"Mommy, WHY???"

26 Months and we finally have a full-out talking machine!! Caleb chitchats about EVERYTHING! And what he doesn't know or understand, he just has to figure out! As a result, there are a couple phrases/sentences that seem to dominate every conversation:

"Mommy, what you dooooing?"
"Mommy, whyyyyy?"
"What's that called?"

It's absolutely adorable/frustrating at the same time since most explanations we give are simply not good enough for our inquisitive little guy! I know it's a pretty common joke that two-year-olds love to ask "why" but after about 10 whys over the same situation, we find ourselves proclaiming that ever-so-parental response: "Because I said so!"  LOL!

Speaking of phrases of this nature, Caleb has also gotten quite an  independent spark in him these days.  I can't tell you how many times I'll ask him why he's doing something (usually something he's not supposed to do) and he responds, "Cuz I want to!"

So let's see...Developmental Checkpoint:
Weight: 28.4 lbs
Height: 36.2 inches
Teeth: All but the last left top molar...popping through as we speak...

Skills/Accomplishments:
 -Caleb recognizes all his capital letters and knows the sounds they make.
-He can count to 20 but usually skips a few in the teens!
-He has started drawing "people"- Heads with hair, THREE eyes, a mouth, and arms and legs coming out of the the head :)
-He loves to build with blocks--taking after his Daddy here for sure!
-As for my influence, Caleb LOVES to sing!!! His current favorites are ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
-Board games are now the favorite event of every evening...when Daddy gets home, the three of us sit and play together :)
-Caleb also loves to "read" his books to us now rather than the other way around!

Challenges:
-ALLERGIES!!! Poor kid is currently on a combo of Zyrtec at night with Flonase in the morning.  So far not much relief but we're really hoping this will change soon!
-Teething...these two year old molars have been a killer!!
-Tantrums...Ah yes....the ever so fun "terrible twos" have arrived!! When you couple this with the allergies & teeth, we have many moments that are defined by a piercing scream that could seriously shatter glass.  I know it will be a major contributing factor to later life hearing loss!

A Few Our Favorite Things:
-Caleb learned how to count to 20 from a song so whenever he does it, he has to sing...no matter what he's counting!
-Whenever he talks about a train, he has to stick it finger up in the air like he's going "Choo Choo!" even if it's in the middle of a sentence.
-Rather than asking for us to hold him, Caleb tells us HE wants to hold US.  "Daddy, I want hold you..."  The funny thing is, when Chad picks him up, he says he's too big for Daddy to hold and needs Mommy to do it!
-Everything is a discovery and he's constantly telling us, "I'll show you!"
-Whenever we drive, Caleb points out the red lights and green lights and tells us when to stop and go.  Daddy is very glad to have someone else keeping a check on my driving!
-Caleb continues to be the biggest bedtime procrastinator in the world and has now deduced that asking Daddy to watch basketball with him will certainly make things go his way....imagine that!
-And a personal one from Mommy...Four nights ago at the end of a Mommy/Son date night, I asked my baby boy if he had a fun time.  He said, "Yes! I love you, Mommy! I love you much! My heart melted ♥

Proud Mama!

Yesterday I was telling Chad...if there's one thing I get done today, it HAS to be to update the blog...Caleb is less than a month away from his second birthday and he is just amazing us (and everyone around him) everyday...

Something I've learned about being a mom is that, if you let it, worrying about your child can become a full time job in itself. I am notorious for over-analyzing things so when you put this entire human life in my hands, I can't help but stress about every little bump, bruise, cry, illness--- you name it-- I've googled it! From baby acne to our most recent concern: "knock knees," I have read, researched, worried, stressed, lost sleep, etc. etc. a million times over.

One of the biggest (and most feared) words for a "mommy-worrier" like myself is that elusive~ Milestone..

As a pregnant woman, What to Expect When You're Expecting became my bible. What was my baby looking like? Doing?? I consumed every free (and even not so free) moment reading, rereading, and then reading some more. Consequently, the next two books in the series: What to Expect-the First Year and What to Expect- the Second Year found their way onto my bookshelves as well. And while I learned very quickly that the best manual for parenting is actually doing it, I ALWAYS found myself referencing these books to make sure my child was "on track."

Gosh...on track....what does that even mean?!?! Would my son lose all chances at being a future brain surgeon or pulitzer prize winning author if he was a little behind the eight-ball on learning how to "blow rasberries?" Laughable now...yes. But honestly, I totally remember being worried about him not having started doing that yet!!

If you're actually taking the time to sit and read this, you're probably thinking to yourself right now, "Where in the world is this crazy diatribe going?"

Well here it is: I've been worried about Caleb's speech. Our little miracle man who crawled at not even 7 months and who walked at 9 months was taking his good ol' time at becoming a chatty- catty.

Has he been speaking? Yes. And not just a few words...tons and tons of words...too many to even count. Looking back at my last post, I know that he's been saying simple sentences since Christmas. And yet, I kept reading on facebook things that other moms were saying their kids had said and it all just seemed so much more advanced than our little guy.

(Insert dramatic pause)

Wait! Someone else' kid...... more...... advanced?! Quick, get the book off the shelf! Where are we at? Where should we be!? It's so crazy the things we do to ourselves as parents...(and our poor kids if we're not careful!!)

This past weekend, Caleb showed us just how crazy I really am...

Call 'em milestones if you like (or maybe just mommy bragging points :)

But--On Saturday, 2/25 Caleb proudly:
1. Spelled his name aloud (while drawing circle/spiral-like shapes for each letter)
2. Told us the sound that every letter of the alphabet makes
3. Read "Daddy's Story" reciting the words written on each page (apparently he HAS been hearing us! Ix-nay on the hearing test I thought he might need!)
4. Started singing his songs WITH me! The whole song...not just words here and there!!

Haha, AND he's also doing some NOT so desirable things as well :)))

1. Food he doesn't want is "yucky." No idea where he even got that from!!
2. Bedtime is now a process dominated by the concept of procrastination. WOW, they get it at a young age!!
3. "No!" is definitely Caleb's all-time favorite expression. He especially loves using it at 3am when we crazily suggest he stay in his own bed and sleep for a few more hours!!


Here's a peak at our amazing big boy...who, as it turns out, is quite the little talker indeed!! :)