Almost Two

My baby in the mornings.

Eating Cheerios from the butter dish.

Drinking "mulk" from a real cup.

Sometimes I look at his baby pictures and I can't reconcile that the baby in those photos is the boy I have now. I thought things were so much fun then but he is so much more now. This evening, I caught him alone on my bed. He stands at the edge, saying "ready, jump" and throws his whole body backward on to the bed. Over and over, laughing at himself. He calls me in to watch, "MOM. MOM!"

Sometimes he calls me Mommy. When he's climbing into my lap as I sit on the steps outside, reading while he fills up a bucket of water to throw at me, "Mommy". His aim is way too good.

He tells the dogs to "lay down. NOW!" Just like me. I catch him and Newt, the dog we are watching for a few weeks, playing on the bed together. Jacob in only a teeshirt, draped over the puppy who is not allowed in bed.

He loves hummus and pita chips, pear cups, and homemade pizza. Spaghetti and blueberry waffles with syrup and whipped cream. He eats stale Goldfish, bags of white cheddar popcorn, and dry roasted peanuts. Edemame and pot stickers with me at lunch before I go to work.

Sometimes I dress him, but mostly he's just in a diaper and a shirt. We go to swimming lessons every morning. He jumped off the diving board the first time we went, no fear. Now he's afraid of getting splashed when he jumps so he won't go anymore. But I know he was fearless first. I plugged his nose today and took him under with me.

I carry him still, but today he was too heavy. He's growing up.

I can't wait.