Happy 2nd Birthday, Zander!!

Dear Zander,

 

You are such a big boy now!! When I ask you how old you will be... you proudly say "twwwwooooo".  Just today, I started with the number one and asked you what came next.... you confidently said two and then three!  You are such a sponge soaking up everything you hear around you.  (Mommy and daddy might have to start being more careful about what they say around your little ears! ;))  You love any type of sports balls.... so that is why your shirt has these on it.  You love all kinds of animals too!  You are can say almost any animal sound when you see a picture or live animal that represents the sound you are making  (my favorite is the sound a horse makes!).  You are starting to put three words together in phrases such as "here you go"!  You love saying "hi mommy, hi daddy, bye mommy, bye daddy".  I still think your favorite words are mommy and daddy because you say these the most and get instant feedback from whichever family member you are referring to.  You still love your dog, Burke.  You can't all the way say "Burke" but you say something that you associate with your pup!  You love petting him and throwing your toys toward him to see if he will play with you.  (Burke's favorites are your stuffed animals!)  You are getting really good at throwing a ball and have started to catch the ball (from a short distance away).  You love anything that has wheels and get really excited when you see an airplane in the sky while we are driving in the car. 

 

My favorite time of day with you is right before bed.... these bedtime cuddles are priceless...... I love our nighttime routine of a bedtime story, prayer (you always say "amen" at the end) and singing a few songs with you in my arms.  As I put you in your crib, you will say "bye bye" or "night night".  You have NO desire to be potty-trained anytime soon!! For a period of time, you would sit on the potty and I thought we were heading in the right direction.  But one day you happened to poop all over our bathroom floor and it freaked you out!  You have refused to go near your potty ever since.  We are going to revisit this over the summer when you are no longer traumatized by your one failed experience.  You love reading books!  You are able to turn the pages and even turn the book so the words are right side up!  You are a wonderful sleeper!-THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! You do great at naptime and bedtime.  (I have probably just jinxed us!)  You are not a good eater!  You love anything that combines bread and cheese but are not really good at trying new things..... if they are a color or texture you don't like... forget it! 

 

Zander... we love everything about you!! We love how you give hugs to everyone before we leave a room.... how you have to say goodbye to a toy or person to have closure before we can move on to the next activity......how you run to either of us with such excitement screaming...."MOMMY" "DADDY" when you haven't seen us for a little bit (even like 10 minutes.... or all day at school).  We are so happy to be your parents and can't wait to see what this upcoming year holds for you and our family! We love you!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy