Big boy bed!!

As if turning 2 wasn't exciting enough, Luke now sleeps in a big boy bed! We've been toying with the idea, trying to decide if we were nuts or not, because really, there was no reason to. He's a fantastic sleeper and has never tried to climb out of the crib. Part of the reason I wanted to do it was so that we could lay in bed and read, instead of laying on the floor. But was that enough of a reason to mess with a good thing?

We were back and forth with it, torn on what to do. Then on Wednesday morning before his birthday, he woke up at 5:45 crying. I went into his room and he was completely stuck. He was laying on his belly, horizontally across the crib, with both legs stuck out of slat openings, completely up to this thighs. I tried to get him out and couldn't (all while he was crying, "legs hurt!") I yelled for Jason and eventually I had to climb into the crib to help pull/twist and Jason pushed and tried to stretch the slats apart. It only took a few minutes but it seemed like forever. It had never happened before and was a fluke, but I took it as a sign and bought the twin mattress the next day. (And oddly enough - it ended up happening again 2 nights later!)

Luckily we had bought Luke a book for Valentine's Day called Elmo is big enough for bed. He loves this book - it talks about Elmo being in a crib when he was a baby, but then being a big boy and needing a big boy bed. We started to add in our own story to it - and talked about how Elmo was turning 2 just like Luke! And Elmo got new sheets and so would Luke - car sheets! He was super excited about those. (And a side note - he saw the pillow sham one day a few weeks before that, as I've had the bedding for months, and he thought it was a shirt and cried because I wouldn't let him wear it.)

Anyways, on his birthday he went to nap at my mom's. We (or rather, Jason and his brother) took the crib down (yes, we're brave) and set up the twin.

Luke loved it!! He's been sleeping great in it and hasn't climbed out once. We have a stool to help him get in towards the foot of the bed, but when it's bedtime we move it. He can still get out easily, but I don't think HE knows it, which is just fine by me!

And after that novel, here are a few pictures! Eventually we'll redecorate the rest of his room to match the car theme, but for now it's just the bed.

Last night in his crib!


New bed!


Our baby boy is all grown up!

2nd birthday party

Luke was so very excited about his birthday coming up. It was a hard concept for him because first there was grandma's birthday, then mommy's birthday, then Valentine's day (which he thought was an extension of my birthday - smart guy), and then finally his!

He woke up that morning to find a bunch of balloons on the floor of his room. He was a little unsure at first, but then ran through them yelling birthday balloons!


Later that day we had a small dinosaur themed party. It was a great time with family and Luke got some wonderful gifts!

First, a few of the details. Even though it was just family (and all adults besides Luke), I wanted to make this fun for him. I took some regular party hats and turned them into dino hats. Luke would only wear his when it was time for cake.


A dinosaur birthday balloon


Some dinosaurs even came to our party, as seen by the footprints they left!


We opened presents first as he just couldn't take seeing all of them wrapped, knowing they were for him. Not only did he open each present, we had to OPEN it, as in, take it out of the box so that he could play with it right then. It made the whole process a little longer, but he loved it.


I think his favorite gift was the truck from Jason and I. He's so excited about it, and that night especially we were afraid he would want to sleep in it. We've taken it outside once already and can't wait for it to get warmer so we can really use it.


Then we played pin the birthday hat on the dinosaur. We had it hanging up higher for the adults and all used a blindfold. Luke loved watching it.


Then when it was his turn, we lowered it. He wasn't a fan of the blindfold, and instead wanted to just close his eyes. So adorable!


Finally, cake time! I'm so pleased with how his cake turned out!


And I'm happy to report that this year went much better than last. Remember this?


This year he tried to blow out the candle.


And was so pumped that he was about to eat cake!


Such a good eater!


And just when you think it's over - wait! There's more! The next day we went down to the Children's Museum and met some friends. We all sort of did our own thing at the museum, but we met for lunch and got to eat dinosaur cupcakes and wear our party hats again.


I didn't get tons of pictures, but this is one of Luke and Molly digging for fossils. Lately he hasn't wanted to wear the required goggles, but when he saw Molly wearing them he decided it was ok. I think perhaps he might have his first crush on an older woman ...



They have a new exhibit right now and in part of it he got to lay on this thing and wiggle it back and forth. The viewer he was looking in made it seem like he was swimming with the fishes in the ocean.


It's so fun being 2!!

2 years old!

Age: 2 years old!

Weight: +32 lbs (2 yr appt next week – will update then)

Length: Over 34" (2 yr appt next week – will update then)

Size: Size 5 diapers during the day; size 6 at night. Shoes size 6, moving to 7. Clothes are 24 months or 2T. Pajamas are 3T. Shirts are moving to 3T.

Hair: Looking good :) Just had another haircut. It’s so fine and whispy.

Teeth: Ugh. We’re working on the last molar I think, and it hasn’t been pretty. Luckily he can tell me now that his teeth hurt so I know what the problem is. This is how he looked when he came home today - poor little buddy.


Sleeping: Big news here! He’s now in a big boy bed! That deserves its own special post.

Eating: Same old toddler food. He did eat an entire apple slice the other day. I was pretty excited about that. And he seems to enjoy PB&J now.

Talking: I’m not sure that there is anything that he can’t communicate these days. He has short little sentences but they aren’t always in the right order. “Luke eat ready” which translated to “Luke is ready to eat.” Leading up to his birthday he loved to tell you that he would be 2, while holding up 2 fingers. He’s started to use pronouns. He’ll bring me a book and instead of saying “read book” he’ll say “Mommy, read it.”

Favorite toys/activities: Still mostly the same - choochoos, dinosaurs - especially when combined. Dinosaur Train is a favorite show. His favorite books right now are and Elmo Big Boy Bed book and a book full of trucks. He loves doing puzzles and playing memory on the computer.

Dislikes: diaper changes in a big way. And baths in an even bigger way. Hates them. It started after he hurt his toe a few weeks ago – he refused to take his socks off and bath time meant socks had to come off. Now I think it’s because it interrupts his play time. He yells the whole way through it. I’m trying to think of something new and fun that will get him to enjoy it again. Any suggestions?

Disposition: As long as his teeth aren’t bothering him (and then he’s super clingy for mommy), he’s so happy and easy going.

Other things about him:
*He moved up into the Young 2’s room at school. Drop offs have been a little hard as he transitions to the new kids and new teachers, but he’s doing better. He has a few friends in there that he knew from before so that has helped, and we’re hopeful that one of his best little buddies will be moving up soon as well.
*Every time we get in the car he tells me "slow mommy car. daddy car race. Luke car race." I wonder who taught him that?
* He was a little confused with Valentine's day being right after mommy's birthday. He brought a Valentine's card home that day and gave it to me saying happy birthday. :)
* He thinks that you should wear a birthday hat every time you eat cake.




This has been such an amazing 2 years! He brings a joy to our lives that we never thought possible. Love you buddy!

Miscellaneous pictures

Some other cute pictures from the last few weeks ...

My 32nd birthday

I had a wonderful birthday this year. Jason arranged a great evening out with my friends, and then we had brunch the next morning at my mom's house. And hearing the sweetest little almost-2-year-old say "happy birthday mommy" melted my heart.








Love him so much!

Sledding

This has been the most mild winter I can remember - I feel like we've hardly had any snow. That meant that we had to take advantage of what little we had.




I just love Luke's laughter in this video - pure joy.

Playdate with Josh

One of Luke's best little buddies at school is Josh. Back in January we met Josh and his mom at the children's museum for a playdate. They had the absolute best time! Luke was so excited waiting for him and wanted to show him all of the great things to do.








This was probably my favorite moment - they held hands and if you listen carefully, they are both so excited about the big dinosaurs. Rawr!