Happy Birthday Ely!

It's hard to believe that Ely turns 2 this Sunday. It has been the most tumultuous 2 years of my life, and I struggle everday to hold onto memories as they are so quickly replaced by new ones. Ely has been my constant source of joy and wonderment in the past 2 years, and I've tried to be the best momma that I can be for him. He repays us daily in endless "huggies" and kisses.

As I look back on last year's birthday post, I am in awe of how far we have all come as a family, and how fast a child grows and develops. Since this blog is my baby-now-toddler-soon-kid book, I will try to repeat the format of last year.

Ely, at 2 years old, you are:
-31 pounds and 33.5 inches (90th percentile and 25th percentile, respectively). You have your daddy'y build - short but muscular and strong!
-Our "fart-little-smeller" - a funny way of telling him how smart he is!
-Recognizing ALL of your letters and can tell us a word that starts with each.
-Memorizing books. There are a few you can "read" by yourself just from memory, especially Going to Sleep on the Farm. You love to read and will sit before naps and bed for a half hour or more reading books with mom.
-Almost counting to 10. You count to 4, and then can count from 5 - 9, but somehow can't go straight through.
-Recognizing numbers 1-10, except for getting 6 and 9 mixed up.
-So good at all your colors. You know red, green, blue, yellow, white, black, brown, orange, purple, and sometimes gray and pink.
-Talking so well. You form total sentences, mostly complete with all verbs and even pronouns. You anunciate very difficult multi-syllable words (everybody, favorite, chocolate, butterfly, awesome).
-Obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and all things related. You have about 25 trains, a train table, about 10 DVDs with more than a hundred Thomas stories on them, and about 15 different Thomas books. Your favorite train is Gordon and your favorite DVD is Best of Gordon.
-Sleeping with all your "guys". Every night you have at least 15-20 smallish stuffed animals in your crib with you.
-Very focused. Ever since you were 6-months old and could sit and use your hands to play, you have been able to focus on very fine motor tasks for a long time, and you almost always seek perfection. So much like mama and daddy already.
-Creepily clean. I don't know any other 2-year-old that doesn't like to have dirty, sticky hands, or doesn't like to leave his tray a mess or toys all over the floor. You enjoy picking up carpet fuzz and throwing it in the garbage. Thanks for pointing out your parents' lack of deep-cleaning skills...
-Interested in several different characters on TV and in books. Thomas, obviously, and Mickey Mouse, Curious George, and Clifford to name a few. Curious George and the Puppies is one of your favorite books.
-Definitely experiencing the "terrible 2s" from time to time. You are independent and want your way, to the point of frustration for mom and dad. And you also crave attention from us, probably a product of having two parents that work outside the home. But overall, you are a happy kid and meltdowns never last long.
-A rough-and-tumble kid, with a sensitive side. You're always up for wrestling, tackling, and tickling, playing with monster trucks, and when the weather's nice, playing outside. But your feelings do get hurt easily and you need lots of reassurance from mom and dad.
-A very loved grandchild. "Grammy coming over?" and "Going to Pop's house-football?" are frequently-asked questions.
-Not potty trained yet. A new adventure for a new year!