Adam is 2!!! Happy Birthday, Little Love!!!

So... the day has finally come (and now gone)... Little Love is 2!!!


It really was a wonderful day. Full of love, joy, fun... and tantrums (of course)... none at the party, at least)! Adam is 2 now, you know! :o)

Seriously, though, it was such a blessing to be able to share Little Love's birthday with family & friends. Adam had a great time at his birthday party at the Play Cafe. After his nap, he had a wonderful birthday dinner (with an amazing fruit tart cake) at Grandma's House. He was so cute, feeding berries to everyone!

Of course, I'm too tired (and sentimental) to write too much more now. The day was full of excitement and disbelief, as I knew it would be. After some rest, I hope to gather my thoughts so I can write more. I also plan to show some "then & now" photos and hopefully a slideshow of the past year. In the meantime, I'll leave you all with some photos of Adam's 2nd birthday:

Adam receiving his first birthday wishes of the day

Birthday hugs from Zayde

Adam and Grandma xoxo

Daddy with the decorations & balloons... of course, we had a "doggy" theme going on. :o)

We were so excited to see Cousin Claire (and cousins Paul and Jenn)! Thanks so much for making the trip from Baltimore... it meant a lot to us!!! :o)

Adam having lunch with 12 of his closest friends :o)

Blowing out the candles

Yum... cake!

Not a big fan of the birthday hat, as evidenced here

Birthday hug from Mama (apparently, the cupcake was more interesting than my hug!) :o)

What a fun birthday party!

Laughing with Dada (post-nap)

Having fun with Bobbe, Zayde & Dada at home

Happy Birthday, Little Love! Thank you for blessing us with so much happiness, joy & love this past year. You are *the most amazing* little boy who we Thank G-d each & every day for. You are literally a dream come true. We all love you with all of our hearts! Or, as you say, "Love you SO MUCH!!!" xoxoxo

Adam's final day as a 1-year-old (gulp)

So... this is it. Adam's final day as a 1-year-old. Wow. It's so surreal. We have been counting down to this day since January 1 and now it's almost here. I have to say... Little Love left his "1s" today with a lasting impression.

Let's start from the beginning... I was so excited all day about the weekend to come. I rushed home after work and Bobbe & Zayde (aka Hannah & Colin, my wonderful in-laws), were waiting for me. We went together to pick Adam up at school. Adam saw us in the mirror and gave us a really strange look and then started to smile. Bobbe & Zayde showered Adam with hugs & kisses and he immediately warmed up... talking up a storm, pointing out everybody & everything. It was a very sweet moment until Zayde put Adam down and Adam went up to Ryan and hit him right in the face. Yes, that is right... he just hit Ryan. For absolutely no reason. Both Miss Annie and I were shocked... literally speechless. Poor Ryan... he didn't cry but just looked so sad & confused as he is good buddies with Adam. After telling Adam we don't hit, he went up and hit another kid. Are you kidding me?!? I was seriously mortified, horrified, etc. This is *so* not Adam. Miss Annie (and all the aides) said they have never seen Adam act in this way before (um, Thank goodness) and were also shocked. Annie assured me that Adam was just overly excited & stimulated and didn't know what to do with himself. I am really hoping that is all it was. Of course, I'm now a little nervous about the big birthday party tomorrow... 15 of his little friend will be there... I hope he keeps his cool. Man! I was really hoping that we wouldn't have to deal with this aggressive behavior. :o( Any of you blog readers been here? Any advice?

Once we arrived back home with Bobbe & Zayde, Adam was his charming little self. He played in his kitchen and "cooked eggs" for all of us. He was fine until Steven came home. And then he lost it... burst into tears yelling "Bye Bye Dada, Bye Bye Dada". It was awful. He's been doing this on/off for the past 2 weeks and we're not sure why. After a few minutes of Steven being home, he's fine and loving Dada. We think it might be b/c he's afraid that I'll leave when Steven comes home??? Which I don't do??? Who knows. It's frustrating for us all, though.

After that, Adam had a fit over the bubbles. Then everyone went outside to play and I was left alone to catch my breath (seriously). Things were okay after that for about 30 minutes. Then Adam wanted apple juice and was told he couldn't have any (as it takes away his appetite for dinner. We offered water which he also likes. That didn't fly. He had some serious apple juice craving going on. When he found out that he couldn't have any, *HE PROCEEDED TO LOSE HIS MIND*. Seriously... He cried/screamed/wailed for what seemed like an hour. It was absolutely awful. And I gave in. I did. I gave him the f'ing apple juice. After that, he was fine for a while... until he couldn't get his way about something again. By now, I was about to seriously lose *MY* mind!!!

Everyone took off for Wegman's to buy dinner at that point. Adam and I just hung out here. He calmed down a little but not completely. By the time everyone came back, he was doing better. However, all he had for dinner was 1/2 a piece of cheese and 1.5 bottles of Pediasure. And a few green beans. Big sigh. Eventually, we went up for bed and read "Barney goes to the Dentist" 2x which he loves. After our book, Steven & I laid down with Adam on the floor (he loves that) and he snuggled up against me & Steven. And then... then it was okay again. He went to bed peacefully and fell asleep fast.

So... that was the last day of Adam as a 1 year old. Quite dramatic, huh?!? Leave it to Adam to leave his 1s with a bang!!!
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On a happier note, Adam received the BEST presents from Cousins Evan, Zach and Jake! He received a cutting board food set (which he loves loves loves), a cool alphabet drum (also loves) and legos (which he will love... we're going to wait another few days to open them). He spent at least an hour playing with the cutting board and food. Such great gifts! Thank you sooooo much, Evan, Zach, Jake, Aunt Samantha & Uncle Jeff! Wish you were here with us to celebrate... can't wait to see you all next week! Here are some photos of Adam playing with his new toys:




Of course, Adam also had fun playing with Bobbe & Zayde. Here is Adam checking Zayde's ears with his pink "ear checker":




Big day ahead tomorrow!!! Going to catch some ZZZs before the excitement begins!!! Lots of photos to come tomorrow after the big birthday party! :o)

Mr. Independent

I keep thinking of Kelly Clarkson's song "Miss Independent" when I think of Adam... Boy, is he ever (well, besides the "miss" part)! Adam has always been an independent kid... he likes to know mama & dada are around but then likes to run around without a care in the world. The past week, though, he has really taken it up a notch. He wants to do *everything*. I hear the term "Adam do it. Adam do it!!!" more times a day then I hear Mama (or close to it)! And if he isn't given the opportunity to "do it"... watch out! He is not a happy camper if he isn't given the chance to do something himself. Just today, Adam wanted to...

1. Pour the milk into his sippy cup... himself
2. Turn on/off all the lights... himself
3. Close all the doors (which he can still just reach)... himself
4. Open and close the safety gates... himself
5. Buckle himself into the carseat. He can actually do the top part but not the bottom, much to his frustration.
6. Take off his shoes... himself (he can undo the velcro, but that's about it. He had a fit when I "helped him" by taking them off)... as well as his socks (he can pretty easily do) and his shirt (can do once I pull one arm out of the sleeve... which of course he has a fit about).
7. Push the garage door opener (when leaving the house)
8. Push the button on the remote to unlock the car
9. Push the on/off buttons on the remote control for the TV
10. Push the buttons on the microwave

As mentioned above, if Adam doesn't get to do it OR if he struggles with something and needs a little assistance, he has an absolute fit (usually)... "ADAM DO IT! ADAM DO IT! ADAM DO IT!" all.day.long.

As mentioned in the previous post, Steven & I ARE truly thankful that he is so independent & confident. Really, we are. That being said, we now are beginning to understand how "The Terrible 2s" got their name!!!

And now,a rare quiet moment with Little Love:

Yes, I realize it's yet another photo of Adam sleeping. It's been really busy over here during the days and I keep forgetting my camera! However, I can guarantee that there will be a *TON* of photos taken this weekend for Adam's birthday!

Adam still LOVES the bumpers! Fortunately, he hasn't used them as a "stepping stool" to get out of the crib. Yet. He really just loves to sleep in his crib & it's the only time he's in there so I'm hoping this will not change!!!

Big Crib. Little Child.

In other news, we would like to wish a special congrats to Pamela, Mike & Addie on the addition of the newest member of the family. Can't wait to meet the little guy!

We also would like to wish a very happy birthday to Tomas & a belated happy birthday to Nathan. We're so sorry we missed both of your parties. Happy, Happy #2!!! :o)

The TTs have begun 4 days early...

I'm still in disbelief that my Little Love will be TWO YEARS OLD in 4 days. However, I shouldn't be, considering his recent behavior. He has officially entered his Terrible Twos (TT, for short)... I thought I had a few more days to go. HA... the TTs started the moment he turned one! Of course, they are more "emphasized" these days, as he is about to officially enter "The 2 Club". Let's see... in the past 36 hours, the following events have occurred:

1. Adam found a "G-d-only-knows-how-long-it's-been-there" pea under the couch. He proudly exclaimed "Old Pea"... and then promptly ran into his (play)house ("Adam hiding") with a big grin and... ate the pea (shocker, right)? Since the pea was so old, it took him a few minutes to chew it... "Adam ate old pea". Lovely.

2. I ran upstairs to get dressed this morning while Adam was playing. I walk down the stairs 2 minutes later (if that) to find that Adam knocked down the corral. That's right. He knocked down the gated corral... half of the corral was on the ground and the other was upright. He was incredibly proud of himself. Guess our corral days are over.

3. Adam has spilled the following items onto the floor in the last 36 hours (no exaggeration):

-- 1/2 a box of Nestle Quik (reduced sugar! high calcium! - who are we kidding? It's chocolate!) powder onto the floor which made a nice "smoky" mess. He was quite excited and kept going back to look at it after I banned him from the kitchen to clean it up. Of course, he didn't drink the milk afterwards, either.

-- 1/2 a yogurt smoothie... gulp, gulp, gulp... SPILL.

-- every.single.meal. that has been put in front of him for the past 2 days. Fortunately, though, he has been eating... we do observe "the 5 second rule", you know. :o)

-- apple juice... the remains from the empty bottle that he found when going through the trash can. Before knocking the trash can over. For the 10th time today. Must find new spot for the trash can ASAP.

-- pediasure bottles -- also remains from empty bottles found in the trash can. See above.

Too tired from all the above excitement to think of anything else. Oh yeah, forgot to mention the screaming/fits/temper tantrums whenever LL doesn't get his way... but that's been going on since Adam was 9 months old. Seriously. Of course, all this is forgotten every night as I recall all the hugs, kisses and absolute joy & happiness that I get from him every single day. As much as I "complain" about LL's mischievous ways, I am soooo thankful and grateful for all the "trouble" that he is able to get himself into -- that he is such a happy & healthy (Please G-d) toddler --a very little boy with a very big twinkle in his eyes!!! :o)

Seriously, though, who can resist this smile?!? (btw, this is an old photo, taken 2 months ago)!

*UPDATED* -- Top 11 Favorites of my "soon-to-be-no-longer-1" Little Love

As Little Love is getting ready to turn 2 in NINE DAYS, I thought I would write one more post about his 1-year-old current favorites... in no particular order, of course.

Adam's Top Eleven:
1. One new favorite has been "pretend play". Adam *loves* to play in his little house and enjoys cooking in all 3 of his play kitchens (don't ask). He likes to turn the oven on "hot", wear his "gloves" (since it's hot, you know) and cook food. Or have Mama cook food. We are definitely lacking in the play food area. Can anyone recommend some decent play food? The stuff we bought at Toys R Us is cheap and not fun. He loves these eggs that Bobbe bought him months ago so we tend to cook eggs quite often. :o) Adam also *loves* to clean (he definitely did not get that from his parents - ha!). His favorite thing is to vacuum. Riley has a Dirt Devil play vacuum and he just loved played with it. It looks and sounds so real and even picks up some dirt. Very cool. Of course, he also likes to sweep, wipe up messes, etc. He also *loves* to make messes. Pouring out juice is probably his #1 favorite thing to do. He laughs, smiles & points to the mess saying "Look what Adam did! Big Mess!". The kid's a character... never a dull moment with little love.

2. Adam loves the bath these days. He loves the tub paint that Zayde bought him and all his toys... especially the little cups. He likes to fill them with water and watch the water drip down. My mom is thinking of buying him a water table (for the deck) for his birthday. I'm all for that... he'll love it.


3. Outdoors. Adam loves to play outside, especially on a playground. He loves the slides and hates the swings. Interesting. We will continue to discover new parks this spring.

4. His Little Tykes playhouse, as mentioned above. It was a hand-me-down that was given to Michelle who gave it to us (Thanks again, Michelle!!!). Adam especially loves to hide in there. He also runs (bolts) to the house and closes the door whenever he has something he shouldn't. He then buries himself in the corner of the house and giggles. It's hilarious. My mom and I also heard him having little conversations in there today. We actually heard him say "How are you doing?"... we have no idea who he was saying it, too, but it was quite hilarious (at his age, at least!!!).



5. Adam is sooooo curious (as usual). He loves learning. We spend close to an hour every night looking at his "word books"... he wants to know what everything is. He especially likes photos of water, playgrounds, etc... all the nature stuff. :o)

6. Doggies... more than ever, if you can believe. He seriously sleeps with 8 doggies now, at last count. Current favorite right now is Baby Doggy (Gund Spunky)... I think his 2 year molars are coming in b/c he almost sucked poor Doggy's face off tonight!

7. Mama, Dada, Grandma, Bobbe, Zayde, Aunt Samantha, Uncle Jeff, Jakey, Evan, Zach, Uncle Steven, Aunt Elizabeth, Uncle Joey, Uncle Hillary (oops), Aunt Christioli, Miss Annie, Miss Nas, Jackie, Connor, Olivia, Nela, Rushan and Alivia (from "Annie's House" which is what he calls school now. He made up the name himself). These are the family members, adults & friends that he mentions nearly every day. It's very sweet.

8. Music, of course. Current favorite songs are "On the Way (Grandpa's Farm)" and "All the Raindrops" from his Barney CD. He asks for them everytime we're in the car. He can name about 20 songs now after just a few notes. Sad to say, Steven and I can, too.

9. Independence. All day long, I hear "Adam do it. Adam do it!!!". He wants to do *everything* himself. He has to get really frustrated to ask Mama or Dada for help in doing something nowadays. He has always been very careful and cautious (and fearless at the same time... an interesting combo) but is taking more risks biw. Recently, he has enjoyed climbing down the stairs, holding the railing and our hands (we have steep stairs)!

10. Making step stools from anything... lego boxes turned upside down, his wipes box turned upside down -- seriously, a toy crate, etc. and then climbing up on his "step stool" to reach onto the top of his dresser, the media center, the sink, etc. He gets so excited when his plan works and he's able to discover new things hiding "up above"... usually things that he shouldn't have (of course). We need to do a whole another round of baby-proofing one of these days!

11. Can't believe I forgot this one yesterday... Adam *loves* to hide! Whenever I tell him we have to leave somewhere in a few minutes, the next thing I know he's hiding. He picks good spots, too! We were at the Play Cafe today and I went to get his jacket... and, poof, he was gone. He was hiding in a play tunnel! Good thing another mom saw him b/c I wouldn't have & he's quiet as a mouse when hiding. He gets the giggles when I find him... we both do! He'll gladly tell me then that "Adam's hiding". He also "ran away" from me at Safeway tonight. I was ordering his birthday "cupcake-cake" and next thing I knew, he had a helium balloon in each hand, sprinting down the butter aisle... giggling the whole time. He is such a character!!! Never a dull moment, I'm telling you! :o)

There you have it... think this list could make Letterman's Show? You never know... Adam is certainly entertaining enough! Never a dull moment with this little guy! Seriously... he is the best... and so sweet & affectionate. Hopefully this will remain as the Terrible 2's are very fast approaching! :O)

"Did you say I'll be 2 in just 9 days? AAGH!!!"

Haven't seen this in a while...

Adam fell asleep in the car tonight... the first time he's done that in at least six months! He had a full day with Grandma today & didn't nap so I'm not too surprised. He woke up at 1 am with a low fever (last night) and then slept till normal time (7:30) this morning. He woke up sneezing & coughing with a runny nose but no fever (yay)! I had 2 doctor appointments (for me) and had a meeting at work so Adam spent the day at Grandma's house. Of course he had a great time and was in a good mood all day. He especially loved sweeping the porch with Grandma (he has his own "mini broom" there) and taking a walk to see Dakota the Dog (his favorite "real life" dog). Unfortunately, he still doesn't have an appetite but did eat Grandma's chicken noodle soup -- who wouldn't?!? It's my favorite, too. :o) He'll probably go back to school tomorrow unless his fever comes back or he's coughing excessively. Hopefully he'll be 100% by my next post!

On another note, Adam is finally beginning to outgrow his 18 month clothes (as you can probably see in this photo). His waist is tiny but he has a tummy. Time to go shopping for some 2T tops and 24 month old (yes, there is a distinction, Mom) pants! We have lots of cute stuff from Cousins Jake, Evan & Zach but are in need of some additional clothes. Works for me... I *love* to shop for Adam!!! So fun!!! :o)

"Nose Running. Need Tissue"

I heard Adam's sweet little voice at 5:06 A.M. on the monitor, calling for DaDa (which is somewhat unusual for him as he usually calls for me first). Since DaDa was sound asleep (with earplugs in!), Mama went in to see Adam. He immediately looked up and said: "Nose running. Need tissue". How precious (and sad) is that?!?

So we went to get him a tissue and he said "Mama, lay down" but I told him that it was still night time and I put him back in his crib. A few minutes later, as I was laying in bed, still half-asleep (and hoping to sleep for another hour before waking up for work) I realized that it was quite unusual for Adam to wake up at 5. So I went back in his room and, sure enough, he was HOT (huge sigh). I woke up Steven and he confirmed that he was, indeed, hot. Unfortunately, our $30 ear thermometer wasn't working (it kept reading 94 degrees) so we erred on the side on side of caution and gave Little Love some tylenol (which he hates). I thought he felt warm yesterday and he wasn't eating so I was a little worried this would happen. Plus, at least 4 kids in his Montessori school have a virus, too. Besides the temperature, Adam was in really good spirits (he even wanted "Mama cook eggs" in his play kitchen) so I felt okay going to work. Steven stayed with him until around noon and then Mom came over so Steven could go to work.

His temperature ranged from 100 - 100.7 without tylenol (low-grade) throughout the day (Steven bought a new -- cheaper -- thermometer this morning) and his mood continued to be good besides some clinginess and irritability. However, he refused to eat/drink anything (besides graham crackers and apple juice) and was coughing up a storm (so hard that he threw up his juice 3x this morning - lovely). So I decided to take him in to get checked out this evening. We went to a local after-hours clinic that accepts my insurance (sweet) and he was declared to have a virus. His ears look a little red and his glands are really swollen (tonsilitis) but the nurse practitioner was pretty confident that he'll be feeling okay by the end of the week. Here's hoping. Of course I'm still upset about him being sick... it's like a dark cloud hanging over me. I know I'm overreacting but it's so difficult seeing him sick... it just makes me nervous. Plus, I'm upset about the zero appetite since he's already lost 2 pounds this month (another deep sigh). I also get upset every time he has a fever (did you all hear that sigh?). Ah... the joys of first-time motherhood.

More partying!

Despite the weather being so lousy, we had a nice weekend. The highlight was Benjamin's birthday party yesterday. It was so fun to see so many of our friends. We all had a great time!

Adam, Addie and Asha on the tumbling wall. Hope Adam didn't have a dirty diaper, if so, poor Addie! ;o)

Adam & Nathan playing at the block table

Steven had a lot of fun, too! :o)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ben!!!

The partying wil continue next weekend as we celebrate Nathan's birthday! Adam absolutely loves all the parties. When we told him we were going to Benjamin's birthday party he said "play at party"! :o)

Hope you all had a great weekend, too!

Happy Birthday, Zayde!!

Dear Zayde,

Happy, Happy Birthday! It was fun singing "Happy Birthday" and "The Grand Old Duke of Yorke" on the phone tonight in your honor. :o) Hope you had a wonderful day and I can't wait to celebrate our March birthdays together in a few weeks.

Love You,

ADAM
xoxo

"Sunny Days, Sweeping the Clouds Away"...

I'm sure most of you recognize the title as the first line to the Sesame Street theme song. Sesame Street has become a new favorite show of Adam's so I thought the title was appropriate... it also was warm (but not really sunny) this weekend... yay! Adam went to the playground 4 times since Friday! Believe me, he would've stayed at the playground all weekend if he could.

On Saturday, we went to Olivia's birthday party at JW Tumbles Gym. Adam had a blast even though he was clearly surprised to see some of his friends (Oliva, Nila and Rashawn) outside of Montessori. Here are some photos from the party:

Playing with Nila

Mmm... apple juice!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Olivia!

Today, Grandma came over and the 4 of us headed to Frying Pan Park! Adam enjoyed seeing the animals but his favorite part was... the playground!!! He just enjoyed running around in the fresh air, as you can see:











Afterwards, we stopped at Babies R Us and Grandma got him this cool bubble machine. This is his 2nd one... he "wore out" the one Zayde bought him last year. As you can see, he clearly is still loving the bubbles!

Playing with his new bubble machine... with all his toys piled up behind him (which he insisted on doing an hour before)!

We really had a nice time this weekend and are LOVING the warm weather! Adam's sentences are expanding... today he said "Can I have a paper towel, please?"... sooo cute! The best news.... he is drinking MILK!!! Yahoo!!! Thanks again, Grandma... you are truly a LIFESAVER!!! He is drinking whole milk and I'm adding a tablespoon of Nestle Quik (reduced sugar). Definitely the best news of the weekend... Adam's 6 week milk strike has ended! Yahoo!

Wearing Grandma's glasses... I'm liking the studious look! :o)

Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend!

mysterious rash & other concerns

So... Adam has had a mysterious rash on his cheek for over a month now. It looked like it was probably windburn so I wasn't too concerned; I just put lots of aquaphor on it. It seemed to be getting better until yesterday when it seemed to be bigger & brighter than ever. He also has very little appetite the past few days and even got sick ("Adam threw up" as he puts it) this past weekend. So I decided it was best to take him in to the Dr. to get checked out.

The first thing they did was weigh him, of course. 23 lb. 14 oz (almost 24 pounds). Which means he has lost about 2 pounds in the last (almost) 3 months. SO UPSETTING. His weight percentile dropped from about the (almost) 25th %ile to the (just below) 10th %ile. Dr. F (our favorite Dr) and I only talked about it for a minute b/c he was so busy. At this time, he's not too concerned. He thinks it's probably b/c he has a little stomach virus and I shouldn't worry, he'll gain it back. He also got weighed at the other office during the last several appointments (the practice is huge with lots of doctors and 2 locations) so it could be a "scale discrepancy", too. He also had a relatively empty stomach. STILL. Almost 2 pounds is a lot to lose! It brings back lots of bad memories of worrying about his weight when I was pregnant (he was measuring "on the small side") and when he was born. Actually, I worried constantly about his weight until he was about 15 months old. Then I (finally) came to the realization that he's on the skinny side but seems to be healthy so I stopped worrying about it. Until today when I got that sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach when I heard his weight. I think the fact that he refuses to drink milk (or eat any milk products except for cheese) is part of the problem (he will drink the "kids orange juice" which has lots of calcium & vitamin D in it -- but no protein). We have tried everything but he just flat out refuses any milk product. Until today when Grandma came to the rescue (as always)! She poured some chocolate milk in a cup and said it was from the Muffin Man (he loves muffins). He actually drank it! Of course I would prefer him to drink "regular milk" (as opposed to chocolate) but it's a start, at least. I am trying to stay optimistic that he will gain this weight back and them some before his 2 year old check-up (in about 6 weeks... we're a few weeks behind on them). Have I mentioned before that I tend to worry? Those of you who know me "in real life" know this all too well!!!

Of course Dr. F looked at Adam's cheek rash, too. He also thinks that it's just windburn or exzema and we should apply aquaphor or vaseline to it 4x a day. Sounds easy enough.

I also asked Dr. F about his idiosyncracies (if that's the right word) such as moving his arms up & down when he's excited and shaking his head for no reason. He said that those are just some ways he communicates and that it's common for his age. He doesn't seem to have any concerns at all about his development since he speaks so well, is very affectionate, social, etc. Blog readers out there... do any of your kids do (or did) these things?!? If they do, let me know, so I know it's not just my kiddo! :)

Thanks for reading about my concerns. I know this wasn't the most fun post to read and I appreciate any (positive) feedback you all can give me. :) I really try not to mention my worries/concerns in Adam's blog but on days like this, it's hard not to.

I'll leave you with this photo of Adam & I. We were watching Barney together on the couch and Steven took the photo. It's taken from a very strange angle and isn't the most flattering of me but Little Love looks cute. :o)

1 month to #2 (aka 23 months)

That's right... Adam turned the big 23 months yesterday (2/28). We celebrated the day by getting Adam's picture taken at The Picture People. They are the cutest photos ever!!! Unfortunately I don't have a scanner or I would post them. If you're interested in seeing them, post a comment & I'll send you the link. :)

March is just a big ole countdown until Little Love's 2nd birthday for me. I have to admit that his birthday is somewhat bittersweet for me. "Bitter" in the sense that my baby is becoming a BIG BOY... as in no more baby. When LL was an infant it was truly impossible for me to imagine him as a toddler... especially during the first 6 months when the days/nights blended together. I remember when we lived at Grandma's (while our townhouse was being built) and my mom would come in to say good night. I thought that was so funny since there was no "night" for me... just one big long 24 hour day. Of course, I would love another week of that (just a week, though!)... to hold, rock & feed my little love again. On the "sweet" side, Adam is sooooo independent (has been since 5 months when he learned to scoot around) which is beyond wonderful (usually). Just now, when I closed the bathroom door, he insisted "No! Adam do it! Adam do it!"... he has to do everything himself these days. Believe me, I know how very fortunate we are to have such a bright, beautiful, happy & healthy (Thank You, G-d!!!) Little Love. He brings such incredible joy to us with his happy laugh, mischievous smile, cute little voice & adorable little swagger. :o)

Enough mushiness... I'm just getting so sentimental as the big #2 is approaching! Not too much has changed since the 22 month update. Adam is beginning to walk up & down the stairs (instead of crawling up & sliding down) and runs (instead of walking) when he's excited. He is also speaking longer sentences... usually 3-4 word sentences and sometimes a few sentences at once. For example, when he woke up & saw me he said: "Mama there (smile). Go downstairs (to) watch the Barney. A lot of doggies. Sleep Good". He also says things like "Where did Dada Go?", "Look what Adam did!", "Adam found a rock!", etc. He is also beginning to report things that have happened during the day. When we asked him on Friday how school (which he calls "Annie's House") was he said "Ryan Bite Rashan. He needed ice. Ryan crying for his mommy". I have no doubt this happened either b/c Ryan is a biter. Funny how Adam can tattle now. :) LL's talking is my absolute favorite thing about toddlerhood.

Adam's new favorite thing is finding spots to hide in... in his playhouse, behind his playhouse, under his crib, under tables & chairs, etc. He thinks he's very cute & clever hiding and likes "mama (to) cry" looking for him. :)

One of Adam's favorite hiding spots. He especially loves hiding when we're about to change his diaper or clothes.

We also gave him a Doctor Kit as an early birthday present. As you can see, it is pink. We believe in gender-free colors in this home (and it was the only Doctor Kit left)! :) He absolutely loves playing doctor... especially checking ears since he remembers Dr. F doing that during his last visit to the Doctor.

Wearing the pink stethoscope with pride

Checking Dada's ear... all clear!

Other ear looks good, too!

On a non-Adam note, I have been incredibly busy the past week which explains the lack of posts. There has been an incredibly stressful situation at work... won't bore you all with the details. Also, lots of fun stuff... had 2 baby showers this past week. We had High Tea at the Ritz Carlton for Pamela's shower (what a treat) and Rachel & I took out Angela & Kerry for a "mini shower" at Cheesecake Factory. Both showers were so much fun... so great to bond with the girls.

Kerry & Angela (due dates 3/9 & 3/10) with Rachel & I. Rachel made the diaper cakes... sooo nice!)

A special shout-out to Renee who gave birth to Zachary on Thursday! Congrats to Renee, Brian & Big Brother Nathan! :o)