Noah is TWO!

My little baby is 2!! I can’t believe it! Looking through all my pictures, I can remember each moment like it was yesterday, or last week, NOT TWO YEARS AGO! These last two years though, have been the most amazing years of my life. Everything has changed, and yet, it seems like Noah has always been a part of our lives!

Noah has grown from a little 6 lbs. 3 oz. and 19 inches long to a whopping 19 lbs. 11oz. Noah is now weighing in at 19 lbs 3 oz and 34 inches tall! I know, he is still a little guy, and my back appreciates it. The whole weight gain battle has been one we have been fighting for over a year now. We have been exploring the possibility of pancreatic insufficiency, and in the last month, with some new meds, Noah has gained almost a whole pound. That’s more than he has gained in a year! Fingers crossed.

Anyway, back to my little man. Noah continues to surprise me everyday. Be it a new word, facial expression or silly dance move he creates, Noah is constantly learning and growing and making me smile. He can put together 5 word sentences, answer most of my questions with clear answers, and “use his words” to tell me what he needs. Sure, he still resorts to whinning and crying, but having an understandable vocabulary makes things a lot easier sometimes. Other times I really wish he had an “off switch.”

Noah is also starting to show his imagination. He pretends that everything is ice cream; a binki, his hand, a toy, a spoon…..he says, “mmmm, YUMMY! Cream Cream!” and pretends to lick an ice cream cone. Lately, Noah has been feeding his toys fake food, or pretending to be various animals as he crawls around the house. His favorite is the Lion! It’s amazing just how much these little guys take in. They are always watching, always internalizing how to act and behave in this world. The other day we were at a friends house with a play kitchen, and with out any help, Noah went right over and fried an egg on the stove and then washed dishes in the sink. It was super cute and really reminded me that he sees everything we do and say

There have been some choice 4 letter words coming out of Noah’s little mouth in the last few weeks. Luckily, they have only been repeated in a call and response matter, and he hasn’t kept them tucked into his vocabulary, but it is definitely time for mom and dad to clean up our mouths! We have also been working on labeling his emotions. In the heat of the moment when he is really feeling big emotions, of course it doesn’t work. But, when we are playing, Noah loves to make a sad face with a pout sound, growl and shake his fists for mad, gasp and clap his hands to his cheeks with “o-lips” for surprised, and give the goofiest grin for happy!

Along with all the wonderful parts of toddler hood, come the not so wonderful parts. You all know, the terrible two’s stereotype. The kid has an iron clad will of his own, and when I try and interject my agenda into his plans, OMG! His smarts, and great speech tend to backfire in these situations. Time-outs have become quite a regular in our house (or in a restaurant, or at the park, or in a parking lot!). Sharing is super hard, but he is getting better at taking turns. Hitting and pushing has become a means to solve any problem. And his new found independence can be quite frustrating, for both me and him.

The other day Noah was trying to hook 2 trains together and couldn’t quite figure it out. He wouldn’t let me help him, and instead threw the trains across the house, repeatedly, and then turned to whatever object was within reach. Toys were flying. It was about a 15 minute melt down with tears, kicking, screaming, and toys taken away. It’s crazy to watch him get sooooo frustrated and so out of control.

I think the hardest part about this age is keeping consistent in how I react to Noah. Not only with my emotions, but with my responses and consequences. He is constantly testing boundaries, it’s his job, and he is checking to see if I am going to consistently maintain those boundaries. I have to follow through with everything I say, and follow up with the same responses for every behavior. Its truly exhausting some days I hate time outs just as much as he does. I have the same conversations all day long, be it praise and reinforcement or discipline and redirection. Sometimes, I feel like I’m in the movie Ground Hogs Day. No matter how tired I am, or how hard it is though, when little Noah shows pride in something he accomplished, apologizes to his friends for his wrong doing, or catches one of his mistakes. It is all worth it.

While I can talk about his “terrible two’s,” I will admit, Noah is one of the most mellow 2 year old boys I know. He is super sensitive, no, I mean really emotional, and quite timid. Sometimes I wish he would just go run and play and make new friends and not cling to my leg, whine to be held and just watch all the other kids play from the comfort of my lap. Then there are days when I watch Chesna run  all over the park and not sit down once, or see other mom’s running after their 2 year old as he barrels head first into the Pacific Ocean, and I am oh so grateful that Noah chooses to stay close and not climb to the top of the tallest slide My day will come, Im sure, and I will enjoy watching him play with other kids instead of being terrified by them! When I am sick of him clinging to me, I try to remember that there will be a day when he doesn’t want me around, and I need toenjoy these years where I am still the cool one!

Well Baby Noah, you are the light in our life, the air that we breathe, and you mean the world to me and your daddy. You are so sweet, smart, handsome, funny, loving and creative.  We are so proud of the little kid you are becoming. Thanks for choosing us as parents and putting a smile in our hearts each and everyday. We love you Noah James!

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