officially a terrible 2

it's amazing how fast they grow. our little man turned 2 today. he could care less. other than, for some reason, people are letting him rip off fancy paper and he finds a treasure inside.

much like the day we took him home, it is raining today. that must have been a sign for the trials to come. because he is all boy, and very good at throwing fits and getting into trouble.

he was a difficult baby, very colicky. he did not sleep well even as a newborn. he would wake up about every 1-1 1/2 hours. he made for two very exhausted parents. not only did mom wake up to him, but dad got the wrath of his screams. those screams that he has never overcome. he was born with a very strong set of vocal cords, and he continues to practice them well.

he did not like to be cuddled and snuggled. he wanted to be placed somewhere and left alone. he is just starting to enjoy snuggling more. but still will turn on you in a flash and want some space.

he loves trucks and trains. and he meticulously will line up his hoard of vehicles and admire them. he generally will pick the seat of the fireplace for their designated viewing site. but on occasion will line them up on the rug in the family room, or as of late, on the rug in front of the back door. the latter is fast becoming an unpreferred site, due to the fact that it is a major traffic zone (for people) and the line up quickly gets disheveled.

we aren't big tv watchers, generally speaking. chase in particular has never been interested in any kid friendly shows. he would much rather play, we don't complain too much about that. but, if he sees a show like How It's Made or anything with machinery, it has his full attention. and, a channel change or commercial will result in screaming.
he has discovered, much to our blame and stupidity, Thomas the Train over the last few weeks. he will even go to the effort of asking to watch "choo choos" and "trains."

he loves his blankie or "nigh nigh." and has latched on to one in particular. hard as we try, he won't sleep with a replacement. he will let the replacement share his bed, but he needs his blankie with the moose on it.

he is a climber and will set his sites on climbing high. we frequently find him on the bar, trying to climb up into his bedroom window, scaling the rocks in the backyard, and just about anywhere in between. he especially is great at climbing in and out of his crib. we are still on the search for a big boy bed, but in the meantime he climbs. he is very fast at scaling the bars when he hears us coming to place him back in bed during sleep time. a pull, leap, and flop into bed and he is there. we think he is training to be an olympic high bar jumper. getting out is even scarier and faster. almost right after we close his door, we hear a thud and little feet trotting across the floor.

he love, loves, LOVES being outside. it is his preference above all others, even snacks. he loves to dig in the dirt and follow daddy around the yard. he has taken to hoeing the dirt in the garden, a very scary event. everyone including the cat knows to stay a good ten feet away when he has his tool in hand. he loves to look at plants in the yard and will pat and pull at them and call them "pretty" or "nice." although he loves to be outside and play in dirt, he despises his hands being dirty, especially with wet sand. he starts moaning and declaring "yutee." he loves to take his ride on cars for spins up and down the side walk. and will even stand on them evil knievel style, again something not widely encouraged.

he loves helping daddy with everything in the garage. he is fast becoming aware that all things boyish and cool are in the garage. we often find him with his little tools trying to work on the lawn mower. he turns his rocking chair over and also will work on it for a long time. he has even found a fun game in working on everyone's toes with his wrenches and pliers. thank goodness they are only plastic.

he loves to play with tinker toys and is becoming a pretty inventive builder.

although he is busy and loud, we love our little guy and wouldn't trade him for anything. if he just had a volume control, life would be bliss.