Dear Moe (27 Months)

Hello, darling. Summer is finally here, and we’ve had a wonderful month. The warm weather has brought so many lovely moments.

You have greatly enjoyed spending time out back in the garden with Granny, helping her water her flowers and digging in your own little spot in the garden. You have your own shovel, but you know where Granny keeps hers, and you like to seek it out. You love working with Granny when she digs up dandelions. She puts the tool in the ground, and you help her push it up, and then your job is to pick up the dandelion and put it in the weed bucket.  

We’ve also loved going to the Farmers Market again. It’s in a new place now, near Brewer Park, and that means that when we’re done touring the market and we’ve bought our snacks (usually some baked sweet potato wedges and a cookie) we sometimes have time to go to the park and play.

You do love playtime at the park - any park. You are happy to find a little patch of sand to call your own, to bury your cars and dig them up, (“dig, dig, dig,” you say to yourself), and to occasionally climb up a play structure. You’re not much for the slide, and you don’t like the swings, but you do love to climb.

You love the water - you have always loved your bath, the water table, playing at the sink, and jumping in puddles. You love pouring water from one container to another. And for the past two summers you have greatly enjoyed swimming in Uncle Ted’s pool. So it made sense to me to enroll us in parent-and-tot swimming lessons. They are on Sunday mornings at Canterbury Pool. During the first class, you were pretty unhappy. You cried a bit, complained a lot, and didn’t participate in the class even though we were being asked to do things I know you can do, like blow bubbles in the water. But when we got home, you talked about the class. You talked about how your Nemo swim diaper got wet, how you blew bubbles, how we played with a flutterboard shaped like a turtle. I was confident the second week would go better.

It did not. You cried openly and begged to leave. I remained firm, stayed ridiculously and falsely positive, and we pushed through. We took a break on the stairs of the pool, but I don’t think it helped. We went back for a third week, but had to leave halfway through the lesson. You burst into tears as soon as we got into the swimming pool area, and cried so loudly that it got disruptive. We got home, and Daddy said that my face was full of defeat and yours was full of joy. You were just so happy to be home.

We brought you to Uncle Ted’s for Victoria Day, and I was hoping that you might want to swim in his pool, but you had no interest and made that quite clear. So we set you up with the beer bucket full of water, and you sat happily in there and played in there for over an hour. At one point, you were sitting in there, naked from the waist down, eating ribs and yelling, “MORE MEAT!” Your Daddy was so proud. I felt that I should point out that there was a nicer way to ask, but couldn’t because I was laughing so hard.

You have so many words now. You use four word sentences, you use the pronoun “I”, and your vocabulary improves every day. You love to point at things and ask, “Who’s this guy?” (This comes from when we read books together, and I point at animals and ask you that question.) We don’t always understand what you’re saying, but you certainly do. The other day, you went on for about five minutes about the bottom of your Mack truck - I have no idea what you were going on about, but you were very passionate and wanted everyone to know. Other discernible sentences have included “Mark play with little Mack” (about how Mark came over the day before and was playing with your little Mack toy), “Dump truck wheels turn round” and “Mommy, I help, too?” (And you are such a big help, too. You helped me sweep, you helped me clean the stairs.) I love the way you say “strawberries” because it sounds like “shrubberies”.

We had a lovely visit with Great Grandpa Reg this month. I wish we could go see him more often, but so often one of us is sick and that isn’t fair to him. But when we do go, you just love it. You pull your toys out of your bag one by one and show them to him, you tell him all about each one. His whole face lights up when he sees you, too. It’s wonderful.

We still read books every day - some of your favourites this past month have been The Wrong Book (about poor Nicholas Ickle) and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. You still like The House of Twelve Bunnies, too. But your favourite by far is Meet Jack Truck - Robin has another book from that series at her house, called Smash and Crash. You love it so much that we even brought it home for a few days.

You are such a good singer, too, sweetie. You can sing Twinkle, Twinkle, and a lot of the Alphabet Song. But our favourite song to sing is Three Little Birds by Bob Marley. I sing you “Bird Song” at bedtime - I sing it twice, and during the second round, I put you in your crib. Sometimes you ask for “More Bird Song?” but then I tell you to sing it yourself, and you do, and it’s wonderful. You love hearing it in the car, too. (“Car sing Bird Song, Mommy?”)

You have a fantastic sense of humour. You hide things under your knees and ask where they’ve gone. It’s my job to guess a few places before asking, “Are they under your KNEES?” and then you cackle away. You sometimes pretend to be asleep (you close your eyes extra tight and make snoring noises). You can be so mischievous - and whenever you are, your dimples comes out to play. You’re a joy to be around, and are generally a good listener. You clean up your messes, and you give wonderful hugs and kisses.

We’re going to need to find a new consequence for you for when you don’t listen, though. You enjoy a good time out. I’ve even tried having you stand with your hands against the wall, but you like it. You’ve even asked for it occasionally. I think perhaps the best way to approach it is to take away your plasma car.

Also, it will soon be time to potty train you in earnest. You can pee on the potty - you have many times. But you won’t go when you’re busy or feel you have something better to do. The only way to get around that is to have you wearing underwear and feel what it’s like to have an accident. So on a weekend next month, when I’m home with you for three days in a row, we’ll remove all the rugs from the living room and get you into underwear. And we’ll work hard at getting this done. I know you’re going to be great.

I love you so much, little Moe. You bring joy to our lives in ways we never thought possible. We look at you in awe - you’re our very own son and you’re just so wonderful. We’re so proud of you when you succeed, and are hopefully teaching you to be proud of yourself, too.

Dear Moe (26 Months)

Well, Pookie, another month has gone by and you’re doing great. We went to your 2-year check up at the doctor and you are in the 75^th percentile for height and weight. You caught a cold early in the month and then had a bit of a stomach flu later in the month, but you’ve stayed ear-infection free, thankfully. We took you to the ear, nose and throat doctor and he confirmed that there is negative pressure and fluid in your ears, which means you’re always at the second stage of an ear infection. (Basically, you have a sign on your forehead that says “Hey, ear infections! Come live here!”) We’ve been referred to another ENT who will look at what might be involved in getting tubes put in. That likely won’t be for some time, though.

We did all kinds of fun things this month: I took you through the car wash (you liked it once I explained that it was like the robot M-O from Wall-E was cleaning our car), we went to the Agriculture Museum to seethe baby animals (you were most interested in playing with your car in thesand, with washing your hands and with putting stones down the sewer grate, but we still had a great time), and we went for a road trip as a family.

We packed up and went to Toronto for Easter Weekend to visit your Tia Reiko (Tia May-ko), Tio Rodrigo (Tio Da-ee-go) and your cousin Isabel (Bel). You had a lovely time hunting for Easter eggs, playing with Isabel and Aiden, using sidewalk chalk, playing in Tia’s rock garden, feeding yourself whipped cream for the first time, and petting Pipa the dog (who is a lot of more docile than Zaphod). We were all glad we went, but I came down with bronchitis and laryngitis and you were fighting a cold, so there were some challenging moments. You are a true introvert, darling. You need a lot of time to get comfortable in a new place and with new people. Once you get there, it’s magic, but it does take you some time. Weekend trips are hard because by the time you get comfortable, it’s time to leave again.

You have really bonded with some of your stuffed animals. You suddenly discovered Sheep on the shelf and started bringing him everywhere with you. You have showed him how to fish with your fishing puzzle, you have told him about the cars going by the window, and you bring him cars to play with. He sure is lucky to have such a fun and considerate playmate. You love to cuddle with Buster the dog and Leary the Otter. And you made new friends with Easter the horse, which was an Easter gift from Robin.

You are hilarious. There have been a few moments this month where your Daddy and I have just about killed ourselves laughing at you. Here are some examples:

One night, we brought you upstairs for bedtime and you climbed by yourself into the rocking chair. You started rocking yourself, and didn’t want either of us to sit with you. We stood there, silently, not sure what to do. You suddenly looked up, waved at us and said, loudly, “BYE!”

Your Daddy was working in the kitchen when he heard me corralling you for a diaper change. He heard me say, “Hey, come back! Wait, we need to put a diaper on you!” and looked up to see you streaking by wearing absolutely nothing except a pair of red and white striped socks. You were running as fast as you could, pumping your arms, and laughing your head off.

You were in the bath when you noticed that if you turned your boat upside down, there’s a small reservoir under it that holds water. You drank from it. I reminded you several times that we don’t drink our bath water. You complied. Your Daddy came into the bathroom and he and I got to talking. I looked at you and noticed that you were drinking from the boat again! I said, “Moe – DON’T DRINK THE WATER.” You looked at us, your eyes wide and cheeks full of water, paused, grinned, swallowed, and then said, “Ahhhh….”

You have a dimple that comes out when you smile – but it seems to come out even more when you’re smiling because you’re doing something you shouldn’t be. I have no idea how you manage that.

We’ve also started to hear our words come out of your mouth. Daddy patted your bum the other day to check your diaper and you moved away indignantly, saying, “Hey, hey, hey!” which is what we often say to you when you’re doing something cheeky.

You’ve got three and four word sentences, now, which is great. One morning it had rained and you told Daddy about every single wet car you saw outside. “Mommy car wet. Daddy car wet. John car wet.”

You have really lovely manners, Moe. You often say please, thank you and excuse me unbidden, and when you don’t, you only need a gentle reminder. It’s really wonderful, and we’re very proud of you. Grandma took you to visit Great Auntie Geri and as you left her house you said, “tak-oo Geri” without being asked. I was so proud when I heard that.

I love the way you say, “This way, Mommy.” It sounds like “Wit-way, Muh-ee.”

You’re big into Bob the Builder right now, and I introduced you to Finding Nemo this weekend. But when you’re sick or need centering, you still love to watch Cars, and we watch Curious George before bedtime. You enjoy colouring (brown and purple are your favourite colours), you love making shapes with play-doh, you take great pleasure at stacking things (cars, other toys, whatever you can get your hands on), and you simply can’t get enough water play. You are able to sit happily in a chair in the kitchen and watch us make you a smoothie, but you have a hard time understanding that making toast involves waiting. We’re looking forward to getting the kitchen a bit more you-proof and having you help us during meal prep. You’ve discovered the joy of sitting in your Daddy’s lap in the driver’s seat of a car, and pushing all the buttons there that you can find.

We have two new bedtime books. Grandpa Will and Grandma Anne sent “The House of 12 Bunnies,” which you enjoy very much, and we started reading about Baby Owl and Owly in “I’m Not Scared!” I love discovering new books with you – I never know whether a book will get your attention, but when it does, it’s wonderful.

Parenting you takes a lot of energy, but loving you takes no effort at all. Keep being so awesome, sweet bean.

Planning for the Unthinkable

Money is tight right now. (Welcome to day care.) But about a year ago, I started paying into something that I think is worth the money. I bought a life insurance policy for Moe. 

My friend plastikgyrl blogged about this years ago, and even then, before I was a parent, it struck a chord with me.

Nobody wants to think about losing their child. But I need to know that if the unthinkable happened I would have the resources to grieve properly. We would both need time away from work. We would want to say goodbye without worrying about how much it cost. We might need to travel a bit, to get away from the places where the memories are most painful. This insurance policy would let us do that. 

And when Moe turns 18, it's his. He has automatic life insurance, at the same premiums I'm paying now. He may not realize it at the time, but that's quite a gift. 

Like I said, nobody wants to think about the unthinkable. But I know several people who have had to go through the unthinkable in the past few years, and, well, it got me thinking.

(Now if I could just get my shit together and pay someone to write our wills.)

Dear Moe (25 Months)

Hello, bean! You’re 25 months old! You have embraced being two with your whole heart and being. You are very much your own little person who knows what he wants and isn’t terribly impressed when he doesn’t get it. You are getting better and better at expressing yourself verbally, you are so interested in the world around you, and you handle yourself very well in social situations.

We haven’t made a huge push about using the potty, but that will come this spring when we spend more time outside (and not in snowsuits). Despite this, you’re making great progress. You love to use the potty when we go to a museum (thank you, Granny, for the gift of a travel reducer seat). You also love to wash your hands. In fact, we ran into a little trouble at the Agriculture Museum, where they have hand washing stations in some of the barn areas. All you wanted to do was wash your hands!

We’ve had some lovely playdates this month. You met Jube, my friend Neil’s little boy. (We have a fantastic photo of you and Jube when you first met: you’re both standing as far away from each other as you can in the small space, staring at each other intently. It’s like a toddler standoff.) You spent a great deal of time with Hanna and Ben, who spent March Break with their mom Jaimie in Granny’s basement apartment. You had a lovely playdate with Koen – when we left and I was getting you into your carseat, you were busy blowing kisses in his direction.

We’ve been getting you ready for spring. You got new running shoes (thank you, Uncle Mark and Aunt Janine!), some winterized Crocs and a new pair of rain boots. I’m proud to say that when offered several choices, you selected the pirate rain boots. You now ask for them by saying, “Pirates?” And I went shopping in the basement among Aunt Kimmy’s hand-me-downs and you’ve got plenty of shorts and t-shirts for summer. (You’re a big fan of the WALL-E pyjamas we found down there, too. You point to your belly and say, “WALL-E!” quite happily.) I picked up a portable umbrella that we can use in the backyard and at the park, and a new hose nozzle, as it won’t be long before we can get the water table out.

We weren’t thinking we’d have to get all this stuff ready for another month yet, but spring came very early this year. In fact, we kind of skipped spring initially and launched right into summer. It’s been 25 degrees out the past few days… in March! Aside from the fact that this weather is a bit creepy, it’s been really great. Our new thing is that when you get home from day care, we sit on the front porch together for a few minutes, drinking water and playing in the dirt. Although you need constant reminding, you are learning that the dirt has to all go back into Granny’s garden.  Yesterday, I found you and Daddy sitting together on the front porch, snacking on grape tomatoes. Daddy was cracking you up, and you were cackling away. It was wonderful.

(You have the best cackle, by the way. That laugh, combined with your fantastic eyebrows and adorable nose make you pretty much impossible to resist.)

You’re changing so quickly. You’ve begun real imaginative play now. I watch you with your cars and trucks, and you’re making them have conversations and acting our scenarios between them. You’ve gotten so tall, too. The other day, you were standing behind your table, and I thought you were standing on one of your toys (you love to do this, and it makes me crazy), and I went to check it out and realized, no, that’s just how tall you are now when you wear your shoes.

Our evening pre-bed cuddle has also changed. You are so big now, it’s hard to find a comfortable way to cuddle you in the rocking chair. You like to cuddle for a minute or two, but then you usually ask to go in your crib. (Then, frequently, once I put you in there, you protest and demand more cuddles. *sigh*) It’s a strange dance, these days. Our cuddling also tends to involve us chatting to each other now, instead of quiet rocking. You listen to my heart beat (and say, “boom, boom, boom”), you touch my mole (“mole”), we smile and giggle and give each other kisses. You love pressing your forehead to my lips.

It may be time to convert your crib into a toddler bed – I’ve been putting it off because you love your crib and don’t ever try and climb out of it. It will be a big change – it will mean gating your room. We’ll see how it all goes and when we do it. 

Transitions have been challenging for you this month. (You go back and forth with this – you’ll go through a phase where they are no problem, and then suddenly for a while they are hard again.) You really like to take your sweet time and move on from an activity when you’re ready, but when we have to move things along, you’re never a fan. You occasionally freak out when we say it’s time to change your diaper, and resist bathtime and bedtime. Once you’re in the new situation, you’re fine, but you don’t like being told that it’s time to do something else. We give you warnings (2 more minutes, 1 more minute) and that helps, but it’s still hard for you.

Another month, another ear infection. You’re now resistant to amoxicillin. We have an appointment with an ear, nose, and throat doctor at the end of the month. We’re going to ask him to check your hearing and your adenoids. He’ll also likely want to discuss putting tubes in your ears. At first I was against that, but if it will stop these monthly ear infections, I think it’s worth it. We don’t know what kind of damage the infections are doing to your hearing, and it isn’t good for you to be on so many antibiotics. (We’ll also ask the doctor if it’s ok for us to go ahead with the swimming lessons I’ve signed us up for. They start at the end of April.)  You were a miserable little guy, Moe. You had a terrible fever, chills, and were begging for Tylenol. I don’t ever want to see you like that again.

You love to paint. Your favourite colour is purple. You are quite attached to your blanket, Burp Bunny and Leary the Otter. You bring the blanket and one of the stuffies downstairs with you every morning. You love calling our names – even if we’re right there in front of you. You’re getting so many new words, it’s insane. Just this morning, you asked Daddy so sweetly for more apples: “Mo appoh, pease?” It was one of your first full, unprompted sentences. I read an article this month that said that a two-year-old should have at least 25 words, or else it’s time to be concerned. I was relieved – you have far more than 25 words! However, you still tend to clam up if you’re in the company of people who aren’t family. (Or if you ask to call someone on the phone.)

It’s also getting easier to explain things to you. I’ve been sick this week, and you understood when I told you that I was going upstairs to lie down and focus on getting better. You understand and no longer get antsy when I tell you I’m going to move laundry over or going to the bathroom and will be right back.

All in all, you’re a wonderful little boy. You are sweet and loving, roguish and mischievous, goofy and serious, all wrapped up into one beautiful package. We love you so much. This summer is going to be fantastic. (Every day with you is fantastic.)

Notes to My Younger Self

For International Women's Day, CBC is asking women what they would tell their younger self. 

What would I tell my younger self?

1. You are beautiful, and thinner than you think you are. Embrace it. Wear the bikini while you can. Love your body, as it will be with you the rest of your life. 

2. Stay in touch with your kamp friends. Who got hired as CIT and who didn't will eventually become irrelevant. These are the girls with whom you grew up. Treasure them. 

3. Quit smoking now. It will be so much harder at 25.  

4. The best thing you can do is learn to take care of yourself, rather than trying to find someone who will do it for you.  

5. Your mother is an amazing woman. Treat her with respect and recognize what she does for you everyday.  

6. That guy with the steel toed boots and blue hair outside Southam Hall? Totally worth a second look.

My butt needs to break up with my couch

I’ve become lazy in the evenings. 

After I put Moe to bed, I’m all sleepy and relaxed because I’ve been cuddling a warm boy in a dark room with soft music and deep breathing. Then I have to wait 10 or 15 minutes to make sure he’s really asleep before tackling the kitchen, loading the dishwasher, etc. (If he hears the clinking of dishes or the bustling of a Mommy in the kitchen when he's trying to fall asleep, it can go badly. So we wait.)

And that 10 or 15 minute wait is killing me. Because I sit down. And once I’ve sat down, it is VERY hard to get up again. 

So I need to find a way to light a fire under my butt in the evenings and git ‘er dun. I’m thinking of setting a timer, actually. I’ll set the timer for 15 minutes, and when it goes off, I have to hop up and get to work. And I’ll set it for 30 to 45 minutes, and when it goes off again, I put down the dishcloth and go sit down again.

Dear Moe (2 Years)

My sweet darling, you turned two years old yesterday. We have had a wonderful month together, but before I tell you about all the things you did, I want to take a moment and tell you about all the things you ARE.

You are focused. You have been known to stay on a task that interests you for up to 20 or 30 minutes. When you want to accomplish something, you are very good at trying again and again until you either get it right or are willing to ask for help. You can be very good at entertaining yourself.

You are sweet. You tuck your cars into a little bed every night and for every nap (it’s a little box I covered in wrapping paper, with a washcloth “blanket”), and you do it so lovingly that it warms my heart. You get three bedtime kisses from Daddy, and after you get them, you insist he gives Mommy a kiss, too.

You are silly. There’s very little that you enjoy more than a fit of the sillies. Whether you are laughing hysterically as you run back and forth down a hallway, giggling maniacally as you balance a plate on your head, or sticking your arms through Daddy's t-shirt armholes and squealing in glee when your hands meet at the neck hole, you have a great silly sense of humour that is so much fun to watch.

You are a great listener. You can be playing away on your own while I read you a bedtime story, but if it has cues to which you like responding, you’ll catch them and do whatever action you’re supposed to do. If we are casually humming a song that you know, you’ll likely recognize it and ask to hear it. You are always listening.

You are communicative. Your words are coming fast and furious and your vocabulary is increasing daily, but even when you don’t have the words, you can almost always make your point known. It makes like so much easier. You’re a great communicator, Moe, and that makes us very happy. 

You are gentle. Whether it’s stroking my hair, Zaphod’s fur, or a stuffed animal’s face, you can be exceptionally gentle and loving.

You are excitable. If you get wound up, it can be hard to calm you down! And when you get too excited, toys start flying, stuff gets chucked off tables, and you scream like an excited banshee. (The screaming is a sign that you want to take things up a notch and get the party started!)

You are methodical. You eat methodically, you play methodically. You like to do things in your own sweet time, and you want to do them thoroughly. You like to figure out how things work. Mealtimes aren’t quick, and it can be hard to move you from one task to another, but I think this will serve you well in the long run.

You are wonderful. Daddy and I try and get out for a date night every couple of weeks, and when we do, our conversation inevitably turns to all the great things you do that make us laugh and smile. You are an amazing combination of brave and cautious, of zany and focused, of silly and serious. Most of all, you are so much fun.

This month has been wonderful. You had your first bubble bath, and you loved it. We have now declared Saturday night to be bubble bath night, and it’s a wonderful tradition. You do pretty well on Saturdays, actually. We generally go for a long walk outside with Uncle Mark and Aunt Janine, and that means that we warm up at home with cocoa. You sometimes even get to have breakfast in the living room while watching TV on Saturdays. We like to make our weekend time with you as special as we can.

One way we do that is by visiting museums. Thanks to your grandmothers, we now have a membership at the Canadian Museum of Nature and at the Canada Science and Technology Museum (which also includes the Agriculture Museum and the Aviation and Aerospace Museum). Between Nature and Science & Tech, we get to museums a few times every month. At the Canadian Museum of Nature, you love the dinosaurs, playing in the coast guard boat kitchen in the Water Gallery, seeing the huge turtle and scanning the bear’s groceries. At Science and Tech, the snowmobile is always a hit, and you love the Braille exhibit.

I tried signing you up for Toddler Time at the Library on Monday mornings. It’s basically a circle time at the library, with songs and activities. You would much rather explore on your own. When Granny took you a few weeks ago, you preferred to spend your time learning how to use the mouse on the library computer. I figure our time is better spent at a museum where you can chart your own course – you get enough circle time at playgroup when you go with Robin. She tells me you’re getting pretty good at following along and singing the songs and doing all the proper circle time things. I think I’d rather spend weekends exploring with you.

I also love to hear you chat, even though your favourite words this month have been “no” and “ow”. (You have a tendency to use both of those inappropriately.) Sometimes your words are super clear, like when I asked you what crayon you wanted to use and you said, clear as day, “PURPLE!” and picked up the purple crayon. Other times, it’s hard to know what you’re saying, like the day you said “potty”, “party”, and “body” and I wasn’t sure which one you meant at any given time. In fact, it took us a while to figure out that you COULD say “potty”. For a while, you kept saying this strange word at odd intervals – it sounded like “pie-yay”. When I finally pieced it together and said, “Oh my gosh, are you saying POTTY?” you smiled and nodded enthusiastically (and then gave me a look that clearly said, “Oh, Mommy, you’re so cute when you finally get it.”) You love to say “water” when you’re in the bath. You answer quite clearly when you’re asked how old you are now: “TWO!” When we were all at the museum together and you couldn’t find Aunt Janine for a moment, you called to her asking for “Jin! Jin!” And my favourite verbal development this month is that you can say “pit stop!” like Guido from Cars. It sounds like “peet stop!”

You’re doing great with the potty, sweetie. You generally manage to pee on the potty at least once a day at home, and we couldn’t be happier. Robin’s trying to incorporate it into her routine too. The next step is keeping that diaper dry, and then we can switch to training pants. You’re going to do great, whenever you’re ready.

I worked on Family Day, but that didn’t stop us from having a few “family days” of our own this month. At one point when Daddy was off with you, you both came downtown to visit me at the office . We had lunch at D’Arcy McGee’s, a special treat, and you enjoyed a real Irish meal without a single vegetable in sight. We ended the meal with ice cream, which was a VERY special treat indeed.

We got a very unique invitation to be part of a photo and video shoot for my work. That meant that you got to play on the snow slides at Jacques Cartier Park while the park was closed! You loved going down the slides with me, but wouldn't venture by yourself (I wasn't keen on letting you anyway). You were awesome at looking adorable - the director was madly in love with you - but less awesome at taking direction. I think our friend Sarah got some nice photos of you with her camera, though, so we'll be able to enjoy those. 

You've enjoyed playing in the snow in our front yard. You have your own little snow shovel (thanks, Granny!) and we keep one of your plastic trucks nearby so it can plow the front step. We've had great outdoor fun with Uncle Mark and Aunt Janine, too. You made your first snow angel with us, and you climbed a snow mountain and slid down on your own. We've taken you to Conroy Pit on Saturday mornings, too. You and Zaphod make your way along the trail together, and he plays with other dogs and you tolerate them well. Zaphod comes back to you every few minutes to check on you and make sure you're ok, and if another dog bothers you too much, he takes care of them for you. He is still very much your doggie, and you are very much his toddler. 

You had your first trip to the dentist this month. It was to take a quick peek at your chipped tooth. You didn't like the part where Dr. B. actually looked in your mouth, but you were delighted with your new toothbrush. We took you back to the allergist this month, too. You still have a mild allergy to eggs (whites and yolks), and you have also developed a peanut allergy.

We've changed our bedtime routine slightly. Instead of reading to you upstairs in your room, we take out the basket of bedtime books downstairs on the mattress on the living room and go through a few together. Sometimes you sit with me and listen attentively, looking at the pictures, and other times you elect to play with other things, but you know that when I'm done three books, it's time to go upstairs. This works a lot better than the old routine, where we'd fight our way through the books and you'd try and take them out of my hand or throw them on the floor in an effort to stall bedtime. (You still excel at stalling bedtime, but you're a bit more subtle about it now.) 

It's hard not to laugh when you're angry, sweetie, and for that, I'm sorry. It's not that I don't respect your feelings, it's that you do this little stompy angry dance and gibber with rage and its reminds me of Rumpelstiltskin. But your feelings are very real to you, and we get through the meltdowns together. They tend to be more frequent now, but less intense and quicker to end. 

You know your colours, and you know some numbers and letters. You love to do arts and crafts. You are parroting words all over the place. It's just wonderful to watch you develop.

Your birthday party was a huge success. We tried to keep it a reasonable size - just five other boys: Caleb and Noah, Alex and Nicholas (Robin's two youngest boys), and your buddy Koen. It was wonderful to have Robin and Mark there, and Big Noah even showed up! Your Aunt Janine and Uncle Mark were there, of course, and so were your grandmothers. Auntie Kimmy and Uncle Luc both came, and so both did Koen's parents, Aunt Jen and Uncle Albert. You were given a disgusting number of fantastic gifts, you thoroughly enjoyed your cupcakes, and you behaved remarkably well. You were overall a gracious host, and nobody had a meltdown (including Mommy), which was a miracle given the number of people in such a small space. It was a really, really lovely time and I think everyone was happy to be there celebrating with you. You also got a great birthday phone call from your Tia Reiko, which you enjoyed immensely. 

And so, you're two. And you're wonderful. And we are so very happy to have you in our lives. And you find new ways everyday to melt our hearts. Keep being so fantastic. I can't wait to see what the next year brings.