Luke's 2 Year Update

Have we really arrived at TWO years old? Wow! We are learning just truly how much vigilance parenting requires with a toddler. You can't relax for a minute. It seems every one is a teachable moment and we have one spunky, willful kid. But I must say, he is FUN kid. He's the one everyone wants to play with in the nursery at church and at school. He loves to be silly and the center of attention and has already mastered the idea of class clown. Sounds like a Gillespie. :)

Our 2 year updates:

• Weight 30 lbs, 4 oz, 75th percentile.
• Height 36 inches, 90th percentile.  Our Ped said that since he has been in the 90th % since 18 months he will likely be 6'1 or 6'2. Wow! I have mixed feelings about this because it makes me fast forward to a grown-up Luke, and I am not at all ready for that!
• Wears size 5 diapers, 24 month-2T pants, 2T-3T shirts
• Talks in 2, 3 and 4 word phrases and sentences
• Has a great sense of humor and loves to be silly and laugh. Laughs out loud at things he finds funny on TV or computer.
• Sleeps under a crib tent. He started trying to climb out of his crib at 22 months (way later than I expected) and would get nervous at the top and basically get stuck, then scream for mom and dad. Rather than risk him falling from that perch and breaking an arm, enter the crib tent. He was unsure at first, but he quickly grew to love his little tent bed. 
• Will often ask to go to bed for a nap or bedtime. He's a lot like I was as a toddler in that way.
• Is beginning to understand and accept deductive reasoning like first...then...  I use this a lot with food, "First, 3 more bites, then you can play."
• Is the pickiest, most difficult child to feed that I know. Seriously, it kills me. And he would rather not eat than eat something he doesn't like, except that he then gets grouchy. This is going to be a LONG battle of wills, I know. Thankfully, some of his favorites include most fruit, hummus and pretzels, Annie's organic mac and cheese, peanut butter, eggs, oatmeal, etc. However, he has also discovered more of the sweets world than I would like, and the kid has his daddy's sweet tooth. He loves ice cream, cookies, cake, and chocolate. A good deal of our "first...,then..." has to do with lunch or dinner before any sweets. 

With his growing independence, I wanted him to have a little table all his own. I love this one and he does, too. He eats most of his meals at it. 

We went to Barney Live the weekend of his birthday and this failed to make the birthday post. It was so much fun to watch him register the fact that Barney existed outside of TV. He loved it, but wasn't quite ready to sit still through the entire show. We took a few breaks to explore the lobby. 

The iPhone and iTouch have become our lifesavers. I didn't want to be one of those parents whose kid was always glued to a TV/DVD screen, but seriously, there are times and places where this is such a must for us. 

Showing off some of his silliness. I let him "cook" some Cherrios in a mixing bowl with measuring cups and a big spoon to keep him occupied while I cooked, and he now refuses to eat Cheerios in any other bowl. He also demands his measuring cups and a big spoon. 

See, showing off his big spoon. Crazy kid. 

I may not post Luke updates quite as regularly as we launch into year THREE, but I will definitely continue to share the fun times in our lives as they come and go. This blog is as much a journal for me as it is for those of you family and friends who enjoy keeping up with us!