Atticus: 2 years old

Two short years ago, we were given a little boy to raise and love. And while it's cliche to say "time flies" or "the kids grow so fast", it really does and they really do! Some people told me to expect Atticus to look like such a big kid when I brought Grace home from the hospital; they told me he wouldn't seem like a baby anymore. And while I did all of a sudden wonder how his legs got so long and his hands got so big all while I was in the hospital, he is STILL my little baby boy (although I promise not to be that annoying mother who coddles her son when he is an adult--those poor ladies need to just let go!). I love him and pray every day that he is happy and healthy. So, at this moment in his life, I want to remember some of the important parts of Atticus' life.

• Atticus is still in size 5 diapers; I plan to start potty training soon.
• He still has light blonde hair. 
• He has slept in his big boy bed for almost a month and is a great sleeper and napper. He still takes afternoon naps every day that last around 3 hours. (although recently her learned how to get out of his bed and has delayed a couple of naps because he tends to play in his room first)
• He is approximately 30 pounds. We'll know exact weight at 2 year well check in a couple of weeks.
• He is still in school until the end of May; his teachers say he is happy and a good boy.
• He still loves yogurt, fruit and oatmeal and will eat those items each day. Otherwise, it's touch and go as far as what he will eat. He typically likes spaghetti, chicken, and some pasta. He won't touch vegetables. And of course he likes the typical toddler snack: goldfish, animal crackers, fruit snacks, etc. OH! And his favorite food addition recently: "dip" which could be ranch dressing or ketchup.
• He drinks water, juice, and milk and specifically requests which ones he wants each time he needs a drink.
• He organizes his toys when he plays. For example: he will place all of the toys he is playing with in one spot (such as the farm silo or his tent) and then take them out and then put them back in over and over. Or he will line all of his bath toys up on the bath ledge and then knock them down and then line them up and knock them down over and over. He will carry stuffed animals with him and he will need ALL of them at once until he cannot carry anymore. He will put them on the bed and then on the floor and then back on the bed, etc. He is just too funny when watching him play on his own.
• He LOVES animals. He likes for us to read books about them, make up songs about them, and he wants to play with his "am-mulls" all the time. ANYTHING to do with animals, he is interested.
• He has recently started putting together puzzles.
• He has also started to open books and look through them without us.
• He loves water--pools, water hoses, sprinklers, puddles; this summer will be so much fun!
• He can repeat 1-10 in English and Spanish. He also counts out some of the numbers when he is playing. 
• He likes play dough and has just started enjoying a coloring book.
• He loves Disney movies. Over the past few months, we have introduced him to: Toy Story, Dumbo, Lion King, Horton Hears a Who, The Lady & The Tramp and he has The Jungle Book on the way from his aunt Molly. He also likes reading the books of these movies over and over.
• He says lots of words and has recently started putting them together to form sentences that consist of nouns only (ex: grace milk atticus juice mess dada wipes) [translates to Grace is drinking milk and Atticus is drinking juice but made a mess and Daddy used wipes to clean him up]
• He loves to be outside in the vehicles to play, helping Daddy in the yard, playing with toys, chalk, and water and all the time, carrying his sippy cup in his arm. If he has to do something that needs both hands, he sets the drink down, but once he is done, the drink goes right back in the arm.
• He rarely gets hurt; he is just so tough when he falls down. It has to get hurt pretty bad before he cries.
• He loves his baby sister, Grace. He always looks for her, tickles her, hugs her, and brings her the pacifier, blanket or any toys that belong to her. He is such a big helper with Grace!
• Although I see glimpses of Terrible Twos arriving, he is just sweet. He wants to be good and gives good hugs and loves to play with us. His giggles and words and actions make us laugh daily!

We love our Atticus so much and are so proud to be his parents!