Before having a child of my own, I would hear parents say that whatever stage/age their child was in it was the best one yet. I never really understood that until I had Evan and I can now say with no doubt that this age/stage that he is in is the best one yet!
Every day Evan is saying and doing something new that just blows my mind. Granted, I am his mom so even the little things blow me away, but they are still wonderful and shows me and those around him his laid back and funny personality. Awhile back I wrote about how I was worried that Evan's verbal skills were lacking and that I couldn't wait for him to start talking with us. Boy has that changed! He is talking more and more every day and putting entire sentences together. I know this is part of a child's developmental growth, but to hear my own son tell me things like "I want to go outside and swim" or "I'm done eating. I want down" or my favorite "I love you mommy" is mind blowing. For over a year I felt like verbal communication was a one way street and now to hear Evan interacting and answering my questions is fantastic! I feel like we've broken new ground and able to explore a whole new world. It also gives me more insight into Evan's personality. He is a huge jokester and likes to see the element of surprise on your face when he gets you with one of his jokes. For example, his favorite thing to do when you're tickling or play wrestling is to fake cry and as you go to pick him up or see if he's ok he starts laughing as hard as he can and then tackles you. Who knew a 2 year old could master the art of a fake out so well? I know I didn't!
I'd say one of the most awesome things that Evan is doing right now is potty training himself. Yep, you read that right....he is potty training HIMSELF! At Evan's 2 year check up his doctor told me to not start potty training yet as boys are usually slower to master it and if you start too young it could have negative effects. So, I decided to heed this advice and made a mental note to revisit it closer to him turning 3. One day we were hanging out in living room playing and Evan turns to me and says I have to go potty. Huh? I thought, but immediately took him into the bathroom where he promptly went potty. Thinking this was a fluke, but also praising him all night, I didn't think about it again. As the weeks went on, he got better at telling us when he had to go potty and he's now at a 50/50 success rate, which in my book is fantastic! Granted most of the time he wants to go #1 outside (thanks to John) so I feel a little weird opening the door to the backyard and "letting him out" like we would the dog, but hey whatever works right?!? He's also getting better at going #2 (in the potty thank goodness) although with not as much success rate as #1. I think a lot of this potty training comes from seeing his peers at daycare use the restroom, but the fact that he's put two and two together and wants to do it too shows how smart and determined he is. I'm hoping that this will continue and by the time he is 3 he'll have mastered the bathroom all on his own. Again, who would have known that I would have been blessed with such a determined smart little boy!? <----------yes I realize that's a proud mom talking.
Another thing that amazed me about Evan lately is how I can reason and explain things to him. Granted, I have to break things down to his level and he still has his moments of throwing temper tantrums. But, for the most part I can explain things and he'll take it in stride and tell me "ok, mommy" and move on with his day. I know he got this laid back trait from John and I'm so glad he did. He's also starting to understand feelings and have empathy for people. For example when I tell him that he can't pull on our dog, Rocco's, tail because it hurts him he'll get up and go hug Rocco and tell him he's sorry. One of the cutest things that I don't think I'll ever forget happened just the other day. I was sitting on the couch with my feet elevated because they were so swollen, and he came over and wanted me to get on the floor to play. I told him I would in 5 minutes but I need to rest for a second because my feet hurt. He then went down by my feet kissed and patted them. Talk about melting my heart!
I could go on and on with other examples and things that Evan is doing right now that amaze me, but those are the major changes that have really blown me away. And as I've heard other mom's say, this is the best stage yet and I can't wait to see what the next one brings!
My little cutie showing off those adorable dimples
Evan on his favorite ride at Chucky Cheese
Hot tub cutie
