The Terrible Twos

So Miles is being challenging. It's like living with an insane person. I swear the day he turned 2 it's like a switch flipped and now he wants what he wants And he wants it NOW and he wants weird stuff (like to carry around a slice of bread- not half DAMNIT but the WHOLE THING!- and not to eat- ew!) And I am struggling with how much I should give in and how much I need to draw the line. Mostly so far I've been case by case basis, considering what we have going on (time schedules and stuff) and how much damage he may potentially do.

And then there are priceless moments like today, I made him a smoothie and we were sitting together while he ate it with a spoon. Then started flinging it on the table- a little art on the side- so I got him a straw and he started to slurp it down, Then he burped and I said, "You should say Excuse me!" and covered my mouth to indicate that's what he should do when he burps. He thought this was hilarious and made me do it over and over again. All the while, he's freezing because he refused to put any clothes on (it took me 1/2 hour to get him to agree to put on some training underwear). He kept shrugging his shoulders up to his ears and going "brrrrr" in a high pitched voice while clenching his fists at his side making the universal sign for cold. Then laughing and laughing his head off at the "excuse me" joke. Whatever. It was funny. One of those regular moments that makes the rest of the madness worthwhile. And yes, that is a picture of Miles running around the back yard with a bucket on his head.

Miles' first trip to Disneyland

1/19/08: We took Miles to Disneyland on his 2nd birthday. We all had a blast. He loved all the rollercoaster- type rides he could get on (not quiet 35 inches) but we snuck him on one and he loved it. He didn’t enjoy the theme rides as much- calling them scary- too many witches and evil characters for his blood. Those old Disney movies are dark!

We spent the next night in Laguna beach, just for fun. We spent the day lounging by the pool and exploring low tide at the beach. Miles loved being on the beach and it was surprisingly easy to keep him out of the water, maybe because it was freezing? We saw dolphins playing in the waves and a ton of sea creatures hiding in the pockets of water left by the tide.

Our hotel was walking distance from a bunch of great galleries, a wonderful café and pizza place. What else could we ask for. I think Miles had a great 2nd birthday.

Toddler Talk, and Favorites

1/9/08: We officially have to watch what we say. Miles is repeating the last word we utter no matter what that might be. Only he tends to add a “D” in front of words or say them back words. Like “Bee” is “Dee” Only with buzzing sound effects and hand motions so we know he’s talking about a bee. And “spoon” is something like “pooosh” but he points to the drawer or to my spoon so I know what he wants. His favorite sentence is “doggy poo poo” I’m not sure if the poo poo he is referring to is a noun or a verb- but I always check to see if Andy had an accident…usually he has not- so not sure what all the poo talk is about.

Miles is super sweet and affectionate and loves to give big, wet, puckered kisses. He greets the people he knows and loves with big hugs -to their legs, usually. His favorite things are balls, bubbles, balloons, and cars. He starting to play pretend, baking and cooking mostly. He makes the most delish’ pretend cookies, which fit right into my new years diet! Perfect for any diabetic too! We should market them. Hmmm….

His favorite things to do are explore, hike, try to jump (his feet don’t leave the ground yet), clap hands, high five, dance, paint and draw, and play with anything even remotely resembling a ball (bells, rocks, apples, whatever)- oh, how could I forget, he loves to nurse.

He is the most amazing little boy and he will be two years old a week from today. I can’t believe it. What an incredible journey. What a lucky mom I am to have him in my life.

New painting of Miles

I just finished my latest painting, and yes, of course, it's of Miles. This is from that picture I took when we went to see Santa. When Miles saw the painting for the first time he got excited and said "Choo Coo! Ho Ho Ho!" Smart boy and what a good memory too! I think he really likes it. What do you think?