2-1/2!

Someone around here turned two-and-a-half years old last Wednesday... I can't believe that he's over halfway to three. That seems way too big! He's acting so much older these days, too. Speaking more clearly and more maturely, remembering so many things, understanding things we never would have guessed that he'd be able to comprehend... And the list goes on.

Some things that are making us smile these days:

- Questions like "Where go?" and "Who is?," the latter of which also means "What is it?" Also, "Daddy help you?" meaning, "Daddy, will you help me?"

- Singing songs from memory - and what a memory he has! Right now his favorite is Anthem Lights' "I Wanna Know You Like That." 

- Upon waking from his nap, immediately remembering exactly what it was we were talking about doing when he woke up and running to go do whatever it is. (i.e. Eyes open, AJ says "No rain? No rain on the sandbox? Play in the sandbox!" while running to the back door.)

- Talking about the baby, what baby will be doing once he or she is born, and about the birth. AJ is very excited to cut baby's cord, but always reminds us "No kid scissors."

- Asking for something (usually something to eat - he always wants something to eat), then nodding and grinning at us while saying "Yeeesss," as if that guarantees a favorable response. Unfortunately it doesn't always work, but it does always make us smile. Hopefully we'll get that on video sometime soon!

- Getting excited about recognizing letters. We don't do any kind of remotely formal learning around here; the most in-depth we get about the alphabet is reading "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" (boy does he love that book!). But he's still recognizing "K about to cry!" and W, and "L knotted like a tie!," among a few other letters. He also asks us to write specific letters down on paper ("Big F, little f!"), and is even noticing the letters on highway signs.

- Remembering the author and illustrator of the books we read. It's not something we stress a lot while we read, beyond saying their names right after we read the title, but he's picked up on it anyway. He knows that all of the Bear books are written by "Karma Wilson" and illustrated by "Jane Chapman," that Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is written by Bill Martin "Jr! and John Archambault" and illustrated by "Lois Elhert," and that Hello Baby is written by "Jenni Overend."

- Asking questions about Jesus and heaven; for example: "Surfing in heaven?" I can only imagine how fun it's going to be to talk about what heaven really is or isn't like someday... I imagine remembering his questions are going to give us quite a few laughs up there!

- While watching football with Daddy, AJ started running around the living room in circles before falling down and fumbling the ball. Why? Because that's what he'd just seen the Cowboys do - no lie! We, of course, cracked up, and now when we ask him how the Cowboy's play he does the same thing - and we didn't even have to teach him! ;)

- Our boy has become a pretty good napper and sleeper; he naps around 10am for an hour or so, depending on when Daddy comes home from work. The second that front door starts to open, though, AJ is wide awake and ready to see his daddy! At nighttime, he falls asleep in his room and stays there until about 6:30am or so, most days. While I've been on bed rest, he falls asleep with me on the days that James has school or volunteering (three nights a week, total) and then gets carried to bed once James gets home. He usually nurses just once in the morning; pregnancy has made nursing drive me a little crazy, so I'm looking forward to things going back to normal - albeit a new normal - once baby is here. Every once in awhile AJ will talk about baby nursing too, and it's nice to hear him sound so at ease with the idea.*

We tried to take a few photos on Wednesday while we were downtown, before going upstairs to our midwife's office, but someone was a little too quick for us. Here's the best we could do:

Hiding his grin behind Daddy's shoulder.

Blurry boy: The best picture we could get!

This would be why...

There were too many birds to chase!

Happy Two-and-a-Half Years, AJ! We so love watching the little boy you are becoming, and we are so thankful God chose us to be your parents!

*I know that the subject of toddler nursing makes some people uncomfortable, but as a mama, I know how encouraging it can be to find that you're not alone in this often-not-talked-about part of mothering. So, it is in that spirit of encouragement and camaraderie that I write about it in this space. It is my hope that in not hiding this part of our lives, nursing can once again become normal (and far from newsworthy) for those who come after us, especially for our children and their families in the future.