed ahead until you crash into something (usually your anywhere chair) and burst out laughing.

You LOVE your TV and I really have to monitor how much you watch. If you get up really early on weekends we grab you quickly before you wake up Emma Cate and plop you in our bed. You always request choo choos (Chuggington) and we happily oblige to get a few more minutes of shut eye. You are so sweet when you're in our bed. You put your head on the pillow and curl up under the covers.

You have found your voice and love to use it. You are a little parrot and repeat everything we say. You are stringing together words to form sentences and it amazes me they way your little brain works. You are one  very smart boy. You observe everything. You are great with rhyming words, you love the wibbly wobbily blank an elephant sat on blank game. You know all of your colors. You can memorize any song and you love for me to sing to you. I love that you are musical! I love music and know the words to tons of songs and love that you have an interest in this too! You can join me in killing your Dad in the lyrics game!

You wake up from nap much earlier than Emma Cate and I grab you and we have some one on one time. We normally cuddle on the couch and watch TV because you're still sleepy and need a bit more rest. You are very tactile. You'll rub my arm or shin (you especially love the prickly feeling when I need to shave) or play with the hair tie around my wrist. You do this subconsciously and it's pretty cute. You also love to pet boomer. You are OBSESSED with all things that move! We read "Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site" and the Trucks book over and over again. I just love hearing your little voice; Read mama Read!

My favorite phrase is "oh yeah, oh yeah". You say it with a little accent like you're from Minnesota. it's hilarious. You know that you are funny and you smile bashfully when you say something that gets everyone laughing.

You are really good at independent play. You can push your choo choos/cars/planes around for hours. Every now and then you run up to me and give me the biggest bear hug. I love that you are independent but still show your mama some love. You are intelligent, funny, and caring. You are going to make some woman very happy someday!

We are working on your cleaning up and listening skills. You LOVE to dump toys but aren't so great at picking up. Emma Cate normally cleans up after you. We've got to work on learning to put your toys away because your little cars are EVERYWHERE in our house!

You are very sensitive. You are rough and tumble but then cry easily at random things. You don't like to swing very high. It really scares you. You love the thrill for a minute and then freak out. You don't like super loud noises or when mommy is upset with Emma Cate.

You are such a sweet brother to Shep. You are learning to give gentle kisses but then I also catch you driving your cars on his head. I have a feeling this is what I'll experience throughout your brother relationship.

When we drive, you are so observant. You notice every police car, motorcycle, ambulance and fire truck. You love to point them out, watch them move, and imitate their sounds. You also notice when mommy drives fast and we hit bumps. You scream WHOA from the third road.

Holden, it is so fun having a little boy. You've taught this mommy about diggers, trucks, planes, and cars. You are a sweet mama's boy but can also get CRAZY with the boys in your class. You have a TON of energy and watching you run through the house makes me smile just as much as our couch cuddles. Your dancing is one of my favorites. You have such a sweet spirit. I am so glad I get to be your mommy! Happy Birthday my sweet boy!