I know, it just doesn't seem possible but it's true: my Biggest Boy turned two last week. I can hardly believe it! Here is a little overview of how Lucas is doing at two years old:
Physical: Lucas weighs between 35-36 pounds and stands just under 36.5" tall. He's still quite "sturdy" looking but starting to thin out more in his face as he gets older. He wears a size 9w shoe and is almost entirely in 3T clothing, although there are a few 2T pieces that still fit. He is still one of most active kids in my circle of acquaintance, and loves to run, climb, jump, and throw. He is quite adept at jumping on solid ground, but still working on jumping off a step. He can climb just about anything and recently learned to hang by his arms. We get a lot of comments about his "good arm" but we're still working on throwing appropriate objects at appropriate times (more on behavior later!). He is rarely sick and "robust" is a good word to describe his excellent health. He's yet to have a fever or an ear infection, and has had no major injuries (surprisingly enough). He has all of his teeth minus his two year molars, but I've noticed a lot of finger-chewing lately so they may be on their way.
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| Riding a "choo" at the mall! |
Mental: Lucas finally hit the "word explosion" we were told to expect around 18 months at about 23 months. Currently, he has between 50-60 words in his vocabulary and is starting to put together a few two word phrases, such as "More berries" or "Book all done." His speech is not very understandable to anyone besides me, although Brandon can pick out most of it. I'm planning to speak with his pediatrician at his two-year appointment tomorrow to discuss whether we should have him evaluated for possible speech therapy, but very proud of the progress he's made in the last 4-6 weeks! He's really taken a stronger interest in books recently, and will sit quietly with Brandon and I for up to 30 minutes reading books throughout the day. He'll often brings books directly to us to request that we read them, which is definitely a new thing for him. He also is interested in the alphabet, and likes us to sing the alphabet song to him and will also point at letters to and indicate that he wants to know what letter it is. I credit this entirely to his love for "Super Why," a reading-themed show on PBS that he really enjoys. He doesn't know any color words yet, but can name up to a half-dozen body parts and point to them, and also knows a few animal sounds. He's never sung or attempted to sing, which seems odd to me as I sing to him pretty much all day long, but he does enjoy music and dancing. Perhaps it will come as his communication skills grow?
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| Constant silliness. |
Behavioral: In most ways, Lucas's behaviors are those of a typical highly spirited toddler. He has trouble listening and following directions, although he is able to do so if you catch him in the right mood. He very much enjoys testing boundaries by doing things he knows he is not supposed to do, like throwing toys at other people or messing with the buttons on the television. Our theoretical discipline method is to warn once then give a time-out, but we are still working on implementing this on a more consistent basis. Lucas can throw truly epic tantrums when he doesn't get his way, and needs to be taken to a quiet location without other people in order to calm himself down. This is obviously a problem when it happens in public, and the best I can manage is wrestling him into his stroller or taking him to an unoccupied corner of wherever we are if I'm unable to leave immediately. Hunger is a big trigger for this tantrums so we try to make sure he's fed on a regular basis and gets a lot of protein during the day. I'm also hoping for a reduction in tantrum frequency as his communication skills grow.
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| Loves hanging at the YMCA pool! |
Eating/Sleeping: Lucas is still a great nighttime sleeper and has been ever since he learned to put himself to sleep at 16 months. He goes to bed consistently at 7:00pm, and is generally asleep by 7:30pm at the latest. We then don't hear from him again until between 6:00-6:30am the next day. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty glorious. Naps are more difficult in terms of getting him to fall asleep, but he will generally nap anywhere from 1-3 hours in the afternoon. Lucas is a good eater in terms of amount but struggles with pickiness. He will rarely try any vegetables or meat, so I hide veggies in puree pouches or smoothies and stick to other forms of protein. His favorite foods are berries, bananas, peanut butter, yogurt, pancakes, and scrambled eggs.
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| The zoo is another favorite destination. |
Personality/Interests: Lucas has a very expressive personality. He has a great sense of humor and loves finding things to laugh at or to make you laugh. He is very energetic and needs a lot of physical playtime, preferably outside, in order to be a happy little guy. He also has a very sweet side and is generally kind to other kids, although we're starting to see a little more aggression and trouble sharing as he gets older. A definite extrovert, he loves to be around people and play with other kids his age and already shows a preference for playing with other boys (maybe because they tend toward very physical play). He loves "cars and trucks and things that go" and we spend all our car rides pointing out the buses, cars, and trucks we see from the window. He also loves outdoor toys like balls, bubbles, and water. He has a very limited interest in puzzles, crafts, and art, although occasionally he'll surprise me. His favorite TV shows are Curious George, Clifford, and Super Why, and he loves the movie Cars.
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| Splashing in the Balboa Park fountain with Grandma! |
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| Practicing drinking fountain skills with "Baba." |
For his birthday this year, my parents were town again and we threw a small afternoon party with just two of his little friends and their families. It was a beautiful day so we all played outside and ate snacks (fruit salad, chips and guacamole, and veggies and hummus), complete with cupcakes for dessert. The kid guests each went home with a mylar helium balloon as a party favor. It was the perfect size party both for us and for him, and I was quite pleased with it. He devoured his cupcake this year, and then went on a sugar-fueled rampage for the next two hours. He was very subdued for the entire next day after so much birthday excitement.
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| Got a big boy bike for his birthday from Aunt Sarah and Uncle Mark! |
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| Outside fun with giant bubbles at his party! |
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| Ready for cupcakes, fire and all! |
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| Post cupcakes, my Biggest Boy. |
Happy second birthday to Lucas, my Biggest Boy, Boo Bear, and favorite human hurricane! I'm looking forward to another year of being your mama.
