Well, the title says it all! Daniel has reached the infamous age of 2 and every day we praise the Lord for what a sweet personality He has given him! Daniel has had many milestones this year, some of which I will try to post here for your enjoyment and also to aid my memory in the future!
A few days shy of 14 months Daniel lept into walking and has been going strong ever since! He is a running, climbing, playing boy in every way! He's always full of delightful energy.
Daniel handles correction generally well (you know what I mean parents - you always have "those" moments). And he is learning more every day. We are proud of him and find that often times the issue is more us and our consistency than any fault of his!
Over the year Daniel has become quite the proficient talker! I always say that he's just like his Daddy in this, a "very articulate" boy. He says new and large words without any trouble and you can understand pretty much everything that he says. The only word that I can think of that he says oddly is music. Strangely enough he started out saying it correctly, but now he says "whiskit" for some reason!?
He understands a good number of abstract concepts. From early on he has understood the concept of "another one" - when he was younger he would often point out that there was "another one" of a bus or animal and such. Now he understands the concepts of "later", "tomorrow", "after this" or "after that". He understands the difference between "big" and "small" - he pointed out to my mom the other evening while playing that he had a big and small fire engine. He understands the ideas of "missing" something and "forgot" something. And probably others that I just can't think of right now!
He can say the entire alphabet. Nope, he doesn't even miss L-M-N-O-P, but we've always said that part very slowly. :) And he counts up to eleven. He will also often identify that there are numbers or letters on certain objects.
Daniel eats very well by himself using silverware and (thank goodness) is a very neat eater. I'm so grateful to never have needed one of those floor mats!
He's also Mommy's little helper. For some time now he has greatly enjoyed helping Mommy bake and cook. His favorite thing to do is "dump in" the ingredients and, of course, sample things as we go! It brings the greatest delight to my heart when he sees the things that I've (we've) made and his eyes get all big and he says "Oooooooo..." in delight and desire! He got an John Deere apron and a bunch of cooking pans and utensils for his birthday so I'm anticipating a lot of fun Mommy/son baking time! In fact, we just made cookies today using his new kitchen stuff!
He is an avid reader and loves to be read to and takes great delight in getting new books. His favorite book right now is Richard Scary's "Cars and Trucks and Things that Go". He also loves Clifford books, Dr. Seuss and Boynton books. He can really sit for quite a long time which is wonderful, but often puts Mommy or Daddy to sleep.
We started potty training when he was 13 months, after months of learning to sit and be patient on the potty he finally got #1 down pat. And a few months later after resolving some digestive issues #2 is very consistent. We are super proud of his progress and attribute many of his other successes to some extent to the confidence and independence that potty training has given him.
Daniel has always loved music and dancing and that love has grown over time. He will dance to anything that has a good beat and he always wants to listen to music. He enjoys when Mommy and Daddy sing fun songs and since he was about 22 months or so he has started singing along with us when we sing to him.
Daniel recently moved up from the nursery at church to the 2 year old class. He has done very well with the transition and it has been good for him in many ways. Potty training has been easier in this class as they're more attuned to that need. Daniel enjoys the story times very much and has started singing new songs (that we have not taught him) that he has picked up in Sunday School!
Daniel loves Legos and building towers (and of course knocking them down!). He has recently developed a great love for matchbox cars too. He's a very independent player and enjoys roaming from one activity to the next.
Daniel is still a snugly boy and I'm holding on to that as long as I can! He gives hugs and kisses so willingly it is a blessing! And Mommy and Daddy's kisses still heal everything! There have been a few occasions recently where he has woken up early from his nap and when I have gone in to soothe him he has fallen asleep in my arms! I treasure those moments so much!
Daniel knows several Bibles verses now and every so often we try to teach him a new one. These are the verses that he knows right now:
"Children obey your parents."
"Rejoice always."
"Trust in the Lord"
"Be kind to everyone"
He loves being outside and playing in the yard and he enjoys "helping" Mommy in the garden. He also really enjoys going to the park and the swings have been a favorite, but lately the slide is the favorite attraction. Last time I took him the slide was literally the only thing he did the whole time!
He is a technological wonder and is obsessed with any and every gadget he can get his hands on! Of course isn't that true of all kids of this generation? He has several old cell phones that are his to play with. He knows how to unlock Daddy's touch screen phone as well as find the games to play and he always wants to be on the computer. Thankfully we have been pretty good at keeping him away from the TV and so we haven't had that issue. He just always wants to look at pictures and videos of himself or other little friends online. :)
I know that as soon as I publish this post I'm going to think of a million other things I want to put up here...but oh well. Hope you enjoyed it!
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