Almost 2 - What??!

Dear Ez, you've grown a lot this past month. Not just in size, though I'm pretty sure you're taller, but your vocabulary, your independence, and your personality have all grown by leaps and bounds too. You're the same goofy, lovable, intelligent, cuddly clown you've always been, and I hope you stay that way forever. You're at a super cute age where your vocabulary grows daily, and we can actually understand you part of the time, but you still revert to that adorably earnest toddler babble half the time too. Not gonna lie, I love the toddler babble and I'll miss it when it's gone. 

You got your first haircut, which you hated, but I love how easy the maintenance is, and it makes you look like such a big boy. You went on your first Easter egg hunts, three this year to be exact, and now you're an old pro! You also went to your first NBA game - lucky boy! After numerous beach trips in the past two years, you finally decided you love the ocean. 

Last night you slept in your big boy bed for the first time. You made it about six hours before you woke up crying, and to be honest Mommy was a little sad to see you looking all grown up in your very own bed too. You've also gotten really good about helping clean up all your toys. You do it with minimal supervision, and you even put your various toys in their correct bins. Then you make sure to tell me "Good job!" and clap for yourself. 

Slowly but surely you're learning the fine art of exaggeration and playing your cuteness to your advantage. Like when a toy is out of your reach and you reach for it with an exaggerated grunt then give us a sweet smile, letting us know you want us to retrieve it for you. Nevermind that it's further from our reach than yours. Mommy doesn't fall for this trick anymore, but don't worry, you've still got the grandparents and uncles under your thumb! 

Likes:

- Headbutting my stomach - pretty sure you and your bro already have a bit of rivalry going on.

- Goodnight kisses - you give me half a dozen before you go to sleep, and I love each one of em.

- Blowing on your food before you eat it.

- Car Toy videos on YouTube - weird, but whatever floats your boat.

- Swings - you can't get enough. 

- Chasing Gangy & Grampa's cat around the house.

- Watching videos of himself. Little egomaniac.

- All 562 of your toy cars - seriously, how did your collection get to this point??

- Lining up said cars and trains in exactly the right order:

I know you didn't get your OCD organization skills from me...

Says: 

(in addition to all the stuff from 22 months)

- Elba (elephant)

- Papa (grampa)

- Gee-ja (Gangy)

- All better!

- Up (usually: upupup!)

- Down

- Out

- Bar (for larabar, or snack)

- Watermelon is mama, or sometimes wamama

- Banana is bamama

- Motorcycle is Dada (don't ask, he's been calling them that for awhile. And yes, he also calls Joe Dada.)

- Er-ra (Ezra)

- Happy Birthday (Hapa Be-a)

And many more that I'm sure I'm forgetting. He definitely tries to copy everything we say, and it's hard to keep track of all the new stuff that comes out of his mouth.

Eats:

- Fruit is always top of the list.

- Honey nut cheerios with milk.

- yogurt

Actually, the list is pretty much the same as last month.

Dislikes:

- Naps for a few days there. That had me scared. We had to watch 30 minutes of YouTube lullabies to get him to nap today. 

- Also, he hates sad-sounding lullabies. He started crying during twinkle twinkle little star, and he also cries every time his toy plays the happy birthday melody. Weird, I know.

- When Mommy does anything alone - aka going out, using the bathroom, etc. Separation anxiety seems stronger than ever.

And here are a few of our favorite clips from the past month (I say "our" because Ez loves watching himself on camera as much as I do!):