Happy 2nd Birthday Joe!!

Say hello to the cutest little two year old I know...

Weight - 25 lbs 6.5 oz (35th Percentile)

Height - 35.5 in (72nd Percentile)

 Joe is definitely in the long and lean category.  He must have a metabolism like me

because he eats a ton!  He's still not a huge fan of milk, fruit or vegetables, but I find ways to

sneak them in.  We start his morning with a smoothie which is where I hide a lot of it.  And

he absolutely LOVES cheese so that is where he makes up his calcium.  He'll try most

anything we give him, unless it is a fruit or vegetable.  And just like me, he loves sweets! :)

Favorite Foods - CHEESE!!, Pancakes, eggs, ham, hot dogs, Goldfish

Least favorite foods - Any fruit (except strawberries and clementines), vegetables, milk

He is still talking up a storm these days and has developed his own little language.  In fact,

I catch myself translating for him when he talks to other people.  A lot of what he says is

clear, but he's come up with work arounds for some of the harder words.

 

Tac-tee - Tractor

Hetee-cotee - Helicopter

Nay-nay - Naked

One of my favorite mispronounced words is how he says Owen, "Id-ee."  I have no idea

where it came from.  What's funny is Owen has started correcting him.  He realized that Joe

was calling him Id-ee and corrected him saying, "I'm not Id-ee, I'm Owen!"  He started

getting frustrated so we had to explain that Joe was doing his best,

and that's just how he pronounces Owen.  

Another favorite phrase of mine is one that Joe gives me when I ask him a question.  If I ask

him a yes or no question that he clearly agrees with, he'll excitedly answer, "yeah mommy,

yeeeeah."  And then if it is something he really, really agrees with he follows up with a "yes

mommy, Yeeeees!"  Perhaps he thinks if he enunciates the "yes" I'll pay more attention to

his request.  Either way it's super cute.  I love hearing his sweet little voice.

What I don't love is getting up every day at 5:30AM with him.  I've actually gotten used to it

now and wake on my own at that time whether he wakes or not.  I am a bit of a morning

person, so I guess it makes sense where he gets it from.  Even though he is up early

however, he loves (and needs) his sleep.  I tried to get rid of his morning nap months ago

but he's not having it.  He falls asleep nearly every single morning either in the car seat as

we're running errands, or in the stroller while I'm out for a run.  He needs that little cat nap

to get him through until his afternoon nap, so I've quit trying to keep him awake. 

 He is quite the energetic boy, just like his big brother, so it's no wonder he needs all that

sleep to keep him going.  He has turned the corner from a sweet, innocent baby, into a

mischievous, instigating little brother. Don't get me wrong, he is still super sweet, the biggest

cuddle bug I know and doesn't like to be too far from his momma. But he is at the point now

where he can hold his own against Owen, and he doesn't hold back.  Owen can be standing

there and Joe will get this silly smile on his face, wrap his arms around Owen's legs and

bear hug tackle him.  It's pretty hilarious to watch.  They have officially started wrestling.  It's

a little terrifying because frustrations rise quickly between the two and you never know if one

is going to haul off and hit the other one when they've had enough.  But once you get past

the initial fear, it's actually quite funny to watch.

 

Joe is also testing Ryan and I a little more these days.  When asked to do something, he'll

respond with a defiant "no!"  Yet he does it with a smile on his face as if he's thinking,

"I wonder what they'll do if I say this."  And it's impossible to let him out of your sight even

for a few seconds because he is so fast and he will take off running.  We call him to try to

get him to come back, but to be honest, I think that makes him go even faster.  When we're

playing in the backyard I have to always make sure I have the gate closed.  Even when I do,

he finds ways to open it.  Then as soon as he breaks free he runs as fast as his little legs

can carry him.  He's in what I like to call the "exhausting phase" of toddlerhood.  

  

It's a good thing he has Owen to help keep him busy.  When Owen saw what we were doing

today he decided to jump in Joe's bed and join in the photo shoot.  It didn't take long before

it turned into an all out wrestling match.  Big surprise.  ;)

We're having so much fun watching these guys grow up together.  They truly care about

each other and enjoy being with one another.  Joe always needs a kiss and hug from Owen

before bed.  And when Owen gets out of school he runs right up to see Joe

and tell him that he missed him.  It's so sweet.

 Happy 2nd birthday sweet little Joe!!  We all love you so much!!