Happy 2nd Birthday Cole!

Our little guy is two!  Wow, I can't believe it is here already.  I look at Siena and try to think back to when Cole was this small and it seems like forever ago.  But then again I remember thinking 2 years is so far away from now and now it's here!

Lately Cole has been using his fists to do everything.  Whether it is picking up toys, reading a book, or opening a cabinet, he will first attempt to do it with fists then his last resort is to open his hands up and use his fingers.  He is so observant that you have to be careful about what you let him see you doing.  He knows how you turn on the tractor, wood splitter, how to set off the alarm on your car, how to open the garage door, unlock the front door (not happy about this one), lock the freezer, load the dryer with wet clothes (you have to make sure nothing else gets dropped in there too!), use a table saw, and pretty much anything else you don't want a 2 year old knowing how to do.  It is scary how smart they really are.  Yesterday I was watching Cole play with his Thomas the Train tracks and he knew how to piece them together using the new and old pieces.  That requires a special connector piece and he knew just how to do it!

Cole loves reading books.  He knows all of his favorite parts and when they are coming up.  There are certain parts (Goodnight nobody, goodnight mush) that cause him to belly laugh.  He could read for hours!

To get some of his energy out Cole runs laps around the house for at least an hour each day.  He doesn't slow down.  I could not run that long if my life depended on it.  Sometimes the running comes to a quick halt so he can throw things around also.  He is really into throwing everything from his music table to small little people (toys).  You really have to watch your surroundings when you are in a room with him.  Anything in his mind is up for grabs.  We have had to reinstate time outs recently because the throwing is getting out of hand.

Because Cole has not started speaking clearly it is some times hard to understand what he is saying or what he wants. So Cole has gone to his own form of sign language if we don't respond right away.  If he wants to hold Siena he taps his lap.  If you are holding Siena and he requires your attention he will tap you and then usually run to me and tap me. This means give that baby to mom and come here.  If he wants Mike to get in the bath tub with him, he splashes the water and then points at Mikes and then back at the tub.  He understands EVERYTHING we ask him or tell him to do.  If you want him to get dressed give him the clothes and he will put them on.  He knows what he has to wear to go outside when it is cold.  

Some new words Cole has added to his ever growing vocabulary include:  Please do (thank you), No monish (no Onyx), and cien (Siena).  I have been working on his colors and numbers with him and he can say two (for his age) but that is as far as it goes.  We practice colors with jelly belly's.  I say "Cole, can you bring mommy a green jelly bean" and he sorts through and finds what he thinks is green and brings it to me.  Ok, so that's because I am lazy but he is still learning his colors, right?

When Cole hears Onyx barking at the door or the cat meowing he runs to the door and opens it and lets them in the house.  He will put his milk away when he is finished drinking it and he even closes the fridge door!  He puts all of his trash in the kitchen sink which is better for us because we can see what he is throwing away where as if he had access to the trash can we would be missing a lot of stuff.

Keeping true to his nature, Cole has learned to intentionally burp by swallowing air and he loves farting.  He thinks farts are the funniest thing around.  Since he can't fart on command, he has settled for burping.

He weighs around 27 pounds or so (he feels like more, but I wont have an accurate doctors weight until next month).  He is 36+ inches tall according to my measurements (the yard stick).

Cole still eats humus like it is going out of style.  He has recently taken a liking to gorgonzola gnocchi.  He still loves pesto with whole wheat spiral pasta, bagels with cream cheese, any type of orange, grapes, strawberries, and of course ice cream and popcorn.

Cole does not like having dirty hands.  He gets very concerned when they are too dirty and wont finish eating until his hands are wiped off.  He also hates wearing socks and will only do so if it means he can go out side.  Other than that, the socks come off right away.