I Can't Forget

Often times I don't get on here right now because I am so busy and I want to post pictures for family to see you growing and that takes so much time. But I know I am falling behind in writing all of the marvelous things you are doing, so even though your birthday is coming up in a few weeks I am going to write about all that you have been developing over the past month or so.

Language...you say more every day and it never ceases to excite your Dad and I to hear words come out of your mouth. Whether you are repeating words we say, or just randomly speaking a new word that we haven't heard before we love it. I'm going to tell you about four of the more recent happenings though because your Dad and I loved every one of them.

1. A month or so ago Bailey stayed at Nana and Popper's for a few days. You love Bailey now, or rather you always did but now you love that she lets you hang out with her and you two are buds. So when she was gone you kept waking up in the morning and then coming home from school saying "Bailey?" Wondering where she was. To which I would always reply "No Bailey isn't here she is at Nana and Popper's." You nodded in disappointment. Well one night as we pulled in to the driveway you said "Bailey, Nana?" It was your first attempt to put two words together to make a sentence, you were trying to say "Is Bailey at Nana's?" I was very proud of you.

2. About two weeks ago Dad had to go do some consulting work for a few hours and we were upstairs playing hockey. Dad said goodbye and you off the cuff said "see ya Dad!" We both just looked at each other in disbelief and your Dad said "that's language!" He was so proud of you. That was the first time that we had heard you say a phrase rather than just a word.

3. Last week we went to IHOP for food. I asked you before we left if you wanted pancakes to each. To which you promptly said yes. Needless to say it was about another 20 min before we left. So shortly before you left you walked up to me and said "pam pay?" I had no idea what you were saying. It was a new word and I didn't know what it meant. Although I knew you wanted to eat. So you went to the fridge and said "pam pay". I looked in the fridge with you and no clue what you wanted. To which I replied "I'm sorry honey I don't know what you want." Trust me this is almost as frustrating for me as it is for you as Dad and I pride ourselves in figuring out what you are saying and almost always do. I was stumped on this one though. Then after I closed the fridge, you went to the cupboard. A cupboard you never go to, and I asked why you wanted in it, but I opened it because I figured there must be a reason since you don't usually ask to open it. So I opened it and you proceeded to try and pull the griddle out of the cupboard. And the light clicked - "pam pay" - pancakes. You are so bright! You figured since I wasn't getting the point you would just help me get the pancakes made. I loved it and laughed. In hindsight it makes perfect sense, in the moment though since it was so much later after talking about pancakes I had no idea.

4. Tonight... on the way home from daycare we talked to Dad on the phone. Shortly after we got off of the phone you said "Where..... Dad.....at?" Again I was so excited. There was a few seconds of space between each word but I realized shortly after you finished your sentence that it was indeed just that - your first sentence. Well at least the first one I heard. Again, awesome. We love watching you grow and learn and develop.

Okay....now the rest of this is just other stuff, although this first one still sort of goes around language. You went from a phase for over a month of saying "uh-huh" whenever we asked you a question to which you had a yes answer to changing in just the last week to now saying "shar" for sure. Everything right now is sure. The interesting thing is as you start saying these new things I slowly realize how much all of this is coming from me and it reminds me how you are watching my every move and listening to my every word. Shortly after starting each word I think you learned it from somewhere else until I become self aware of how much I say it. I'm more than honored to be your role model though!

Right now you love to jump. Oh and scream when you are excited. A few weeks ago I picked you up from the daycare and you jumped up in the air, screamed and then came running towards me in excitement. I love it.

We have started having to put you in time out.  You are now deliberately disobeying us and so we are trying to help you understand that it isn't okay to blatantly do something against what we tell you. Most of the time it is for either playing and intentionally knocking over Bailey's water or pulling Bailey's tail. One day you intentionally knocked a water glass out of my hand after trying once and me saying no then you actually succeeded on the second try. Timeouts last no more than two minutes and Dad or I usually has to stand right next to you to keep you in there. You cry and of course always ask for the other parent that isn't punishing you. I must admit I'm not loving this and realize it is only the very beginning of disciplining.

You still love to help me cook and sometimes even go to the cupboard to get something for us to make together. Recently I have let you start helping with the dishes, you love this because it means you get to play in the water.

You are sleeping through the night pretty much every night of the week but maybe one. You go to sleep on your own still. All those months ago when I laid you in your crib on your own to fall asleep have paid off as you have pretty much done this since that point. Don't get me wrong, I would love to hold you until you fall asleep every once and a while but I know it isn't in either of our best interests in the long run.

Currently your favorite shows to watch are :Curious George (still), Wild Kratts (an animal show), Babar, and Lion King. You went through a Lilo and Stitch phase but have since moved on to Lion King. Occasionally while you are watching tv I get to cuddle with you. The other day for an hour straight. As I sat there holding you I realized I'm pretty sure I haven't gotten to cuddle you and have you lay on me like that since you were a baby. It was fabulous and I soaked up every minute of it. Earlier this week you woke up with me (the one night you slept in our bed mid way through the night) and said 'show, mote'. I realized you were saying show, and where is the remote? Again I smile.

Well, that is all for now. I have quite a few pictures to post that will show what we have been up to over the past few weeks, but those will have to come later. I just couldn't forget these wonderful memories of you growing. In another two weeks you will be two. My mind is blown by this. The only good thing I can say about how fast you turned two is it does seem like it this second year of your life went by a little slower than that first one. I hope I might remember more of this year as your baby year seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. I know that one day I will think all of this went by the blink of an eye, but for now I will try to hold on to every single moment of your childhood that I can. I love you Marcus.

Christmas

Christmas with you was so much fun this year. Your Dad and I recognized that this could be the last year we get "to sleep in" for Christmas in a long time so we relished it. However, that being said I was very excited to get up with you and celebrate since it wasn't at 5 am. Once you woke up we took you downstairs where you got to see the train set that Santa brought you. You were very happy with it and have been playing with it frequently. Then you got to open your stocking afterwards. You were amazed at how things just kept coming out of the stocking. We opened your presents and Bailey helped you. Since she also had a stocking she thought that everything could be for her so she was right there with you sticking her head in things as you were unwrapping. The cutest moment of the day came after you woke up from your nap. We had placed your stocking back on the staircase and so when you came down from nap you got very excited thinking that it had been refilled with more things. No such luck. 

Since we have our new big house, we hosted this year. So during your nap Daddy's side of the family came over and we opened Christmas presents with them once they awoke. Then my Grandma and Uncle Mike and Nicole came over for Christmas dinner. We had a fabulous dinner of prime rib, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, peas, rolls, and salad. For dessert we had a razzleberry pie and I made a triple layer chocolate mousse cake. It was so nice to have a large table of family to celebrate with. 

We had Christmas dinner with my side of the family a few weeks later since they were in Cancun on Christmas. We went over to Grandma and Grandpa's and had dinner and presents over there. You are quite jealous of your new cousing Caitlin whenever I hold her. It is pretty endearing. 

You made out like a king - train table, worker bench, cars, books, clothes, a Greenbay Packer uniform (from Great Grandma Bev Harper) and probably a few more things that I am forgetting.