Brandon is 2!!!

 

 

 

 

Well our little boy is now our big boy. He turned two and was delighted to receive a train table from us. He LOVES trains and cars and anything with wheels really. It was a good birthday.

Brandon is such a good boy. He is sweet, smart and really very funny. He has learned so much in the past year and it seems that in the past few weeks he's really become a chatterbox. He speaks in full sentences now and it's not that often that we don't have any idea what he is saying. The fun thing is that he still signs to us occassionally too. I love that.

He has also discovered that he has some control and influence over the world around him and it's been interesting to see when he chooses to exercise that ability. We call it "being 2." We can't complain though. We see other kids in the stores and realize just how lucky we are that our 2 year old isn't like those 2 year olds.

Right now Brandon pretends to sleep when you ask him to do something he doesn't want to do. He will put his head down or against the nearest object (the wall, the sofa, the floor, whatever) and fake snoring, all the while staring at us. I know he's testing us, pushing his limits on purpose. Sometimes it's really funny and hard not to laugh at - other times, not so much. Most of the time it's all very benign. I've found that teaching him basic sign language is coming in very handy (ha!) even now. When he isn't listening or is "being 2" I have found that by speaking to him and signing to him at the same time it somehow breaks through the stubborness and he responds better. It doesn't work all the time but it does cut down on a lot of frustration.

His favorite movie at the moment is Disney's Cars. He can recite whole sections of it and sometimes starts before the scene actually is on screen. He even knows the songs and will sing parts before they start as well. It's very cute. The nice thing for us is that this is a good movie and we can still enjoy it even after a million times watching it. He also continues to like the Baby Einsteins videos, especially the ones where he can do the sign language with the kids on the screen. And the Einstein puppets always make him laugh, sometimes hysterically.

Brandon is becoming quite the singer too. He can sign almost all of the They Might Be Giants "Violin" song - I need to get that whole thing on video for you all to see. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is also a favorite. He sang that for Grandma Janet on the phone the other day. Too cute! We've put more kids CDs in the car and Brandon loves to listen to them. For you parents out there - The Laurie Berkner Band is a huge favorite of ours. She's got some really fun songs that we find ourselves humming or singing around the house (or at work!).

Our boy is also getting so much taller. He can see in to the kitchen drawers now when he pulls them out! And is pants are approaching the "almost too short" length. A month ago they were too long. I swear you blink and they grow up. He's 2! Brandon is 2! When did that happen?