Ash - 2 yrs 4 mos

I know it's only been a month since my last post, but momma wanted to get back on an every-other-month schedule, so here's what we've been up to in the past month.

28 months and cute as ever

One year ago (and look at the title of the book I'm reading)

Two years ago

Size: I'm wearing mostly 24 mo & 2T clothes at this point, but on warm days I still fit into my old 12 mo shorts.  I only weigh just over 25 lbs still.  Mommy realized she's going to have to start measuring me and weighing me if she wants to know more than once a year.

Coming down the twisty slide by myself

Physical development:  I've been a busy guy in the area of physical development.  My body awareness and gross motor skills just can't keep up with my fine motor skills and verbal/mental development, so I'm still a little wobbly for my age, but I'm getting more and more confident all the time.  Too confident.  If you look closely in the picture above and below, you can see a scratch on my face.  I was standing in my bed and leaning out, and I fell and banged my face on the corner of the shelves by my bed.  The second day in a row that this happened, mommy threatened to take away my new bed, so I've been much more careful since then.  But I'm still fearless when it comes to climbing and the like.  I even climbed into my own restaurant high chair the other day before mommy even knew what I was doing!

Enjoying some sweet potato & beet chips - check out my scratched cheek

Verbal development:  Of course, I'm still extremely verbal.  Mommy keeps drilling me on polite manners (please & thank you), but I hate just regurgitating phrases - I like to be original - so it's tough.  I have started a little bit into pretending, so most days when I wake up I tell mommy I'm not a boy.  Usually I'm a truck, occasionally a puppy.  I'll spend the rest of the day pretending I'm that thing, and correcting mommy if she calls me a boy.  I'm also starting to sing songs more often - songs we learn at library story time, or the theme songs from my favorite shows.  I do have a little trouble using words when I'm overtired, but I think this is a universal problem for 2 yr olds!

I created a parking lot with my cars

Routines: We've had Jack with us long enough now that we're all completely used to each other - but we still get along GREAT and mommy seldom has to mediate between us.  Our schedule will change slightly next week when Jack's mom gets done teaching for the year, but we'll still get to hang out most mornings.  Tomorrow is the last MOPS of the school year, so then it'll just be church on weekends.  

Jack & I share extremely well

Special events:  It was so much fun picking out the new stuff for my room on Easter weekend.  We spent Saturday morning at Toys-R-Us buying it and at home putting it together.  Then Sunday I got to hunt for Easter eggs, and that was fun too.  Other than that, life has mostly been about the regular routine of gym, church, appointments, etc.  BUT, one of my favorite appointments was when mommy went to interview Mrs. Tiffany to be her doula for the birth of the baby.  She had so many cool trucks and toys in her office that I can't wait to go again.  We had an appointment scheduled and had to reschedule it, and the wait has been so hard on me that we're using a paper chain to count down the days till we get to go visit Mrs. Tiffany at her doula's office again.  I also had fun playing with Arianna when Uncle Mark & Aunt Melissa came over a couple weeks ago; after lunch, we all went to CFA for some free "Mother's Day" cookies and playtime at the play place.  And for Mother's Day, daddy and I treated mommy to breakfast at Village Inn - and we even sat in the same booth where mommy & I had breakfast with Pop-pop just after I was born.

Checking out my new Cars bed

My favorites:  I loved eating the candy out of my Easter eggs.  Mommy would let me have one egg each day, and each egg had 3 pieces of candy in them.  I liked them all - Reese's pieces, M&M - but my favorite were the Skittles; I'm definitely daddy's boy.

A basket full of eggs (and candy!)

Daddy's favorites:  Daddy loves that I'm finally over my obsession with Mighty Machines.  Now on the weekends I'll usually choose a show besides Mighty Machines.  Unfortunately for him, I'm still obsessed with trucks, so it's Chuck & Friends or Mater's Tall Tales instead.

Playing drums and singing "Dadgum dadgum dadgum" like Mater's band from Tall Tales

Mommy's favorites:  Mommy loves when I actually sleep at nap time, and she's looking forward to our summer schedule slowing down a little bit so we can spend a little more time together for the baby comes.  She's also LOVING the warmer sunny days we can spend at the park.

Climbing the "twisty steps" up to the big slide

Upcoming:  June is fairly busy with a potluck party for daddy's office one weekend, hanging out with Uncle Mark & Aunt Melissa again (we're trying to be more consistent about getting together), and Mrs. Kari (mommy's doula for my birth) will be coming to town and we'll get to see her while she's here.  And my paper chain says it's only 15 more days till I get to visit Mrs. Tiffany's office; YAY!

Hooray! (unprompted)