Jack's Second Birthday

 Today my little Jay Bird turned two.  I am thankful that I didn't have the baby today, so they can each have their own special day.

Jack is losing all his baby-ness and totally turning into a little boy.  He's a ridiculously picky eater (eats practically nothing but breakfast and treats) and is stretching out into a long and skinny little thing instead of the squishy chubba he used to be.  Don't be alarmed, though.  He might be losing his squish, but he still cuddles just as much as ever.  (Perhaps my very favorite thing about him...)

He's a bit of a mischief maker.  He's not "naughty" or disobedient, but he is always on the patrol for something he can investigate that just happens to be off-limits and trouble-making.  Like climbing where he shouldn't and falling.  Or bringing me matches and wood glue he found in the back of a drawer.  Or applying my makeup if I leave my bag within reach.  Or never staying in bed unless we have a duct-taped child lock on the doorknob. 

Jack is starting to jabber, but a lot of what he says is still incoherent.  He's definitely moving beyond parroting words, though, and is trying to string together his own short sentences.  He loves to dance (twirl in circles) when music is on, and still loves to sing.  In fact, for the past week or so, Hazel and Jack have joined in with me when I sing their bedtime songs, and it's turning into a shout-out competition.  Hazel sings loudly to try to drown out Jack, and Jack shouts out the words because he thinks its a great game.  He loves to do anything that frustrates Hazel.  He's all about getting a reaction. 

He loves dogs, has for ages, so this year I made him a puppy cake.  I stole my inspiration from this picture.  All day he was bringing his little chair over to the counter to stare at it and steal little nibbles off of it.  I'm actually quite surprised it made it intact to the evening. 

He got Legos and a toy tool box, as well as his very own Ariel figurine (he is obsessed with her!). 

 Being that I'm only a couple days away from my due date and Todd had work today, I didn't have a lot of oomph to go and do much.  We did pick up lunch from Wendy's and eat it at the train transit center so Jack could watch the trains come and go.  There wasn't as much action as I was hoping for.  We probably should have gone earlier in the morning.  I bet the trains run much more frequently during commuting hours.  Then we went to a park for a bit and headed home for much-needed naps (and quiet time for Hazel). 

We had breakfast for dinner, because I couldn't think of anything else that I could confidently say Jack would eat.  So he had pancakes and sausage for breakfast, chicken nuggets, apples and fries for lunch, and cranberry muffins and strawberry shakes for dinner.  After dinner, we sang to him and brought out the puppy cake.  After he blew out the candles, he kept giving the puppy a hug over and over again, and picking off bites to eat in between.  It was pretty tricky getting the whole cake away from him and leaving him with just a slice! 

The kids played with their new mermaid dolls in the bath tonight, and we put them to bed bright and early.  Jack is still singing at the top of his lungs in bed 45 minutes later. 

Happy birthday, sweet guy!  We love you!