CHOO CHOO...Drew is TWO! We had a small "train" party at our new house (we've moved since the last time I wrote!!!) and it was lots of fun. Well, we rented a little train to come give the kids rides and everyone loved it EXCEPT the birthday boy. He cried and cried and was so terrified of it that he couldn't even be in the front yard with it! But the other kids really enjoyed it, and Drew enjoyed jumping on his new trampoline and driving his new Jeep. :) Grandparents give the best gifts!
Drew is so much fun right now. He is talking all the time, and loves to sing too. Forgive the list and the stream of consciousness (I just want to get it all down) but here are some of my favorite things about Drew these days:
-we have a CD of children's music that he demands to listen to whenever we are in the car. He yells "SONG! SONG!" until you turn it on and turn it up. :) He sings along to Ive Been Working on the Railroad, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Old McDonald, and lots more.
-He sings Twinkle Twinkle and the birthday song ALL the time, like they're stuck in his head :)
-He gives hugs and occasionally kisses...especially to Zac when he gets home from work each day
-He LOVES to count and is constantly counting, all day long. He can count up to 15 correctly, and then he says 15 a few more times and then proudly yells TWENTY!
-He knows all of his colors and most of his shapes and loves pointing them out as much as possible
-He likes Sesame Street (Elmo, Cookie, Oscar, Big Bird are his faves), Chuggington (he loves trains!), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
-For his birthday we gave him a talking Daniel Tiger and he knows all four phrases and says them along with the doll, mimicking it exactly. Pretty funny. He also has Dumbo on DVD and asks to watch it often. When it's on, he narrates for you and says stuff like "uh oh! rain!" or "sad elephant. mommy sad!"
-We got a membership to the Dallas Zoo and have been a few times this fall. Now whenever we drive by and he sees the big giraffe, he starts saying/signing "more giraffes please! more giraffes!"
-Two weeks after he turned two he crawled out of his crib. Hoping it was a fluke we put him back in and watched on the monitor and he did it again. The next day we converted his crib into a toddler bed. It made me pretty sad, but he's adjusted well.
-He loves making messes and climbing on everything! I can't tell you how many peieces of furniture I've caught him standing/sitting on in the last week alone! It's insane! He is quite the thrill seeker! Last week he used his PBKids anywhere chair to climb onto the entertainment stand by pulling it up, turning it on its side, and using it like a ladder. Mind boggling. At least he's resourceful!? :)
-Drew is a typical two year old. He intentionally does things we ask him not to, and then gives us a look like "what are you gonna do about it!?" He's really been testing limits lately and constantly yells "NO SIR!!!!!" at us when we ask something simple of him. He runs away when we try to change his diaper, and even hits/scratches us on occasion. LUCKILY, his Mother's Day Out teachers, and MOPS and Avenue Mom caretakers have never seen him act like that. I guess I'd rather him save all his difficult behaviors for us, but it sure can be discouraging. :) I just keep reminding myself he's two and that there is a lot changing in his world right now that he can't process. He can be sweet as can be when we wants, and is usually polite, so I know this is all just a phase. :)
-Speaking of polite, Drew says "Thank You, You Welcome" in the cutest voice whenever you hand him something or do something for him. It's so sweet. On Halloween we got lots of compliments on his manners :)
-His favorite foods are grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, Laughing Cow swiss cheese spread on a tortilla, french fries, fruit snacks, and fresh fruit (apples, grapes, oranges, strawberries, bananas, nectarines, etc...) He still eats most of his meals at home in his high chair, but has starting eating at the table in a booster seat with us some too. I'm in no rush to make him grow up! :)
-We've really tried to make the last month of being a family of three special. We've gone to the aquarium, the zoo 2-3 times, the State Fair, the Arboretum, and more. Drew loves going and seeing and doing, and I know it'll slow down a bit when Ben arrives.
We love Drew so much it hurts. He makes us laugh, and makes our hearts swell with pride. I can't tell you how often Zac says "he's such a cool kid" or "he's so funny!" He knows how to melt our hearts, that's for sure. Sometimes I get a little sad that his days of being an only child and having ALL of our attention are numbered (five to be exact), but I know he will have fun with his brother, and I pray they are best friends forever.
