Definately Two Years Old... September 16, 2008

Lately Noah has been showing some major two-year old characteristics and by the end of the day we are both exhausted from it all.  He is learning so much and I swear he does 90% of the talking in our family.  He doesn't do the classic toddler, "Why, Mommy?  Why?  Why?  Why?" thing yet, but he has his own versions.  He is constantly asking me "Where _________?" and "What_________?"  For instance, one of his favorites to ask when we are in the car is, "Mommy, what you doing in my car?"  I will tell him, "I'm driving you to Aunt Heidi's house (or whatever we're doing), and he will immediately ask me all over again, "Mommy, what you doing in my car?" and then ask me the same thing 5 more times.  I've noticed a big change in his language skills.  He is getting so good at talking!  He gives me an almost constant jibber jabber of his stream of conciousness and the big change is that he wants me to always be paying attention to what he is saying and asks me many, many questions to get me to talk back to him during it.

His imagination is my favorite thing lately to watch develop.  Just now as I type this, he's standing on the back of my chair and he's playing with the little fire truck Erin gave him.  He's pretending that my hair is the fire station and so he will pick up my hair and drive his fire truck under it to park it.

He's also taken to calling Daddy "Honey".  I guess I call him that a lot and it's funny to hear Noah repeat that.  We'll all be at home together and Chris will go into a different room and Noah will ask, "Where Honey go?"  like that's his real name!

He's also been doing some other classic two-year old things like battles over every thing he eats, getting off the naughty spot, hitting, pushing, kicking, running away at every opportunity...basically testing mine and his limits on everything he can come up with.  I seriously couldn't do this parenting thing by myself.  It's way harder than I ever imagined it to be to be a good parent, and believe me I spent A LOT of time imagining it.  I'm so grateful for Chris!  I'm hoping that if I spend most of the time writing about all the good moments, and there are so many of them, that in later years I'll forget the tiring, frustrating moments and only remember the good ones.