Tiny Man is Two!

It's hard to believe my "baby" is two already. He's so little, yet seems so big already! We celebrated his birthday this year with a fish-themed party (he chose the theme!) for friends and family on Saturday, and on Sunday, he officially turned 2! Gone is this little baby...

He's a big boy now!

Patiently waiting for the doctor!

On Monday, I took Noah to his pediatrician for his 2-year well-check. Everything went great and he appears to be right on track with his peers. He actually scored between age 2-3 on the developmental milestones checklist, so that's good! He weighed in at 24 pounds, 10 ounces (up 3 pounds, 2 ounces from his 18-month check), and measured up at 34 1/4 inches (up 1 1/4 inches from his 18-month check). This puts him right at the 50th percentile for height and 10th-25th percentile for weight. Looking at both figures, he's up to the 10th-25th percentile for height-to-weight ratio, finally bulking up a bit! His head circumference was measured at 49 cm (down to the 50th-75th percentile here). If it's true that boys are half their adult height at age 2, it looks like Noah will be around 5'8" or 5'9" as an adult. I guess he's inheriting his height from my side, while Ethan will be taller (6'), like Josh. He was up-to-date with all of his vaccinations, so no shots for that visit. Yay!

Snuggling his elephant!

Noah sleeps around 10-11 hours a night and is still taking one nap a day, anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours, in the afternoon. He'll soon be moving in with Ethan, to share the bunk beds in his room. I'm hoping that goes well and doesn't mess up his schedule (fingers crossed)!

Loved his first corn on the cob!

He still has a voracious appetite and is usually the first to get in his seat when it's time to eat! :) He weaned himself completely in March, at 20 months old. We also weaned him of his paci in May, the day after we returned from the beach. He was becoming increasingly attached to it, so we decided it was time for it to go. He actually did really well with giving it up, surprisingly. He cried for a very short period (maybe 5 minutes?) of time the first couple of days at naptime and bedtime, but then I guess he figured out he wasn't getting it back and hasn't made a peep for it since! :)


New accomplishments the past 6 months:

• Teeth 12-16 made their appearance
• A word explosion around 23 months
• Taking off his clothes by himself
• Identifying most colors and some letters

Brushing those tiny teeth!

He went for several months without any action in the teeth department, and I was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to get the rest! Then, several started coming in around the same time in April/May, with 15 and 16 currently still emerging right now. Poor guy. He doesn't have a full mouth of teeth yet, but getting close now!

All of the sudden, something clicked and Noah started saying all kinds of things - hundreds of words now! Quite the opposite of his big brother, so it has been a new experience for me hearing a little one talking so much. It's quite helpful! Noah is very decisive and will give you a distinct "yes" or "no" when you ask him a question. It is so cute how he says them so matter of fact-ly. He repeats back to us most words we say to him, so his vocabulary continues to increase by the day! He is able to use everything in the correct context and he has great diction, too.

Streaking through the house!

After dinner dance party!

He has figured out how to take his clothes off by himself, and can often be found running around without a shirt on, with some prompting from his big brother! They love "wrestling" shirtless, and he thinks it's hilarious when he's half-naked! While I'm helping Ethan get dressed in the morning, he does a great job taking his pajamas off so that he's ready to be dressed when it's his turn! :) Noah has also been known to bust some moves when the music comes on, too. He usually requests Gangnam Style when Daddy plays DJ in the evenings, but he doesn't usually discriminate against any of the songs Daddy picks. If he's still in his seat, he'll bounce along to the beat. Too cute! He's also a great singer and does a really good job at singing along to the blessing before meals.

He is doing pretty well with saying the major colors when asked what color an object is. He has also started saying what some letters are when he sees them, too. I used to work with the foam letters with Ethan, in the bathtub, a lot at this age, so I need to start with Noah. It's hard with a big brother there who wants to chime in with the correct answers as quickly as he can! :/

Noah had a great year. As the second to go through this stage, I can say that I definitely love this age the most. They learn so much and change so much the second year. They start to gain some independence (in Noah's case, a lot of independence!) and self-sufficiency, but still welcome plenty of cuddles. As he is figuring out the world around him, his little personality is definitely starting to show. He is still the best hugger ever, very empathetic like his big brother, but with a little temper on him, too. If he doesn't like something, he has no problem giving scowls and swats, but the next moment he can pour on the charm with a "yes, please," or "bless you," or "love you!" He loves dancing, singing, reading, playing with his big brother (most of the time), and cuddling with Mommy and Daddy. He is an all-around pretty awesome little guy!

Like I did with Ethan this year, for his birthday, I decided to ask Noah some questions that I'll ask every year now, to see how his responses change over the years. I had to ask a lot of yes/no questions at this age, but it worked out pretty well! Responses in quotations were given without a yes/no prompting. Here they are, in case you can't read them in the picture:

1. What is your favorite color? "yellow"
2. What is your favorite toy? Legos and "airplanes"
3. What is your favorite fruit? strawberries and bananas
4. What is your favorite tv show? America's Funniest Videos
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? cheesesticks, "trail mix" and applesauce
6. What is your favorite outfit? shirts with trucks
7. What is your favorite game? anything with Daddy
8. What is your favorite snack? "fruit snacks"
9. What is your favorite animal? "fishies" and "lions"
10. What is your favorite song? Gangnam Style
11. What is your favorite book? The Very Lazy Lion and The Very Silly Shark
12. Who is your best friend? "brother"
13. What is your favorite cereal? "Cheerios"
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? go down the "slide"
15. What is your favorite drink? "water" and milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? birthday
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? elephant and raggy
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? pancakes
19. What is your favorite dinner? chicken and mac 'n cheese
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Daddy

While not our firstborn, Noah continues to keep us on our toes, as his own little person. He amazes us daily with the things that he says and does and we look forward to what this year will bring with it. Happy 2nd birthday, Noah. We love you!