Tommy is TWO!!!

I can hardly believe it. My little boy's birthday is today and he is two already! I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by. It feels like it was just a few months ago I was in the middle of preparing for his first birthday!Some fun Tommy facts:

Height: We measured him the other day and he is exactly 36" inches tall.

Weight: He is somewhere between 35 and 37 pounds. He is a very big, strong and healthy boy!

Size: Right now he wears a variety of sizes from 24 months all the way to 3T. It depends on who makes it and if it's a shirt or a pair of shorts or pants. Because his head is so large we have to get larger shirts just to go over it.

Teeth: He has all of his chompers and I am pretty sure we are working on getting those two year molars in right now.

Favorite Sayings: "I need, I need!" - Usually he says this when he's hungry and is standing by the refrigerator. "I like trucks!" - When we pass by a semi on the highway. "Ball in the sky!" - Whenever we leave our house and pass by a huge round water tower. Somehow it became the ball in the sky that he likes to talk to. "Boogers!" - This is how he lets us know he needs his nose wiped. "Dimming and bubbles." - He asks to go swimming ALL the time. "Omagoodness!" - he says this when he wants to make us laugh, because we will every time! There are a zillion other things I could put here because he talks so much, but those are just a few of my favorites.

Favorite Foods: Fishsticks, cottage cheese, broccoli, corn, strawberries, oatmeal, olives, eggs, macaroni and cheese, beans, bacon and of course anything SWEET. He loves his sweets so we have to be careful how much we let him have.
Favorite Toys: TRUCKS. The boy is into trucks. And he totally knows the difference between his toddler-friendly trucks and realistic looking trucks because he only plays with the newer trucks he has that look like the real thing. He also loves his Alphabet Train and his apple toy. Both of them make lots of obnoxious noise but they help teach him letters and the sounds the letters make.

Favorite Shows: Dora the Explorer, Wonder Pets, and Yo Gabba Gabba. Still his favorite three!

Favorite Books: Goodnight Moon, Dr. Suess' ABC's, Ten Wiggly Wriggly Caterpillars, and all of the books we have about trucks and tractors and construction vehicles. He loves books and reads them all day long.Other random facts:

Tommy loves the outdoors. He would play outside all day long, every single day if he could. Unfortunately, with the scorching hot summers we have here, we have to limit when he can go outside to play.

He loves the water. He loves to swim, play in the sprinkler, and take baths. The other day he poured a big cup of water on the front porch and proceeded to lay down in it so he could wet. The theme for his 2nd birthday is all about water since he loves it so much!

Tommy no longer thinks picking his nose is funny. He's moved on to trying to pick my nose now. And yours too. So watch out, he will totally come after you.

He kind of hates going to church. He screams NO! at us as soon as we make the exit off the highway.

I'm convinced he's a genius. He knows all of his ABC's - both upper and lower case. He knows his numbers 1 to 10 and he can count to 20. And he knows all of his shapes and colors. Right now we are working on what sounds each letter makes. He can also recognize his name when he sees it written out. He knows that T-O-M-M-Y spells Tommy!

He loves to make himself burp. Though thankfully he's caught on to saying "Excuse me" when he does.

Tommy is still very cautious around new people. He has to feel safe and comfortable in an environment before acting like himself. But when he does get to the point where he feels comfortable, he's a total ham and show-off and he loves to make people laugh.

We are not yet potty training, but we talk about it a lot. Our plan is to keep talking about it and reading books about the potty, so that when we are ready to begin, the subject is very familiar to him. And for the record - I am the one who isn't ready. I think he is ready to start. But, I'm kind of dreading it and I keep hoping that maybe he will just wake up and it will happen?

He is still in his crib for now. I know he could climb out of it if he wanted to, but he hasn't tried yet. As soon as we get a few things for his room, we will be making a transition to a big boy bed though. We are skipping a toddler bed and going to straight to a twin and putting a safety rail on it. We figured it would be one more transition we wouldn't have to make. In the next couple of months we will probably make that change.

Mommy thoughts:

I think what I've been struck by most recently is the fact that we are influencing him spiritually. We pray at night and sing Jesus loves me all of the time. But it hit me a couple of weeks ago that we are the first people that he will hear about Jesus from. It's something I think I am taking more seriously than I was before. As children, the first people that have the opportunity to influence our beliefs are our parents and families. And my heart's greatest desire is that Tommy will know God in his own unique way just as I have. I don't want him just go to church or know the ten commandments and participate in Bible scripture groups and attend VBS. All of those things are great, but I want him to know and experience God in a way that is personal for him and his own story. As I have thought of the weight of what that really means, it's felt heavy to think about and it's a place that I will have to trust God with. Tommy will have his own faith. Todd and I are merely here to teach and influence and help and guide and I guess it feels scary to think that we can't force him into anything. And I wouldn't want to force God on him anyway. I want him to know why he believes what he believes and not just believe it because of what we have said. I guess I'm hoping that he will see through the marriage Todd and I share and how we do things as a family, that God is at the center of it and he will want that for himself too.

Since we are unsure if we will ever have any other kids, I really purpose to enjoy everything that I can with him. I don't want to miss out on anything. I try to play and read and be present for him, especially when I get off work and my body just wants to rest. He is so energetic and full of life and I am so grateful for the places he invites me to be active and get outside. His precious little life is a constant reminder of God's heart for me. Tommy impacts our own stories as much as we are shaping his.

Of course some days are harder than others. As we are getting our feet wet with discipline and teaching him some good behaviors (like not screaming at us or others), it definitely comes with its share of challenges and there are moments when I just need a moment to cry or breathe or regather myself. Those moments definitely happen from time to time!

It's still hard to believe that two years ago today he made his entrance into the world. Our lives were forever changed on July 21, 2009 at 5:58pm. I heard his first cries and looked at his little face for the very first time. And now, that little bundle-wrapped miracle is two years old today. He will forever be an answer to one of my biggest prayers.
This weekend is his 2nd birthday party and I can't wait to celebrate! Stay tuned for pictures of the best birthday ever next week!