Happy Birthday Ely!

It's hard to believe that Ely turns 2 this Sunday. It has been the most tumultuous 2 years of my life, and I struggle everday to hold onto memories as they are so quickly replaced by new ones. Ely has been my constant source of joy and wonderment in the past 2 years, and I've tried to be the best momma that I can be for him. He repays us daily in endless "huggies" and kisses.

As I look back on last year's birthday post, I am in awe of how far we have all come as a family, and how fast a child grows and develops. Since this blog is my baby-now-toddler-soon-kid book, I will try to repeat the format of last year.

Ely, at 2 years old, you are:
-31 pounds and 33.5 inches (90th percentile and 25th percentile, respectively). You have your daddy'y build - short but muscular and strong!
-Our "fart-little-smeller" - a funny way of telling him how smart he is!
-Recognizing ALL of your letters and can tell us a word that starts with each.
-Memorizing books. There are a few you can "read" by yourself just from memory, especially Going to Sleep on the Farm. You love to read and will sit before naps and bed for a half hour or more reading books with mom.
-Almost counting to 10. You count to 4, and then can count from 5 - 9, but somehow can't go straight through.
-Recognizing numbers 1-10, except for getting 6 and 9 mixed up.
-So good at all your colors. You know red, green, blue, yellow, white, black, brown, orange, purple, and sometimes gray and pink.
-Talking so well. You form total sentences, mostly complete with all verbs and even pronouns. You anunciate very difficult multi-syllable words (everybody, favorite, chocolate, butterfly, awesome).
-Obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and all things related. You have about 25 trains, a train table, about 10 DVDs with more than a hundred Thomas stories on them, and about 15 different Thomas books. Your favorite train is Gordon and your favorite DVD is Best of Gordon.
-Sleeping with all your "guys". Every night you have at least 15-20 smallish stuffed animals in your crib with you.
-Very focused. Ever since you were 6-months old and could sit and use your hands to play, you have been able to focus on very fine motor tasks for a long time, and you almost always seek perfection. So much like mama and daddy already.
-Creepily clean. I don't know any other 2-year-old that doesn't like to have dirty, sticky hands, or doesn't like to leave his tray a mess or toys all over the floor. You enjoy picking up carpet fuzz and throwing it in the garbage. Thanks for pointing out your parents' lack of deep-cleaning skills...
-Interested in several different characters on TV and in books. Thomas, obviously, and Mickey Mouse, Curious George, and Clifford to name a few. Curious George and the Puppies is one of your favorite books.
-Definitely experiencing the "terrible 2s" from time to time. You are independent and want your way, to the point of frustration for mom and dad. And you also crave attention from us, probably a product of having two parents that work outside the home. But overall, you are a happy kid and meltdowns never last long.
-A rough-and-tumble kid, with a sensitive side. You're always up for wrestling, tackling, and tickling, playing with monster trucks, and when the weather's nice, playing outside. But your feelings do get hurt easily and you need lots of reassurance from mom and dad.
-A very loved grandchild. "Grammy coming over?" and "Going to Pop's house-football?" are frequently-asked questions.
-Not potty trained yet. A new adventure for a new year!

On Being 2.

What must it be like to be 2? Nothing is a given, everything is trial and error, and more and more and more trial. Everything is funnier, scarier, more amazing, more confusing, and more beautiful. It's beyond just the "wonder in a child's eyes" - it's as if with every breath a 2-year-old takes, he is breathing in information, tasting the air, letting it soak in. At some point this new knowledge becomes embedded, the question no longer lingering. But I would just like to stop, right here, for a while.

"Can mom see me in here?"


"Hmmm...how did all that paint get on my arm?"


"Will they ever find me?"


"I wonder if I can read this by myself?"


"Will this giant frog fit in here?"

Top Ten Holiday Memories 2010

I could give you a play-by-play of Ely's second Christmas, but it might take a while since it felt like we were celebrating for a whole week! So I'm going to recycle what I did last year here.

Top Ten 2010 Holiday Memories
10. Getting the whole week from Christmas Eve to January 3 off of work - Thank you Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois! I spent a glorious week at home with Ely to play, relax, and spend quality time together. He finally starting saying "wuv you", which is almost always accompanied with a big "huggy" and a kiss.
As a return favor - shameless plug. Cookie Season starts January 8 and runs through the 24th. Order cookies from a Girl Scout you know because it so much more than a box of Thin Mints - it helps girls develop leadership skills, self-confidence, business sense, and long-lasting friendships! Shamless plug, end transmission.

9. Seeing Ely all dressed up in his little suspenders on Christmas Eve.
All dressed up in my suspenders, just like Dad!


8. Going over to visit some of Greg's relatives on Christmas Day, where Ely received a pair of metal handcuffs for Christmas. Yes, that's right, handcuffs. Hilarious. Beats the proverbial "ugly sweater from the weird aunt" cliche anyday.

7. Playing in the Mitchell Family Band...always a fun tradition that leaves my jaw aching and me wondering how I ever practiced the clarinet for 2 hours a day.
Our jam band


6. Usually gift-getting isn't nearly as fun to me as gift-giving, but this year, Greg and I unexpectedly got some awesome gifts. I got a new digital camera (woot!), we got 2 portable DVD players for the car to keep Ely busy while we finally take some longer road trips, and Greg and I got a Wii with all the accessories and a few games.

5. Not all memories are great ones...Ely got sick three days after Christmas and ended up with another double ear infection (third one of the winter already) as well as his 2-year molars coming in. He was VERY grouchy for half of my time home from work. Thankfully, we are seeing an ear-nose-throat doctor this week.

4. I was a very good girl and got up on Christmas Eve morning at my normal time of 4 a.m. to go to the gym. Of the 10 days I was off, I worked out for 5 of them. Catching Ely's head cold at the end of the week was the only thing that stopped me from going more!

3. Being able to celebrate Steph and Matt's recent engagement with them and getting asked to be in the wedding. Greg as a groomsman, me as a bridesmaid, and Ely as ringbearer. We are excited for August 13th!
Ely and his soon-to-be-Uncle Matt!


2. Having my mom and Gram over for Christmas morning for the second year. We all had fun watching Ely be goofy in his Santa hat and watching Greg open his funny presents. Who knew they made adult-size footy-pajamas?!?
Making cookies with Grammy


1. Watching our somewhat-huge investment of a train table, wooden tracks, and numerous Thomas the Tank Engine trains pay off. It's been 2 weeks and Ely won't stop playing with it. We've already bought some accessories and expansion packs! :)