IEK (Mr. Smarty Pants) is doing great! I haven't written an update on him in a while. He's 2 years and 6 months old. This will be a fairly long update, I anticipate, as I want to document as much as I can remember.
He turned 2 years old in February and had a joint birthday party with Abby, one of his buddies from North Carolina. It was a cowboy themed party held at the Little Gym and it was great. I made his outfit (kind of). I ordered a cowboy vest and chaps online. I didn't have to do much altering for the vest but I attached the chaps to a pair of jeans. He looked so cute.
First haircut was 12/31/13 and he has had 4 haircuts to date. They seem to be getting shorter and shorter each time. He's had 2 haircuts in NC and 2 here in California. He has done well with all his haircuts so far. He gets into the toy airplane or car or whatever he chooses, mommy acts like an idiot and voila haircut is over. I prefer his hair a little longer but the hairstylists seem to do whatever they want. Since we are talking about hair--interestingly, his hair has gotten very lighter (no longer dark brown (now a light to medium brown with some hints of red-ish-ness in the sun). I think that's because it's the summer. Also the more we cut his hair, the straighter it gets. He has no curls anymore.
His brown hair compliments his big brown eyes and his adorable smile. He's still not very tall--fairly average I guess compared to his classmates at preschool. Oh yeah, he started preschool the same day his sister was born--BIG BOY! Staying true to his pattern, the first few weeks of preschool was rough (for both of us). He cried everyday when I dropped him off and intermittently throughout the day until I picked him up. I felt so terrible and stressed everyday for the first few weeks. After about 2 months he started liking it and goes without crying. Everyone once in a while he'll tell me "mommy, I don't want to go to school" or "mommy come with me at school" but besides that he's great. I like his teachers Ms. Cindy and Ms Heather. The preschool is great although I wish the class size was smaller but he seems to be adjusting well (was worried because he was in a home daycare up until then). We were proud parents the first time he brought home something he made from school. It was a father's day gift for his dad--a card and a handprint (which his dad uses as a paperweight on his desk in our home office). The card is hanging in his room.
His second year so far has been interesting: we moved from NC (where he was born and lived for 2 years); we had our first vacation away from him for 1 week (Nonna kept him and he did great, I had the hardest time); he was potty trained fairly well with minor accidents before he turned two but fully potty trained during the transition period between moving from NC to CA. He actually traveled from NC to CA (2 flights) without an accident. He potty trained really easily and once potty trained he did not want to go in his pull ups. OK so what else happened this year...yeah we moved to California (different time zone), upgraded him to a big boy bed, and he now has a little sister.
He is such a good big brother. He looooves his sister so much and is very protective of her. He does get a little competitive at times for our attention but he's very sweet to her. He always says "I love my baby sister" and gives her hugs and kisses. I think it was love at first sight for him. He seriously immediately loved her. He's so funny, he goes "awww...she's such a tiny baby." LOL. He also looooves his daddy. He is currently a daddy's boy although he cries for me when he wants something. Ha! He and his dad will have private time in the hammock and if I go outside to say hi, he'll so "no mommy go back inside." He and his dad are so sweet to watch. My husband wrestles and rolls around on the floor with him but they are also tender to to each other. I love watching my husband giving him kisses and hugging him. He's a great dad. Anyway, I've been the enforcer I guess. He says "I love you mommy" mostly when daddy isn't around--haha! I'm very loving with him too but I'm also firm and consistent and doesn't let him get away with much. He likes to test limits like any 2 year old but it's not that bad. He also occasionally will try to whine or "tantrum" but these are also not bad.
So overall I think his behavior is great. There are few times he acts like "typical 2 year old" but most times he's pretty cool. He listens for the most part and responds well to counting from 1-3 before a consequence. I mostly reward him with something or take away something he likes as punishment. Although, sometimes I do pop him (ex. when he does something dangerous like ride his bike on the road). So he has a Strider (a balance bike) that he absolutely loves. He is sooo good at balancing on that thing. Since the first day we gave it to him he was riding it like a pro--I think the kid is ready for a big boy bike (without training wheels).
He's a terrible eater (still). I think this is one of the biggest challenges we have as his parents. It's so hard to feed him because he doesn't like to eat anything. He doesn't try new foods and once he makes up his mind, that's it. I have to be creative to get him to eat, like blending vegetables and putting them in whatever he's interested in eating at the time. The hard part is that he doesn't get hungry so missing a meal or two doesn't affect him. I've also used reward systems to get him to eat. IT's kind of crazy. I can't wait for this no eating phase to end.
He was sleeping great until we moved. He's been sleeping through the night since he was a young infant, however the move and the big boy bed (I think) has messed us up. IT was a struggle to get him to stay in his room initially but with some adjustments/training we were able to fix that situation. He now stays in his room fine but he continues to wake up several times at night (wasn't doing this prior to the move). He however naps very well--that required some re-training with the introduction of the big boy bed.
He's very athletic and loves the outdoors. He loves to play baseball and can throw the ball pretty well. We are still working on the batting skills but he's pitched some good balls to me. He's right handed and pretty coordinated. He loves throwing rocks too and picking up sticks. He's also pretty good at football. We like to blow bottles and shoot waterguns at each other. On a regular basis all 3 of us (me, dad and IEK) are outside shooting waterguns at each other in the backyard.
He's very smart and loves book and puzzles. He also likes to write on his blackboard and color. Language is definitely a strength for him. I mean, he talks better than most 2 year olds and a lot of 3 year olds I've met. It's amazing. He absorbs everything and remembers everything. He talks like a regular person, although he has the normal articulation trouble (like I "wove you mommy"). He asked "you check your blood pressure, I want to press blue button." He also is a thinker. On the way home from church one day he says "Mommy I pay at church." I didn't understand him so I told him that and he said "mommy not pay (meaning play), I pay (meaning pray) to Jesus," "Jesus made the trees." He really thought about how he could explain to me what he meant. He can count from 1 to 20 (almost). He can say ABCs. He knows a lot of the shapes but he has challenges with colors. IT's weird because sometimes he'll say the colors incorrectly but other times he'll say them right. I dunno. Oh, he loooves to sing and his little voice his so sweet. He's a bit "sassy" at times (according to my grandfather). I try to encourage his confidence but also balance that with some discipline.
He's unfortunately more interested in TV because he's had more exposure since the move. Before the move he probably watched TV once per week (if that much). Now he watches it several days per week. I've been working on curbing his electronic exposure but it's a work in progress. He's social in situations that he feels comfortable in but otherwise is reserved in novel situations. Although he's a rough and tough kid, he also is pretty cautious and isn't much of a daredevil. He still loves to listen to music and dance. Thank God for Pandora Toddler station.
Overall he's such a joy. He's so sweet, loving, compassionate, funny, determined, etc. I feel so blessed to have him in my life. I pray that God will continue to bless him, protect and guide him. I also pray that my husband and I will continue to be good parents to him. He makes us so happy and I would like to think that he's pretty happy with us too :). Ok (next update will be at 3yo). Month 1 and 2 for his sister coming soon (w/pic) too.
Mrs. K
My baby is almost 2 years old. Oh my goodness. He's now 1 and 3/4 lol. I don't know what I'm going to do. I remember when we were planning to get pregnant and we were so excited when we finally did. It didn't seem that long ago BUT also it feels like he was always a part of our family. It's weird. I'll do a little update about the past 3 months.
My little guy is so awesome. It is an honor for me to be his mommy. He is a character. I just love his little personality. He's a little mischievous, super funny, extremely observant, always smiley, and sometimes bossy. He's very sweet. He loves to give group hugs with mommy and daddy
altogether. Whenever his dad and I show affection around him he stares
then does this goofy smile. He is super affectionate too! He's still pretty clingy but I think it's getting better. When we drop him off at the home daycare he doesn't cry anymore. He still cries during the entire time in the nursery at church on Sundays. Correction, this past sunday he stayed the entire time without crying. He's definitely a momma's boy but he loves his daddy too.
He is talking up a storm. Language is definitely a strength for my little booger. He understands most of what I say and surprisingly he communicates very well too. I usually can understand what he says or wants. I've noticed that there are less tantrums since I can understand him better. We talk to him like he's a big boy and he talks to us too. Whenever he says the wrong word we praise him for trying then say the right word. He looooves praises...but who doesn't. He says sentences that are 2-4 words long. At beginning of 20 months he was spontaneously saying "I wove you." He says it all the time now and it's so sweet. He'll look us right in the eye and just say it. We taught him how to say "help" pretty earlier and he says it appropriately. Unfortunately he heard me saying "oh shoot" maybe once or twice and now he says it too (at the appropriate time). For example if I'm putting on his shirt and his arm gets stuck he goes "oh shoot." It's kinda funny but I don't want him to say that. He points out everything he sees and names them. His favorite words are still "no" and "mine." A few days ago I was disciplining him for something and he shook his head and pointer finger and said "no mommy, not nice." I'm finding it so hard to not burst out laughing when he says little things like that. Some of my other favorite words/phrases are: "it's scawy," "gofish," "ssss, daddy seeping," "nice toush," "it's waining," "hourt," "hep me mommy," "I sowwy." These are just a few. He says so many cute phrases. He tells me when he's going to poop ("poo poo") but refuses to use the potty. He'll sit on it when he doesn't have to use it. So I guess he's not ready yet but at least I get a signal when a diaper change is coming up. His dad wanted me to mention some other funny things he says like: "shoenon." That's his word for shoes. He used to say "shoes" but I always tell him to put his "shoes on" so now he calls it "shoenon" (so hilarious).
He continues to be very active. He loves to climb, run, jump, hang upside down and dance. He's actually a pretty sweet dancer. We went to some outdoor concert a few weeks ago and he was dancing the entire time. He's not shy when it comes to dancing. He runs pretty fast and has better balance (definitely less falls). He's a strong little guy too and somewhat of a dare devil. Fine motor skills are good but he doesn't use utensils often because I obsess about him eating and end up feeding him.
He's still a picky eater overall but he has his moments of good eating. I'm still having to hide vegetables in his food or else he wont eat them. He loves his Nonna's chicken and rice, mommy's spaghetti and meat sauce. He also loves when I cook callaloo. He takes one 1-2 hour nap during the daytime. We are still pretty strict and very consistent with bedtime. His routine has been unchanged since he was an infant because it works. Well, I guess he goes to bed at 8p now instead of 730p but he wakes up at 730a in the morning. He does occasionally watch a little TV (very very infrequent--maybe on average once per week, if even that much). We are a huge outdoor family so we are almost never inside sitting around. He only watches Nick Jr and he loves their "music videos." He loves the "shake the sillies out" song. We go to the park at least twice per week and he loves the swings. He's also pretty brave and goes on the huge slides. Now that it's getting cold we may have to give that a rest.
As I said, he's pretty clingy to my husband and I, especially me. But he does eventually warm up. He warms up quicker to kids than adults, naturally. He usually observes first then slowly integrates himself into whatever activity. Once warmed up he's pretty social. He gets along with other kiddos very well. Actually he surprises me. He is totally not aggressive towards other kids. If a kid grabs a toy or even pushes him, he just looks at them then move on to the next activity without a fuss. He doesn't get angry and he never retaliates. I'm sure this may change but I find it so interesting.
Lately people have been saying that he looks a lot like my husband or my husband's mother. His hair had beautiful curls over the summer but now that it's cold it's back to being straight. He does have a few ringlets in the back of his head. He has all but 4 of his baby teeth but his bottom right incisor is trying to poke through his gum. He loves baths but hates to brush his teeth. He doesn't like his hair combed or his nails clipped (especially toenails). Diaper changes are easy because we sing songs. Yeah, he loves to sing or try to sing. He looooves animals but he's afraid of bugs. That'll have to change. Neither his dad or I are afraid of bugs--I don't know what is up with that. He's getting a little better about playing by himself. He's a good helper and follows directions pretty well. He loves to "read."
There's so much to say about this incredible little boy of mine but I guess I'll stop. I try to cram everything into these post because I want to remember in the future. When he's a feisty teenager I want to look back and read this stuff and feel like I'm in a time machine for a little bit.
More than anything we are very thankful to God for IEK. And there's one thing for certain, IEK is very loved! It is our daily prayer that we continue to be excellent spouses to each other and parents to him.
I know, I know...ya'll need pix. I'll post one for Christmas!
Mrs. K
My baby turned 16 months old on Jun 4. I can't believe it. My little boy is getting so big. He'll be a year and a half soon, then 2, then 3...I can't believe I'm his momma. I feel so blessed to be his mom. What a special gift I've received from God and I'm sooo thankful.
My little stinker is a hoot. He is such a happy boy. He always walks around with the sweetest smile (most of time). He's very goofy and tries to get others to smile with him. He's definitely a people person (as long as his momma and daddy are around). He's still doesn't like to be around others without us around. Trying to get him to stay in the church nursery on Sundays is a challenge. It takes him some time to warm up to even his Nonna before we could leave him. He is VERY attached to his parents. Despite us encouraging some "independence" it hasn't worked. But that's ok. We were told that the day will come when he wants nothing to do with us and we'll be begging for a "hello". LOL.
Let's see, he's a pretty good traveler. We've taken 4 or 5 airplane trips so far and he's done awesome. Well in retrospect he's done awesome but at the time, I guess he was aight. There were a few times the air hostesses and a few passengers told us he was a good traveler. The few times he was noisy it worked out because there were other noisy patrons. For example on our way to Jackson Hole in February there were a few drunk snowboarders who congregated in the back (like they were in a club). They were so loud that no one noticed the few times my little man was fussing. Our trips to Miami, Orlando and Panama City Beach went well too. We have wedding coming up in September that we have to go to also. I think he's a traveling pro now. LOL. We are trying to take advantage of the infant in arms as much as we can.
As far as what else he's up to: he's a great walker, runner and climber. He'll open drawers and step into them so that he can climb up high. He loves trying to climb up and down the stairs. He surprisingly can safely climb off the bed. He's a sneaky little man who tries to test limits. It's so hard to not laugh when he does that. It's terrible. I'll tell him "no" and he'll stop then slowly go back to what he was doing while staring at me. I'm cracking up just thinking about it. He likes to color and scribble. Likes to walk backwards, can walk on tippy toes. He's definitely a talker. He loves to repeat words and does a pretty good job. He says: doggie/dog, clock, book, bird, momma, dada, daddy, baby, car, ball, moo, ba (sheep noise), ruff ruff, nay (horse sound), cockadoodledoo (his version), no, shoes, keys, cheese. Understands a lot and signs "more" and sometimes "milk". He's very social with other kiddos. He likes to observe first then join in play once he's felt comfortable.
He's my sweet little cuddly man who loves to give hugs. When I ask him to squeeze tighter he does. He gives the tightest and sweetest hugs. He also likes to give high fives and blow kisses. I love the kissie sounds he makes. His dad and I can't get enough of him. Oh we love when he dances. I know that he knows that he fascinates us because he'll repeat cute little gestures when we squeal in excitement :). We're trying to teach him to say some Jamaican patois phrases without much success. I guess he'll have time to learn.
Anyway, we just feel very blessed to be his parents. He's so awesome and we look forward to many more memories with our little man.
Mrs. K
