2 1/2

Today Graesen turned 2 1/2 years old.  I cannot believe how old he is getting to be.  After work I picked Graesen up and I knew that he was going to be super tired.  I didn't want him to take a nap at 4 pm, because that never ends well when he naps in the late afternoon.  I decided to try and keep him up by doing something a little special.  I had a gift card to Starbucks, so I thought we could go celebrate his half birthday with apple cider and a cake pop.  He fell asleep on the way home anyways and I had to wake him up for dinner.

I thought that I would do a little update on Graesen today. 

• Weighs about 31 lbs (64.4%) and is around 38.75 in tall (95.5%)  when measured lying down.  I always measure him lying down, because when I measure him standing up he never stands totally straight and does a whole lot of wiggling.
• Size 3T and 4T clothes.  I had to start getting him 4T stuff, because he is really long waisted.
• Size 9-10 shoes
• Graesen is an oddly muscular 2 year old.  It is weird.  It probably has something to do with the fact that the kid never stops moving.
• Sings his ABCs (although he always does "h, i, j, k" twice).
• Can almost count to 20. He gets stuck on 15 and usually needs a little reminder.
• There is pretty much nothing the kid can't say.  He speaks in 7+ word sentences and carries on whole conversations.  
• Has been spelling his own name for over 1/2 a year.
• Graesen absolutely loves cars, trucks, trains, and airplanes.
• Firetrucks are his favorite, so the color red seems to be his favorite color.
• Can identify most colors.
• Loves yogurt, crackers, hot dogs, fries, bananas, cheese, pizza, and applesauce.
• Slightly obsessed with "Bob the Builder"
• Loves to sing songs.  Tonight he sang "Jesus Loves Me" to himself while lying in bed.
• After about 2 years of freaking out every time he went to the church nursery, he finally loves it.
• Calls all bikes "motorcycles" :)
• Graesen seems to be pretty confident in social situations.  I have taken him to the playground at the mall and watched him start a game by himself that all the other kids start to join in.  He can be a ring leader sometimes.
• I decided to hold off on potty training for a while.  With all the changes that are going on in his life I knew that now would not be the best time for it.  Many kids have to be re-potty trained after going through something stressful like a divorce.
• After finally getting to a point where he was sleeping well, Graesen's sleep is bad again.  He seems to be having nightmares and wants to be in bed with me and as close as possible.  This started getting bad around the time Evan and I split, so I think it may be an emotional or fear issue he is dealing with.  For that reason I am not fighting it at all.  If he needs me to be close all night long to help him feel secure then I will do it and worry about breaking the habit later.

A little over two weeks ago Evan and his family (plus Graesen) did professional photos.  It was an idea that I had a few months ago for a Christmas gift for Evan's parents.  Obviously, I didn't get to be in them.  I emailed the photographer to let her know I wouldn't be there (since I was the one who set it all up) and she was so sweet and offered to do a separate session of just Graesen and I for free!  I got the pictures today.  I love them!  I want to make sure to give the photographer (Vanessa) credit for these photos.  She did a great job and I would highly recommend her to anyone.  Her prices were also very reasonable.  Here is her website:  http://vanessakayphoto.blogspot.com/  If you live near me and want to get some pictures taken let me know and I would be happy to give you her information.