As most of you know, Scotty turned two earlier this month. It's amazing to me that two years have already gone by. It's been two years since I was laying on our couch on bedrest, eating brownies and blathering on about Jillian the Bachelorette (who in turned spurred Jake, who spurred Ali, and then Brad came back, and then Ashley and now Ben. Oh, how ABC turns) and worrying about being a "well-nourished female."
Anyways, two years. Two years since CatheterGate (the horror). Two years since I was able to drink milk without issues. Two years since pumping and pumping and pumping. It's funny, because my dear friend Krista just gave birth to her first, Andrew Michael, this past Sunday, and it made me think of all of the things she's probably going through right now. I feel like a lot of folks are already on to Baby #2, but there's definitely something so special about Baby #1. First-time parents...wow. I'm glad Brian and I got through that hurdle. I'm not sure we want to do it again anytime soon.
Let's talk about the Bear. At the age of two, I am happy to report:
-- he's talking up a storm. He repeats everything - and I mean, everything - and it up to 4 and 5-word sentences. "Apricot fruit leather, please, Mom?" is a favorite. (fruit leather is pretty awesome, in case you haven't tried it. It's sold in giant packs at where else? Costco.)
-- he knows all of his letters and can count to ten. He's got his shapes down, can draw a circle, and put together easy puzzles. He loves to draw but doesn't like finger paint. He's a Clean Bear, through and through. Despite his love of digging in the dirt in the backyard. (yuck.)
-- he's a huge, huge fan of anything with wheels. I'm not sure if I'm watching a future engineer or garbage man, but this kid loves to examine, stare, and manipulate things. He's very thoughtful and deliberate with his actions (which makes his mother very happy), and is not one to dive into situations without careful analysis. I can only hope this personality characteristic continues into adulthood (or at least through college.)
-- he's a little manager of people. He likes to make sure everyone has a toy and is playing appropriately. In music class, he passes out the shaky eggs to the kids, even if they already have one. (he can be like his mother in this respect; he will keep handing eggs to kids even when they already have one. Or twelve.) Just yesterday, we had a play date and one of the kids was put in time-out. Scotty ran with the mom to the timeout room and then ran back to the living room, mouth agape and pointing at us, shouting, "Time-out! Time-out!" Manager or town crier? The jury is still out.
-- he has the best sense of humor. I think a big difference between this year and last year is that Brian and I really like spending time with him because it feels less like us trying to keep him from killing himself on X number of household objects and more like just hanging out. He's silly, makes goofy faces, and tries to get us to laugh. This is a lot more fun than say, cleaning spit-up off of your shoulder for the 100th time or swathing your house in bubble wrap. I'll take Sense of Humor Bear any day over Spit-up Bear. ::shudder::
-- he says "please," "thank you," and my favorite, "'coos me," (when he toots.) I've also managed to convince him to say "ma'am" and "sir," which I believe to be a major parenting coup. The looks on people's faces when he says "Hello sir" is priceless. Oh yes...Etiquette Bear.
-- discipline...we're still getting there. I feel blessed that we've been given an easy-going kid that listens, but he definitely still has his moments. Like, spitting for example. (blowing raspberries). Yuck. I hate this. Scotty has figured out that if he spits in the house, it's right to time-out. But if he spits in the car while I'm driving, I'm powerless to stop him. (car = Switzerland). So he LOVES to blow raspberries as I plow along, and I'm usually rewarded with an arm covered in baby drool. Fun.
-- I haven't even touched potty-training yet. Nope, not going there.
All in all, year 2 was a LOT more fun than 0 to 1. There were just fewer changes, which is a blessing. We don't have to cart around bottles, a breast pump, a floor mat, and worry about his sleep schedule. This is like Wash-n-Wear Bear, and I love it. He does travel with an entourage (bad move on our part; currently in his posse are Bulldog puppy, Blue doggie, Big doggie, Froggie, and Baby Bear. Ever packed a suitcase of just stuffed animals? I have), but that's about it. No special food, no special plastic-molded crap. Just diapers and stuffed animals and the occasional sippy cup.
So...life is good. For all you new parents (Krista!!!), enjoy this time because it does go quickly. For all you experienced parents, keep up the good work. As for Brian and I, we're just happy to sit back and enjoy the ride. For now. :-)
Anyways, two years. Two years since CatheterGate (the horror). Two years since I was able to drink milk without issues. Two years since pumping and pumping and pumping. It's funny, because my dear friend Krista just gave birth to her first, Andrew Michael, this past Sunday, and it made me think of all of the things she's probably going through right now. I feel like a lot of folks are already on to Baby #2, but there's definitely something so special about Baby #1. First-time parents...wow. I'm glad Brian and I got through that hurdle. I'm not sure we want to do it again anytime soon.
Let's talk about the Bear. At the age of two, I am happy to report:
-- he's talking up a storm. He repeats everything - and I mean, everything - and it up to 4 and 5-word sentences. "Apricot fruit leather, please, Mom?" is a favorite. (fruit leather is pretty awesome, in case you haven't tried it. It's sold in giant packs at where else? Costco.)
-- he knows all of his letters and can count to ten. He's got his shapes down, can draw a circle, and put together easy puzzles. He loves to draw but doesn't like finger paint. He's a Clean Bear, through and through. Despite his love of digging in the dirt in the backyard. (yuck.)
-- he's a huge, huge fan of anything with wheels. I'm not sure if I'm watching a future engineer or garbage man, but this kid loves to examine, stare, and manipulate things. He's very thoughtful and deliberate with his actions (which makes his mother very happy), and is not one to dive into situations without careful analysis. I can only hope this personality characteristic continues into adulthood (or at least through college.)
-- he's a little manager of people. He likes to make sure everyone has a toy and is playing appropriately. In music class, he passes out the shaky eggs to the kids, even if they already have one. (he can be like his mother in this respect; he will keep handing eggs to kids even when they already have one. Or twelve.) Just yesterday, we had a play date and one of the kids was put in time-out. Scotty ran with the mom to the timeout room and then ran back to the living room, mouth agape and pointing at us, shouting, "Time-out! Time-out!" Manager or town crier? The jury is still out.
-- he has the best sense of humor. I think a big difference between this year and last year is that Brian and I really like spending time with him because it feels less like us trying to keep him from killing himself on X number of household objects and more like just hanging out. He's silly, makes goofy faces, and tries to get us to laugh. This is a lot more fun than say, cleaning spit-up off of your shoulder for the 100th time or swathing your house in bubble wrap. I'll take Sense of Humor Bear any day over Spit-up Bear. ::shudder::
-- he says "please," "thank you," and my favorite, "'coos me," (when he toots.) I've also managed to convince him to say "ma'am" and "sir," which I believe to be a major parenting coup. The looks on people's faces when he says "Hello sir" is priceless. Oh yes...Etiquette Bear.
-- discipline...we're still getting there. I feel blessed that we've been given an easy-going kid that listens, but he definitely still has his moments. Like, spitting for example. (blowing raspberries). Yuck. I hate this. Scotty has figured out that if he spits in the house, it's right to time-out. But if he spits in the car while I'm driving, I'm powerless to stop him. (car = Switzerland). So he LOVES to blow raspberries as I plow along, and I'm usually rewarded with an arm covered in baby drool. Fun.
-- I haven't even touched potty-training yet. Nope, not going there.
All in all, year 2 was a LOT more fun than 0 to 1. There were just fewer changes, which is a blessing. We don't have to cart around bottles, a breast pump, a floor mat, and worry about his sleep schedule. This is like Wash-n-Wear Bear, and I love it. He does travel with an entourage (bad move on our part; currently in his posse are Bulldog puppy, Blue doggie, Big doggie, Froggie, and Baby Bear. Ever packed a suitcase of just stuffed animals? I have), but that's about it. No special food, no special plastic-molded crap. Just diapers and stuffed animals and the occasional sippy cup.
So...life is good. For all you new parents (Krista!!!), enjoy this time because it does go quickly. For all you experienced parents, keep up the good work. As for Brian and I, we're just happy to sit back and enjoy the ride. For now. :-)
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