Living with a Two-Year-Old: Part 3

I've decided that one of the reasons living with a two-year-old is so crazy is that everything is extreme. Things are either really great, or really terrible. Two-year-olds don't do things halfway. I want so badly to remember the little things I love about this age, and I want to make sure I record the crazy stuff so I have good stories to tell his kids when he's grown up! For the sake of record-keeping, I thought I'd record some of the fun, and not-so-fun things Cal has been up to lately.

Cal knows how to work doorknobs now. It's funny to hear, first thing in the morning, the thump-thump-thump of his little footy-pajamaed feet as he runs across his room, opens his door, runs across the hall, opens our door, and comes over to the side of the bed. I sleep with my face next to the edge of the bed, so when I open my eyes, his face is always about an inch from mine. He waits very patiently for me to open my eyes, but the second they're open, he says, "Tup?" -- which means, "Get me water now please."

Cal imitates us constantly. It's crazy how much more you think about what you're doing when you know a little person will be doing the same thing in 3 seconds! These next pictures are from the other day, when we went to the running store to buy Reed some new shoes. After dad got his feet diagnosed, Cal decided he'd better check out his own measurements:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: where do two-year-olds get all that energy. If I could harness it, and put it in pill form, I could live forever, make millions, and take on the world's problems. Here is Cal (still in the running store) running back and forth between the far wall and Mommy:

Cal loves to help. And yes, I'm using that word loosely. It is one of his favorite things to do. I'm not sure whether it stems from an independent streak, or if he's actually aiming to please, but he is insistent upon being right in the middle of the action when it comes to getting things done.

After a trip to Ikea:

Reed and I have a little joke. When Reed asks me how my day was, and I use the word "help" when talking about something Cal did, Reed automatically knows that it was a horrendous ordeal. For instance, the other day when we were making bread, Cal was a big help with the flour.

This next one goes along with "helping", but Cal really just thinks of it as fun. It is NOT fun for me, however. Cal LOVES playing with the dishes and water in the sink. I used to like it, because it always keeps him totally happy and busy for quite a while. But inevitably, he ends up soaking wet, and there is water all over the counter and floor. I'm torn on this one, because he loves it so much. Every time I say no, I feel like I'm a boring, mean mom. How about a bath instead, eh Cal? :)

We have a pretty good library system here in San Jose. I love it because I can request that the materials I want be delivered to our library branch down the street. Every time we go to pick up something, we go to the kids section and Cal gets to play. His favorite thing is the toddler computer (chip off the old block!). On a side note, it is scary how fast he has picked up on using the mouse and clicking what he wants. Kids these days. Cal also loves reading books, and I must give credit where credit is due: that love came from Daddy. Even when I've been too tired, or when I thought Cal was too young to even "get it", Reed has read multiple books to Cal every single night. They often read for so long, I go in to check on them. Reed patiently lets Cal choose which book he'd like next, and then reads it with voices, and asks Cal questions about all the pages. When I "sub" for Reed, it's hilarious: Cal will start doing something when I get to one of the pages, and Reed will come in and explain, "He's licking the ice cream cone. That's what we do when we get to the page about the letter 'i'." I love their little inside jokes, and I love that Reed [alone] has taught Cal to love reading.

Another not-so-fun thing: Cal is a picky eater. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are trying SO HARD to give him plenty of healthy options, and to cut back on the things he wants (like juice), so that he's hungry for real food. Here is a picture we took when the three of us went to Ikea. All he wanted to eat was his little cup of ketchup, so we encouraged him to eat his chicken tenders, too. Here's the facial expression we got in return:

Time for another good thing: Cal is a GREAT traveler. Whether by car or by plane, he is well-behaved and cooperative. Planes feel like an adventure to him, and while he wiggles a lot, he is quiet and containable. In the car, he reads his lift-the-flap book, or plays "Build a Train" on daddy's iPad. A great road-trip buddy -- so grateful for that!

(At the airport in San Jose, waiting for Daddy to pick us up)

Something frustrating: Cal will NOT let us take pictures of him. He NEVER looks up at us when we're trying to snap a photo. Just ignores us and keeps on doing whatever it is that he's doing. Drives me NUTS!

Cal is very sweet. He's always surprising us by running over to give a kiss, or handing me something I was looking for. Here is a shot of him handing me two yellow roses (that he's ripped out of a bouquet Reed had gotten for me):

He smiles and says "Teeku" (thank you) every time I get him something, without even being prompted. It makes me so happy to hear him say that.

Cal is very playful, and is always excited about playing a game. I took this photo in the middle of blowing raspberries to each other (I call that a "raspberry conversation"):

This next one still makes my stomach turn. It is SO HARD to get yourself ready, a two-year-old ready, a diaper-bag & purse ready to go, plus making sure Cal is fed and changed before leaving the house. This particular morning, I did all of that, trying to get out the door by a certain time to meet the other moms for a morning play group. I was rushing around upstairs (WITH Cal -- I still don't know WHEN he did this!), and finally, as we descended the stairs toward the front door, this came into view:

It's hard to believe that the photo above was caused by the photo below, isn't it?

My ace-in-the-hole, the activity I cling to as a sure-fire winner when I'm at my wit's end with Cal, is cooking or baking. He LOVES to help me put together a meal. And yes, I still mean "help". It is his favorite thing to do, but it takes lots of supervision. I'm okay with that.

Here he is making sugar cookies with his two friends:

I let him do whatever he wanted with the dough. We got a couple of good cookies out of it, and then he just pulverized it into little shredded clumps.
This is one of my favorite photos. He was working SO carefully, frosting his Christmas tree cookie. Then he picked it up, took a bite, set it down. And kept frosting with the same, careful intensity.

We love our nugget boy, but he may end up being the death of us. Who's placing bets? My money's on Cal! :)