Dear Eliot: Two Years, Two Months

Dear Eliot,

I think I've settled into the idea of you being a two-year-old because I keep accidentally thinking you are two and a half years old since you will be that age when your brother comes this summer.  So, to take a step back to two and two months, well, that seems less crazy.  Plus, you seem to be doing everything lately, making you seem older.  I barely remember you as a baby anyway--you've been so BOY for so long.

For a few months, you have been quite interested in making things talk.  Your toys have conversations, your food talks, your feet even have something to say.  Sometimes we'll be in the car and you'll demand, "Talk, you!"  You're telling me to make your toy (or whatever) talk.

We've been working on numbers and sometimes you can get to four when counting things.  You've always wanted to have two of everything (one for each hand), so it is no surprise that you love pointing out when you have two of things.  Two crackers.  Two arms.  Two pacis (this looks funny and you knowww it).  Two cars.  Two shoes.  Two feet.  Oh yes.  Your feet....  You tell us all the time about your two "baby feet" or your "Eliot feet".  You love shoes; you hate socks.  And you sometimes put your shoes on all by yourself!

I used to count your words as you learned them.  I don't anymore (how could I?).  And then I used to understand everything you were saying.  I don't anymore because you are saying so many new words every day that I can't keep up as you learn to pronounce each word and phrase.  I understand about 90% of what you say and other people understand about 70%, I think.

I think we can say that you are left-handed now for sure.  You do everything with your left hand.  I think that means that you are supposed to be more emotionally and creatively inclined.  It shows!  You are always drawing, coloring, painting, taking pictures (which you are amazing at), making music with a harmonica or piano, singing some song...  You love doing everything that involves creativity.  When getting ready for bed, sometimes you sing the lullaby that I have sung to you since you were born.  You are crazy about taking photos with our phones (and the regular camera too) to the point that we are considering making you your own Instagram account.  Also, when you draw, you often draw this weird spiral symbol.  What is that?  You won't tell me!  You also draw sting ray families and sharks the most.

Your winter clothes are really getting snug on you, but I don't want to go buy you a new winter wardrobe with spring (hopefully) around the corner.  These clothes are mostly 18-24 months, so it will soon be time to pick out some 2T clothes for the spring and summer.  Clothes are confusing since you are taller than most boys your age, but you are also slimmer.  I will miss some of your winter outfits, but you have been wearing some of them since the fall (that's six months or more), so we're getting more use out of your clothes now that you are a toddler.

You are such a big kid and help yourself to whatever you want or think you need.  If I'm cooking, you pull a chair up next to me and "help".  If you want something in the pantry, you push a chair to the door and get yourself a snack.  You think hitting light switches is very awesome too, and we often find you standing on a chair while turning the lights off and on.

This month, you had your third professional haircut.  Each time you get more and more relaxed.  They just have to give you a lollipop and you sit still.  It's awesome.  After the lady brushed away all of the stray hairs, I realized that you truly are a dirty blond boy.  All of your light, light blond hairs that had been bleached from the sun were clipped away and your natural, sandy hair was all that remained.  This is the first time I've seen you with just darker hair because you didn't have hardly any hair at all last winter.  You look adorable both ways, but it sure is funny how much your hair changes in the summer.

Your dad picked out this fox hat from Target for you this winter.  He said he wanted something to really keep your head warm instead of the knit hats (with holes) that I often put on you.  That makes sense, and you seem to appreciate it.  You love your fox hat.  When we leave the house (especially if it is windy), you remind us to put your fox hat on.  One time when we were drawing together, you asked me to draw you.  I did and you pointed to your head and asked, "Fox hat?"  Yes, I had to draw the fox hat on your head for you.

We've tried to spend some time at the beach when it is at least a little warm.  I wasn't sure how you'd react because last summer you were scared at first.  When we went on Christmas day, you seemed afraid too, but it was really cold and windy.  This time, though, you loved it.  You played in the sand, chased the seagulls, and flirted with the waves.  You begged us to let you "TOUCH IT," so we'd hold you up and over the water.  Eventually, I got caught by a wave.  And it was colddd.  But you loved it, so it was worth it.  This spring, we'll go back more, even if it is too cold to play in the water.

It is growing more difficult to read to you because you want to read yourself!  You love to bring us book and will tolerate being read to for a while, but then you take the book and finish it up for us.

You're showing some signs of being interested in potty training, but we aren't taking the plunge quite yet.  Sometimes you tell us when you have a diaper and try to take off your pants.  And here's an embarrassing one for you in the future.  One time in the tub, you looked at me very concerned.  "Ew," you said.  "I pee pee in the water."  Nice sentence, buddy!

This month, you had your first metro ride into DC.  It didn't quite go as planned since the metro was being worked on, it was freezing to the point that it snowed some flurries, and we took you out way past nap time.  However, we had fun in the end and you loved looking at the dinosaur bones at the museum and taking pictures of everything.  On the metro, you kept saying, "All aboard!" and I had no idea that you even knew that phrase.

Your favorite movies are Cars and Cars 2 still.  Boy, it has been a year since you fell in love with these movies.  You really love the characters from Finding Nemo still and ask to watch Nemo Cars in bed, but if I put on Nemo instead of Cars, you protest.  "No!  Cars!  Mater!" and get the remote to change it.  Goodness, boy!  It has been a year of Cars!

Eliot, you are so smart and intuitive.  I can't believe all the things you do, say, and figure out.  When you were a newborn, I was afraid that I wouldn't be good enough for you.  I was afraid I would hold you back.  I hung on to each milestone as a sign that I was doing OK at being a mom.  But you have made it so easy.  We love you, boy, and I can't believe how quickly the time has gone.