Baby Boy is TWO!

Caleb turned two on September 23rd! We surprised him that morning with a train table! It was like Christmas morning at our house. He came downstairs in his jammies and jumped up and down in excitement. It was the cutest! Jeremy also splurged and got him a Little Tikes truck. Emily had a Little Tikes car that she loved at that age, but we didn't bring it with us to California. We gave it to Cooper and Maddie because we weren't sure where we would be living or if we would have enough storage or outdoor play area for it. We decided to give him a couple of big gifts this year for his birthday since we are pretty limited with what we can do for Christmas (due to shipping to KY and getting things home.)

If you read my earlier post, you know I was a little stressed about what to do for his 2nd birthday this year. Last year we had just moved to California and into our house. We weren't able to do a big first birthday celebration with friends and family. Understandably, I've not had as much energy during the last few weeks of my pregnancy, but we managed to throw together a sweet little party at one of our local parks. I reserved picnic tables for us at Little John Park and we had several friends hang out with us for lunch and cake on Sat. the 27th. Caleb very much enjoyed being the center of attention when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him! He was all smiles. He blew out his candle on cue then proceeded to give Jeremy and me high fives (completely unprompted.) Jeremy has it on video and I love it! I've watched it a dozen times.

Thanks to Emily Daniels for making our cake this year. 

Getting the food prepped for the party. 

Balloon Peek-A-Boo!

Happy Birthday, little buddy! Somehow, I can still manage to carry you on my big baby bump, but you are getting HEAVY for me!

Stop Light Rice Krispie Treats

A few decorative items for the party theme

Little John Park has a large grassy area, fenced-in playground and a paved track around the park for bikes and scooters. The kids enjoyed taking advantage of all the roaming space. 

Kids' table!

A few of my MOPS friends were able to join us for the party. (L-R Jamie, me, Erin, and Brynna). Erin and I are going to have babies just six weeks apart!

My girl loves watermelon! 

At two, we know just what to do after the birthday song! He blew his candle out right on cue. 

The Fam

He seems quite pleased with the big honkin' piece of cake he was given. :) (Thankfully, he didn't even eat half of it.) 

Sitting with sis for birthday cake

Caleb loves playing with neighbors, Riley and Lindsay. They are much older than him, but so sweet and patient to play with him. 

Ms. Pam came back to our house for a few minutes after the party to see Caleb open her gift. He loved all of the truck, tractor, and train books she picked out for him. 

Caleb had his well check-up today with his pediatrician. It was extremely difficult to weigh this squirmy child and measure his height. Three times he "escaped" the nursing assistant and me as his little diaper clad bottom ran away down the hall to hide from us. Whew! Finally, I had to stand on the scale with him and hold him then subtract my significant 9 mon. pregnant weight! So, I'm taking these measures with a grain of salt. Height: 34 3/4 in.; Weight: 29.1 lbs. I didn't really have any specific questions or concerns for the doctor. As far as I can see, he's totally developing normally physically and mentally. Permit me one proud mama brag. Dr. Yoon was completely blown away with how well and how much he talks. She looked at her chart a couple of times to make sure that yes, he JUST turned two! After our appointment, we had a quick lunch and then went across the street to our favorite frozen yogurt shop. It is becoming our tradition to do that after pediatrician appointments.

So, what is my little boy into these days?

Favorite cartoon: Bubble Guppies

Favorite books: He loves anything related to firetrucks, trains, cars, etc. Currently, he's asking to read Otis the Tractor and his various books about cars or trains. He also frequently requests Dr. Seuss books. He also likes our big book of fairy tale stories and Curious George.

Favorite Toy: Anything with wheels. He loves his hot wheels collection. Loves his trains. Loves playing ball. He's all boy in that way. Jeremy bought Emily her first pink softball glove and ball for her birthday. Guess who thinks it is his? Yep, Caleb has a pink glove and plays with it WAY more than Emily.

Best Friend: Sis Emily. They play really well together--except when they don't! It cracks me up how he can hang with her pretty well at the playground now, going up/down the stairs and slides together.

Lovey: We are still a big fan of "yaya" the lovey. Oh my, mommy loves yaya, too. It is quite simply magical. When he stopped caring much about his pacifier, we gave him that yaya and that's been his comfort at naptime and bedtime ever since.

Favorite Parent: haha. Just joking. He loves us both. He definitely looks forward to when daddy comes home. Loves to wrestle with him and play cars with Dad. He will almost always ask for "mommy" anytime he wants something at night or early in the mornings. He's very affectionate. Gives us big ol' squeezy hugs around the neck and real kisses with a "pop" on our cheeks and lips.

Favorite sayings: He likes to say, "stinker bottom." He cracks himself up calling his sister or us "stinker bottom." Sometimes I call him that after he's had a bowel movement. It's just something funny we say." He's also on a big kick these days with eating his food and declaring it, "DELICIOUS!" Emily taught him that word. He will ask all of us to take a bite of our food and say that it's delicious. (He points to us and says, "Mommy's turn, Daddy's turn", etc.) I've been so pleased and proud of his vocabulary and communication. He can say just about anything he wants now. He's talking in long sentences. He knows the names of his friends at church. He remembers family members' names that we hardly ever see. I'm thankful that he is a smart, personable little boy!

Favorite Foods: He loves yogurt and fruit. He can eat up a plate of cantaloupe or watermelon faster than you can imagine! Like Emily at the same age, he doesn't much care for meat. He might eat a small piece of sliced turkey in his grilled cheese or a little bit of small hamburger pieces in his pasta. I can usually get him to eat a fish stick or two. It has been hard recently to get him to try anything "new." We usually offer him a small taste of whatever we are having, but more often than not, it gets left completely untouched or the "offending" item must be removed from his plate all together.

Sleep: Caleb and Emily have roughly the same nighttime sleep pattern. We TRY so hard to get them in bed by 8pm during the week. It still ends up being more like 8:15pm. Our alarm for school goes off at 7am and I wake them up then. Usually Caleb is already stirring in his crib. Caleb still naps 2-3 hours every day, usually from about 1:30-4:30pm, but he's pretty flexible and will go down for a nap anytime between 1 and 3 pm. Because of Emily's alternating school schedule, I've been thankful that Caleb is a flexible napper. I wish I could say I get a lot done during his nap time. I'm usually completely wiped out by then and take a nap myself for an hour. I also spend a few days a week helping Emily with her school work during that time or perhaps prepping dinner if I'm really on the ball.

Well, that was a marathon post. If you're still reading, thank you. You must be family! Speaking of family, we got lots of little care packages from grandparents and aunts/uncles for his birthday. We distributed the packages over the course of a week or so to spread out the love. We managed to do FaceTime a few times with the grandparents and with Stephen and his family. Thankful for the love everyone showed Caleb even from far away!