Derek, Just About a Month Before the Big 2

Derek is quickly approaching 2 years old! He is so funny and so lovable. He still loves "Kachow" or Disney/Pixar's "Cars." I think that's what I'm going to try to have as the theme for his birthday party. He will often fall asleep with two or three "Kachows" in his hands. If you'll notice in the pictures, he had to have "Kachow" playing with him in the snow. He also loves to play the Wii "Cars" game and MarioKart. He knows Mario, Yoshi, and calls Princess Peach, "mommy." That's how he gets me to play "Go Go" (MarioKart). He's getting better at it and can even make it through a whole lap every now and again! I was impressed.

We had a couple of good snow days that he was able to go out and play. He mostly likes to throw it and eat it. I tried to help him build a snowman but he kept eating it. He calls the snow, "nose," which I always find amusing.

He says a few things very distinctly, like, stuck, for instance is "scuss." He also says some pretty funny phrases like, "are you kidding me?" and "aww man!" His vocabulary is growing quickly and we have to watch what we say because he repeats just about everything. Not everything is completely understandable yet, but he's getting there. He also sings along with whatever music we're listening to. His favorite right now is anything from "Wow Wow Wubbzy." We went through a phase of listening to "Witch Doctor" and "Hot Dog!" from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse over and over again.



He gives lots of hugs and kisses. The other night, Derek was asleep and kinda woke up, found my hand, and put it under his face. He let out a little baby sigh and fell back asleep. It absolutely melted my heart. Those are the moments I live for. Just the other day, Tyler was taking my pregnancy picture for the week and Derek wanted in on it. He smiled and said, "cheese!" He kept giving me kisses and posing. It was adorable! It was the first time I've seen him ham it up for the camera. He usually gets this look on his face like, "okay, Mom, enough pictures!"

Derek can jump with both feet off the floor, which is apparently advanced as far as balance goes. I'm such a proud mama. He's getting those fine motor skills down as well. He eats with utensils, most of the time. I don't even put a bib on him most of the time anymore because he's not really that messy. Well, at least he doesn't get a lot of food on his clothing anymore. He still makes a mess. He's really good at picking things up with his thumb and forefinger. He can kick a ball. He tries to throw and catch as well. He stacks blocks. He's even starting with pretend play. That's a big milestone!

I can't believe my baby is almost 2. I can't believe he'll have a baby sister soon! It's probably going to rock his world. I hope everything goes well. I know there will be an adjustment. I'm just worried about it. I hope he still feels loved and appreciated and that he and Scarlett get along. When I ask Derek where Scarlett is, he points to my stomach. The first time he made the connection he said, "Oh there he is!" It made me laugh. How did I get such an adorable little boy? He is adored. Have you seen his eyelashes? I think he's beautiful.
And smart.
And amazing.