Birthday Week!

Felix turned 2 on Wednesday and I took the morning off work. We had a leisurely breakfast and I let him open a gift before we took our traditional birthday trip to the zoo.

Figuring out his stackable IKEA characters.

Every May, the zoo has a dinosaur exhibit with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs throughout the park. They absolutely terrified Felix and almost ruined our morning! He was trembling and crying in fear within minutes of arriving, and it took him quite a while to calm down and enjoy the rest of the real animals. I didn't get many good pictures because he was so on edge.

This year he was tall enough to ride the boat "to Africa", so that was great fun. (He's very aware of the camera now and stifles his smile when feeling self-conscious.)

Trying hard not to smile on command - but the boat ride was so fun!

After the zoo, we had lunch on a lovely patio before heading to daycare/work for the afternoon. I also found out that my offer on a house was accepted. (Hoping the inspection works out this time.)

He ate his weight in tortellini, then napped for 3 hours.

Saturday was Felix's birthday party. Hauling everything to the park last year was SO much work, and it was hard keeping track of the kids near a busy playground and the river, so I decided to have it at home this year. We don't have a fully fenced back yard, so I borrowed some plastic safety fencing which happened to match the construction/truck theme. 

The kids got to personalize their own hard hats.

I do love our little yard.

Dinner was make-your-own-tacos followed by cake served in a dump truck. Felix oohed and ahhed at all the right times, and was appropriately excited by the "choo choo" I bought him and all the other gifts he received. He shyly looked away while we sang Happy Birthday, then huffed and puffed until he finally blew out both of his candles. (I'll update with more photos when I get them from my brother.) Uncle Brian and the kids wreaked havoc in the yard for about an hour after that.

After the party, Felix went home with my parents because I had tickets to a comedy show. When he woke up at home this morning it was like his birthday all over again. He immediately clutched his new trucks and said "My tuck. My tuck." When we got downstairs, he wanted to open his new soccer ball. Then he grabbed a party blower and the boats from his new water table and headed out into the back yard to play some more. His eyes were big as though he was thinking, "It WASN'T a dream!"

I have just been beside myself watching Felix enjoy his new toys today. He quickly learned how to connect the magnetic train cars (he flips one around if the magnets repel each other) and can take apart the track and put it back together. He calls "Choo choooo!" as it's coming around the track.

He knows to bounce the basketball and kick the soccer ball. He has a blast vrooming his boats around the water table and lifting/lowering the bridges. He is more talkative than ever, making sure I see everything by pointing and saying, "See Mommy, see?" I love how curious and patient he is, taking the time to figure out how things are done and then putting his theories to the test. I'm hopeful this means he will enjoy school and do well there, too.

And finally, something that has had me laughing all weekend. I hung up a banner that says "Happy Birthday Felix!" and Felix insists that it says "quack quack." Here's a short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPyKGBgZIp4

The Countdown to 2

Felix will be 2 in just a week. He's getting more independent every day and his language skills and antics continue to entertain me.

He doesn't know colors or shapes yet and he's nowhere near ready to start potty training (those seem to be standard toddler benchmarks.) But in everything he does, I can see the gears turning. He loves to study the world around him and see how things work. He is really focused on jumping lately. When I pick him up at daycare, the first thing he does is run over and jump, as if to show how much he's practiced during the day. He still can't stick the landing unless he's holding my hands.

His favorite words lately are gone and see. He combines them with words he already knows to ask questions and talk about where we've been and where we're going. "See mommy, see? Puppy." or "Baby gone? Hou." (When we leave the house of a friend with a baby.) He asks where we're going when we get in the car with "Boppa hou?" (Are we going to grandpa's house?) And everything that isn't in the room with us is "gone". I noticed a while ago he would say every word like a question, possibly seeking my confirmation he'd chosen the right words and was understood. But in the past couple of weeks he's started saying them more confidently, so not everything is a question.

After learning to blow air out his nose in swimming lessons, I had to reteach him to blow with his mouth so he can blow out candles next week. Anytime he hears the word "birthday", he says "hot" and blows out an imaginary candle. 

Pretending to sleep... with a smirk.

Helping with dinner.

He learned to press the keys and move the accordion to make music - I never showed him!

He can take his shirt, shoes and socks off. No pants yet.