My baby boy turns two this week. Two!
His first birthday didn’t somehow seem that big of a deal. For some reason in my head, the first year milestone didn’t seem so hard. Two feels strange. Two feels dangerous and foreign. He’s becoming his own person and his personality is blooming right before me. It’s hard to notice day-to-day, but the changes are monumental. More often now he’s surprising me with something new, something he never did before, a new word he’s never said.
Now, he likes to say ‘Mama’ while touching my cheek to get my attention which made me burst into spontaneous tears the other day.
He loves cars, planes, and boats, but mostly cars. He also has his favorites which he refuses to let you touch, but he’ll bring you 5 others that he doesn’t mind sharing.
He also love babies (both real and dolls alike) and are sure to point them out to me in the store, daycare, and even in our own home. The other day I picked him up at daycare and he was sporting a bright blue chef’s hat and holding a baby doll close. I asked him how he rocks the baby and he graciously showed me in his own gentle swaying motion. I tried to ignore the fact that the doll was upside down and he was holding her by her hair. It was sweet none the less.
The thing that has surprised me the most is how much he understands, observes, and takes in. The first time he knew where his foot was or was able to put a piece of paper in the garbage can after we instructed him to do so was simply mind-blowing. It seems simple and small and insignificant, but when you’re with a person everyday and these things are new, they stun you a bit. They pull you out of the moment and force you to understand the growth that is happening ever so slightly. He can even pull specific toys out of the bottom of his toy box when asked. Again, small, but oh so big.
His independence and defiance is rearing its ugly head as well. Man that kid is headstrong. His favorite word is no and mine. I suppose those aren’t the ones your most proud of him learning, but I’m also trying to remind myself that they’re still completely necessary parts of language and communication. He should have the right to say no and understand that others have that right as well. Not necessarily when it’s time to brush his teeth and he insists that he won’t do it, but overall, trying to keep the big picture here and remind myself that life happens in phases and moments.
His baby years are behind me and as much as I’m kinda sad about that phase being gone forever, I’m really excited about this next several years. He’s able to play and interact with us in a whole new way and watching him sit in awe of something he’s experiencing for the first time is kinda like seeing it with new eyes. Everything feels special and visceral because he’s here.
I take back everything I said before. Two is amazing!