Max is Two and a Half!!!

Dear Max,

I can't believe that today you turned 2 and a half!!  That's 30 months old!!! Where did the time go? You have done so much growing and learning in such a short amount of time. Having a brand new baby in the house makes this just that much more apparent.

You are such a smart little boy - you know your ABC's and can sing the song and identify all your letters. You can count to twenty and identify numbers through ten. You've known all your colors for sometime now, and now you know your shapes too: triangle, diamond, hexagon, circle, crescent, square, rectangle, oval, octagon, heart, and, my favorite, the rhombus!!!  You love to sing, and you love everything about being outside: the dirt, the bugs, the animals, hiding under trees, blowing (green NOT purple) bubbles, watering plants, helping mommy plant the garden. You love to go to the playground and one of your favorite things to do there is still the swings. You also like crossing the bridge and walking around the little pond imitating the birds and picking up willow branches that have fallen down.

You are getting into sports more and more. Throwing and kicking balls, swinging your golf clubs.

You still love to do puzzles and love to read books. We often hear 'do it again' when you want us to reread a favorite ... which nowadays could be: Green Eggs and Ham, Where the Wild Things Are, The Monster at the End of This Book, or Curious George.

Sometimes in the morning when we get dressed, you like to help pick out the color of your shirt, other times it is 'mommy do it...'. But you always pick out your socks, and you are pretty good about matching your socks with your shirt.

Bedtime and naptime are pretty uneventful and easy. You generally sleep 10-11 hrs at night from 7:30-8pm to 6:30-7am. You still take good naps - usually around 2.5 - 3 hrs from 12:30-3:30.  You have to have 'blue blankie' with you for sleeping...and you have to be holding onto the special 'tag'...not the big tag, but a little tag that you flick back and forth with your thumb so much it is getting worn out...

You are also a good eater - still prefering veggies ( green especially) and fruits. You are getting better about eating meat.

Your vocabary has exploded, and it seems you always have something to say. Sometimes it is awfully silly, and other times it seems profound for a child your age...

You love to help mommy with chores, which makes cleaning a lot more fun. It is especially more fun if we sing a song while we do it. We have special songs for cleaning, brushing our teeth, washing up in the bath, washing our hands and using the potty.

You do have a few favorite tv shows or movies: your most 'flavorite' being Max and Ruby, but followed closely by Nemo, Curious George, Wall-E, and Word World.

I can still count on getting some snuggles from you - sometimes they come when I least expect it (or when I can't reciprocate). This morning you told me "that's enough snuggles, mommy"...which made me laugh...

Other favorite toys/games include: anything on mom's iTouch, your train table, your 'beep beep', books, puzzles, vacuuming with your corn popper, 'checking your email' (LOL), and playing outside.

I am so proud of you for how you took getting a new baby brother all in stride. From the first day you met him, you've been nothing but excited, proud, posessive and empathetic. It makes me so happy and hopeful that the two of you will share a close and deep brotherly bond. When Sam cries, you respond with "it's ok, Sammy Sam". It warms my heart.

You are an adorable, bright, and wonderful child. You have a loving personality that shines for all to see. Even when you are being naughty, daddy and I have to fight back the smiles, and we remark how cleverly you are able to act up, just by twisting the rules a little bit...

Two and a half years of life with you has been a fun adventure - learning our strengths and weaknesses as human beings and finding patience where we did not think it existed. but it has also taught us the depths of love and just how far we'd go for family.

I can't wait to see what is in store for you on life's path. I do know that it will be filled with richness and love.

Love always,

Mom