Graham--2 years old!

Graham at two years old

• One of his true talents is jumping.  I'm not sure I know any toddlers who can jump repeatedly off of two feet as well as he can (He's been jumping off the ground since he was 14 months).  He can hold his own on the trampoline with the big kids.
• He's really a physically advanced kid--he can run fast, climb, jump and control his body well. He's got little fear.
• He loves being outside, loves dogs, loves running around with the big kids.
• Always talks about going to Gramma's house or Pop Pop's house.
• His talking has been slow but is really starting to take off. He's putting a few words together at a time ("more muffin, please.") and is saying a lot more words.
• He's well-mannered and says "please" and "thank you" often and without prompting.
• He goes down for naps and to bed well. He loves pointing out all the stars on his robot blanket. We often sing "You Are My Sunshine" or "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" at night, and he is so cute when he sings along with me.
• He loves music and will often start singing a related song if you mention the word boat, bus, spider, star, etc. He loves to watch Baby Bum on Netflix but also is liking Daniel Tiger lately. He's got a really good ear for melodies.
• We love how he says everyone's names in the family.  We're actually quite impressed with his ability to remember the names of friends and cousins.  He refers to himself as "Grambo."
• He is a pro at pushing chairs around the kitchen, so he can reach all the things mom doesn't want him to.
• He loves to color and draw. He mostly just draws little swirly lines but he does hold his writing utensil correctly!  He insists that we draw him dogs often.
• His eyes change so much when he's teasing or being mischievous. He makes sure to make eye contact, give you a sneaky grin and then take off running with whatever item he knows you don't want him to have. It might be a phone, a toy or a game piece. He thinks it's hilarious.
• He likes building towers and train tracks. He's always carrying around little Paw Patrol figures/finger puppets.
• He still pulls at his ear and sucks his fingers A LOT.
• He recently was given a haircut by his 3-year-old sister, which led to his first buzz cut.  It was so sad to cut off his long blonde hair!
• He tries to tell knock-knock jokes and frequently says, "Mommy, watch this!" throughout the day. Also a lot of "I see?" and "I try?"
• He loves look-and-find books.
• He has a cute little gasp that we hear a million times a day at things that aren't all that surprising or extraordinary.

Graham's birthday celebration
We celebrated twice for this two year old.  The day before his birthday, we teamed up with his bday buddy, Luther Swett, for a joint celebration that included pizza, cake and a slip 'n slide.  The next day (Sunday), We had a simple celebration that included the cutest little puppy cupcakes. Graham was thrilled.  He couldn't quite figure out how to blow out the candles.  He was so cute and sheepish about the whole thing. The video of it is adorable. It also took him a loooong time to decide to eat his cupcake. We have some cute video of him finally biting off the nose and then going in for some frosting--all without using his hands.  For his birthday, his sweet siblings all made him pictures; Emmett painted him some of Graham's favorite animal faces. He also got a new hooded bath towel, a Paw Patrol look & find book and a new scooter.

*One month later update:*
He talks so much these days!  His vocabulary is increasing exponentially, which is so fun. We hear a lot of "Lo!" (Look!), "My turn!" "Help me, Mommy!" (repeated over and over) and "Let's go, Mommy!" (as he pulls off my sheets).  He has such a fun personality.  Also, he's learned how to climb out of the pack 'n play and crib and also how to open doors, which has really changed what bedtime and nap time look like (not for the better). Also, loves Little Einsteins.