Bailey, 2 years old

Bailey at two years old:

Weight:  26 pounds (25th-50th percentile)
Height:  35 3/4 inches (90th percentile)
Head Circumference:  18 3/4 inches (25th-50th percentile)

-Bailey loves his baas, his Corolle baby doll, and his 2 loveys (we were smart enough to get several backup loveys after he threw his only one at the time out the car window in 5pm traffic.  Thankfully his sweet daddy was able to find it and ran out in the middle of traffic to rescue it.  It was so black and filthy - thank God for Oxiclean!!)

-He has become such a sweet snuggler and will often give the sweetest hugs for no apparent reason, not that one is needed.  :)  He will often ask for kisses before he leaves the table or goes into another room.  I love this.  One of his favorite pretend games is making a bed on the floor or couch, running over to turn off the lights, covering up with a blanket and going night-night.  It is the best to play along with these games because they always include lots of free snuggles!!

-When he gets a booboo he will often run over crying for a mandatory hug or back rub.  As soon as he gets what he needs, he will instantly stop crying and go back to playing.

-He's become a good little sleeper taking an awesome, consistent nap from 1-3/3:30 every afternoon.  He falls asleep hard and wakes up sweaty and a disoriented for a while.  He still tends to be a lighter sleeper than Ainsley was/is at night and wakes up if he is the slightest bit uncomfortable, stuffed up, or hears something unusual.  But unless he's really sick, he usually goes right back down.

-If he sees Ainsley upset he automatically gives her a hug and says sorry... what does that tell you about how often he's the offender or how well he understands our whole time-out routine.

-He is putting 2 words together more and more ("nite, nite, mommy" "there it is" "that please") and we are continually hearing new words from him - such a blessing.  But he still uses a lot of non-verbal signally as well too.  He often addresses George and I as "my dadda" and "my momma" respectively and it is one of my favorite things to hear.  When one of us comes home, he says will come running over saying "my dadda/momma!  yay!"  It is the best!  I'm not positive that he has a distinctive name for Ainsley yet, but recently I've heard him differentiate her as "Aa-ey".  So maybe that will evolve into Ainsley one of these days.  :)

-Loves school and gets so excited when we tell him that he gets to go see his teachers Ms. Nana and Ms. Mary.  His teachers say that he is one of the class leaders and is always eager to help out.  He insists on wearing his backpack on his back and carrying his lunch in his hand when we walk in and I still have to make him come back to give me a kiss and hug goodbye before I leave.  He is such a big boy!  And when I pick him up from the playground, it never fails, he is always racing the big dump trucks around the pretend road.

-After getting dressed most days, he comments about what is on his shirt.  His favorites are trains and trucks and makes their appropriate noises.  Sometimes when George gets home from work, he will run over and point out whatever is on his shirt or pants with much excitement.  I love it!

-Just like Ainsley at this age, Bailey could spend forever outside.  There is something about being in the fresh air that provides endless opportunity for imagination for him... plus, it couldn't be much easier for me as a mom since all I have to do is open the door.  :)  He especially loves pushing things with wheels (cars, bikes, scooters), poking the mud with sticks, uprooting flowers, and just running like a wild man.

-Bailey gets overly worried and distressed saying 'oh no' over and over when anything negative happens on a show he's watching or in a book we are reading, ie. if the truck gets stuck as part of the story plot line.  It is sweet to see him empathize but sometimes I worry that he is actually really worried about it.

-He adores Ainsley and follows her around wanting to do whatever she is doing... but still has quite a mind of his own and lets her know about it.  A few weeks ago, I found myself feeling like I was just the referee constantly breaking up their fights.  And now they spend so much time imagining and playing together and most of the time need little interference.  It is so sweet to see.

-He loves to sit on the counter and be my little sous chef in the kitchen.  I understand that it would be fun to make smoothies or help me crack eggs or add cheese to things, but Bailey will throw a fit just so that he can sit on the counter and watch me cook.  His interest is so odd to me because even if everything I'm doing is hot or sharp and the other option is watching TV, he will often choose to just hang out with me and watch.  Sweet boy.  I wonder if he culinary school is in his future.

-This boy is amazingly coordinated and advanced in his gross motor skills.  He definitely did not get these traits from me and I am constantly impressed with how quickly he picks up new active skills.  He is a fish in the water and was allowed to progress to a class above his age, even skipping two classes in between.  He can hit a ball off the tee, ride a tricycle, jump impressively far off things, climb everything, and masters something new each day. I know that some of this shouldn't come as a huge surprise since he crawled and walked so soon, but I am still so impressed by him in this area.  Definitely getting this guy into sports soon!

We love this little guy more than words can express and even though he makes each day more wild and messy, we wouldn't trade it for the world!  It has been such a blessing to watch him grow into a little person and I'm so excited to see how the Lord is going to continue to grow him!