I have very vivid memories of our first month or two with Wells, and then it starts to blur a bit and I was just happy and relieved to have him turn one last year because it took some of the pressure off. I felt like there was a LOT of pressure that first year...babies and milestones and whatnot is apparently a big deal? He hit milestones just fine, but I had no idea people got so competitive with it and I felt like I could stop documenting each thing once we hit 12 months.
Then, when I started forcing him to sleep through the night at 13 months, things got more predictable. He *still* doesn't sleep through the night every night but I've relaxed my opinion on that...he's who he is. His dad isn't exactly a great sleeper either :)
And then, just when I felt like we'd hit a stride around 19-20 months...a global pandemic hit and it was just me and Wells, day in and day out. Daniel Tiger became his best bud. I have very relaxed screen time rules (i.e. I don't care how much TV he watches because he almost always prefers to be doing anything but watching TV).
Then, within the last couple of weeks, he's truly turned into his own little person. His vocabulary has exploded. Turns out, he's an extrovert. He doesn't not meet a person or a dog he does not say hi/bye to. I never thought that'd be the type of toddler he was going to turn into; he didn't meet another baby until he was about 7 months old and, for the first month of me taking him to a playgroup, he cried and was terrified of everyone. Then, eventually, he started to run off without a care. Since we haven't been doing much socializing in the last few months, I never noticed what a friendly little fellow he was turning into.
Also, he's smart. Oh my gosh, is he smart. So here's some things about Wells for his 2nd birthday.
He loves tractors. His favorite phase is "daddy's trac-TOR" and he can find a tractor anywhere. His favorite thing is watching us cut grass and he pushes his little lawnmower along too. However, everything with wheels is a "trac-TOR!", including folks on a scooter at the grocery store.
His favorite foods seem to be watermelon, popsicles, crackers, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, anything Mexican, strawberries, grapes, and frozen corn. Also, milk. He still adores his milk and calls it "nnnnat". I don't know the connection there? But he's been calling it that for 6 months now.
He is a champion napper. He loves his naps and sleeps 2-3 hours most afternoons.
He's still an early riser. It doesn't matter what time he goes to bed. He's up around 6am. Some might say I need to cut off his naps but I've tried that and it doesn't help and just makes him mad. He does sleep through the night often but I've stopped stressing out about this because when he doesn't, I can't find a pattern and we've been in an absolute upheaval for the last two months with moving so I don't blame him.
Wells loves his blankets and stuffed animals and lovies. He calls them his "guys" and "my guys".
His favorite phrases seem to be "ooooo" and "whoaaaaa" and "cooooool".
His eyes have turned to a bluish gray. They were dark blue when he was born. He definitely has blond hair though. He's still around the 50th percentile for weight and he was so upset when he was at the doctor these last two times that they were never able to get a height. He is very pleasant and fun but the opposite of easygoing if a doctor/nurse is approaching him. He was in the 10th/14th percentiles for weight/height when he was born.
He enjoys baths and his water table and being squirted with hoses. So we'll try swimming lessons again this summer.
Wells has really developed a love for books in the last month. He says "a book!" and gets one and throws himself into my lap. And it's never "a" book. It turns into 2, 3, 4, 10 books if I don't cut it off. So, for the first time since I was pregnant, I'm actively looking for books for him...normally I just get him one for each holiday or something. I'm getting bored with the same ones over and over again!
I will also find him just sitting and reading out loud ("reading") to himself a few times a day and it's very cute.
He gives kisses and hugs and loves to see characters on tv and in books tucked in for a "nap" and he'll say "awwwww" when he sees this.
Wells cannot climb. So it's not that he stays in his crib because he's a rule-follower (he is NOT a rule follower). He just can't get out yet.
All in all, he is very sweet and loving but very stubborn and he listens to instructions and follows them, but gets away with whatever he can concerning breaking the rules and is the opposite of chill and relaxed. <<<< that's how I would describe two-year old Wells in one sentence. He's quite the combination!
Brand-new baby Wells.
He is such a cutie!!! I wish Zoe was a good napper. We dropped down to one nap around a year old, and then over the year she has gone to no naps on weekends (still a nap at school, but always the last to sleep and first to wake according to her teachers when we were there back in March). When and if she goes back to school, they will force her to take one nap...but I am going to call it not my problem. LOL It is so crazy how they know a handful of words and phrases and then all of a sudden, you cant remember a time when they didn't talk. Happy Birthday Wells!
ReplyDeleteAww, happy birthday! I love that he loves books so much!
ReplyDeleteI love when kids get that love for books & reading - keep being an example to him momma!
ReplyDelete"my guys" - that's the cutest thing ever!
Happy 2 years little man! :)
ReplyDeleteI can’t believe he’s 2!! Having an extrovert is something else. Gracie was sooo shy as a baby. Once she turned 2, she was a different kid. She’s never met a stranger. It exhausts me in every possible way. Also, it’s so weird what words kids come up with for things. Chocolate milk was “toe no” for ages.
ReplyDelete