The Gauck's: 2 Years Old!!!

We have a 2 year old! What an amazing little guy we've been blessed with. He is sweet, joyful and full of energy! We had a wonderful day celebrating him. Daryl took the day off and we made our first trip to Bounce-it-Out. It's a whole building filled with those inflatable bounce houses. Noah was a little timid at first. He went into the openings of all the bounce houses, but then came right back out. I had to break the rules and climb into one myself to encourage him to check it out. Once I did that-he had a blast! We stayed there 2 1/2 hours and only left because mom and dad were hungry! We then went to Red Robin for lunch. He didn't eat any of his lunch, but he ate the whole ice cream sundae they brought out for his birthday! Noah wasn't too sure what to think of the waiters singing to him. He kept grabbing my arm and giving us weird looks. Later in the day, Daryl's parents came up and brought him his birthday gifts (homemade table and chairs and fishing pole). In the evening, we all snuggled on the couch to watch his favorite-Curious George. Next weekend we will be having a tractor themed birthday party with family and friends.

We can not believe Noah is already 2! We are so thankful for him and thankful to all the people who prayed for and loved him long before he was even born. What a lucky guy!

Here is a little bit about our 2 year old:
-Wakes up somewhere between 6 and 7 most days. Lately, we've gotten a few days where he slept in til 8! Ella is the first one he says hello to.
-In the morning he likes to read books and have a snack before breakfast
-Noah usually eats a great breakfast (although since turning 2 this has not been the case!). After breakfast, he hardly eats at all. A bite here and there. Somedays I wonder how he is surviving on so little. He hasn't eaten a vegetable in I don't know how long. Daryl juices fruits and veggies about 2-3 times per week. That is the ONLY way we can get him to have veggies. He guzzles a big glass of juice! Despite his lack of interest in food (except of course if there are cookies in the house!) he is still growing....somehow!
-He takes 1 nap around 1:30-3:30 and almost always wakes up super crabby. We usually have to watch a show to help him wake up. Then he is good to go.
-After dinner until bedtime is his most active time of day. It is very tiring to watch!
-Bed time is 7:30ish. He usually crashes instantly or plays in his crib for a few minutes before falling asleep. In his crib is about 10 blankets, 5 stuffed animals, a firetruck, frog nightlight, random matchbox cars and sometimes something else that he has to take with him that night. He looks for each of these things at bedtime.
-During the day he loves to: play with Playdoh, color, read books, run around, play hide and seek, play fetch with Ella, play with Daddy's remote controlled helicopter, jump, dance, climb, yell loudly for fun, put on his mittens and hat and walk around the house
-His faves: bathtime, Curious George, Word World, markers, Teddy, trains, tools, tractors, dirt, bugs, trucks, helicopters, helping to cook
-His dislikes: shopping, diapers, when Ella won't bring the ball back during fetch

This month his language has continued to grow. How fun to watch! Some of his fun new words are:
All Aboard
Oh Nuts!
Excuse me
dough (for playdoh)
bopper (diaper)
copter (helicopter)
colors (he isn't always right but he pretty much says them all)
it's working/not working!-He is very into if things are working or not working lately

He repeats everything....everything! He is also into singing. Most of the time it's his own made up tune. Sometimes he will sing the clean up song, ABC's or others. He is pretty good at saying please, thank you and excuse me. Noah is practicing his future daddy skills. Almost every night he brings out Teddy and George, wraps them in a blanket, shh's and rocks them and gives them a snack. He also is very helpful with the little girl I babysit. He tries to feed and burp her, helps get her ready for a nap and gives her toys.

He is asserting his independence more which sometimes leads to mini meltdowns. Thankfully, these are few and far between and hopefully they will stay that way! Meal times are the hardest. With his lack of interest in food, combined with his hatred of sitting in his booster seat and refusal to wear a bib anymore, it is quite an adventure!

Now the photos!