Parker: 24-27 months

My baby has been a big boy for quite some time, but with the recent arrival of a newborn he has officially been shed of his "baby" status. I don't know when I'll get used to how big he seems all of a sudden. Here's an update on Parker man:

* He had a perfect two year well visit back in April. He weighed 26 pounds and was 34 inches tall. The timing of his two year visit worked out well because just a couple of weeks before he was really sick with a fever of 104 for 4 days in a row. He was so pitiful. We went to the doctor who at first seemed to think it was some sort of fever virus he'd been seeing. Then he took P's white blood count, which made him think otherwise and so we were sent to Vandy Children's for a chest x-ray. I wasn't able to be in the room with him during the x-rays since I'm pregnant. Standing outside the door and hearing him scream "Mama" had to be one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life. Thankfully, the x-rays came back normal and within a couple of more days his fever broke, his appetite returned, and he was back to his normal energetic self.

Speaking of energetic, at his two year visit, one of my questions was whether it is normal for a two year old to be able to run two miles. Dr. Long, Parker's pediatrician, seemed surprised, cracked a joke about him running track when he gets older, and finally said that if he can do it then let him go as long as he stays hydrated. I specifically asked about two miles because not long before his appointment we went to a nearby trail that is approximately two miles round trip. Keith,  Darcy, and I walked the trail. Parker ran.

* In May we were referred us to a specialist for P to be tested for an egg allergy. He'd reacted to scrambled eggs and his birthday cake with a rash and so for the past year we've avoided egg and foods with egg in them. We'd gotten a little more lax the closer he got to two, but the test results showed a definite reaction to egg. The specialist seemed to think that since Parker's been tolerating the things we'd given him more recently with egg as an ingredient that he probably just has an intolerance that he will outgrow, but for now it looks like scrambled eggs, meringue pies, etc. are not in Parker's immediate future.

* He is LOVING peaches and "coco pops" (coconut popsicles). Other favorites: black olives, cookies, and cold grapes (I put them in the freezer).

Thank goodness for "pops"! They are the best remedy for those painful two year molars and "big boo boos" as Parker says.

This goose egg was the result of running laps around the living room at full speed and flinging himself onto Darcy's dog bed. After one lap, the bed slid across the floor and into a bench where P banged his head. There were definitely tears, but he recovered. The swelling went down really quickly leaving a bruise for about a week. Hopefully he learned his lesson. He definitely remembers because he'll randomly point at the bench and say, "bench. hurts. big boo boo."

* As soon as he wakes up we must get his milk, choose a book, sit on the couch, and read. I love that he loves to read, but 5:30 a.m. is a little early to hear, "Mama! Couch! Sit! Book! Read!" I don't think that Keith and I will ever get used to the fact that Parker's an early riser.

Jingle Wheels, a favorite no matter the season.

* We've transitioned him to a big boy bed so Eden can have his crib. All in all it went pretty well. At night he goes right down and we're using a toddler alarm clock to help him realize that it's not ok to get out of bed until 5:30. Still working on that. Nap time was initially a little challenging, but we implemented a sticker chart and explained to him that when he earns 3 stickers he gets a new car. He got 3 stickers in the first 3 days and the nap success has pretty much continued.

* He'll ask for something over and over again and then when we say, "Parker do you want (fill in the blank with whatever he's been repeating)?" he'll go, "okay!"
* He's been eating some of his meals and snacks at the table Keith made for him instead of in his high chair like a big boy. Tear!
* He's not scared to call us out on things. One day he walked past our foyer where Keith had left the packaging for our new shower rod all over the floor. Parker immediately pointed and said, "Dada's mess!" Of course I thought it was hilarious. Then, when I was getting him cleaned up after dinner one night he pointed to the plate of brownies on the kitchen counter and said, "Mama's cake!" Not as funny when I get busted. ;)
*He went on his first canoe trip!



* One word: cars. He loves "Cars" the movie (and can name his favorite characters), asking Siri to show him pictures of cars (and trucks and cool cars and big trucks), playing with his many different kinds of cars, sitting outside at restaurants and watching cars drive by, etc. He is obsessed.

* A close second to cars is probably Darcy. He follows her all over the house trying to give her toys, make her play, love on her, or even smack her (he knows better and gets in trouble for this). She's long hidden out underneath our bed and Parker has discovered that he can also fit under the bed. We find him there nose to nose with Darcy constantly. Poor Darc, she's such a great sport!

* He's started using descriptive words. His very favorite is "BIG!" Other favorites are colors, temperature (hot, cold), wet, and dark. 

* He can count too (kind of)! We're working on our numbers 1-10 and he does relatively well if we're counting cars (of course). He likes to skip 3 and his favorite is 2.

* He prefers to wear "no pants" to bed at night.

* He cracks us up constantly. Some examples:

- The other day we were on a walk and I told Darcy to "turn around." The old song "Total Eclipse of the Heart" popped into my head so I started singing, "turn around bright eyes." Parker caught onto the "turn around" part and will sing it over and over. We've also taught him "Sail Away" by David Gray. He sings it in the tub as his whale "sails away" from him.

- I completely jokingly asked him who he got his big booty from and without hesitation he replied, "Darc!"

- One morning at the beach he melted down when we were trying to get him ready (swim diaper and swim trunks). He cried over and over, "too tight!" We took a peek and sure enough his swim diaper was too tight! We died of laughter and since then he likes to say everything is too tight.

- He does robot dance moves.

- He was throwing a tantrum one day and when Keith walked in I commented that Parker was a "hot mess." Parker immediately picked up on it and ran around saying, "hot mess! hot mess!"

We seriously laugh at/with this kid daily.

* He's gotten to where he'll nonchalantly say, "nah." We're working on "no sir" and "no ma'am" instead.

* I have never heard anyone say "ALL ABOARD!" as cute as he does.

* He likes to round a corner, peek out from under a blanket, etc. and say "BOO!"

* He frequently requests that Dada make a "big tent" (basically just Keith holding up a blanket and P crawling underneath). 

* He's finally named his lovey. Wade. Or at least whatever its name is sounds exactly like Wade. We've even checked and asked Parker to go find Wade and sure enough he comes back with his lovey.

* And the biggest milestone is his new BIG BROTHER status. We're working through some attention issues (as in, Parker acting out when he's not getting 100% of our attention and then getting super sensitive when he gets in trouble), but when he acknowledges his little sister he really is sweet (although maybe a little rough) with her. He gives her kisses, shares his lovey, and wants her to sit right next to him during meals. He was a little confused at first constantly calling Eden "Baby Claire" (his cousin), but he's gotten better about saying "E" or "Sis."

 

We love our energetic, passionate, and sweet boy!