2.5

Beck is two-and-a-half today! Here he is reliving his glory days in the bouncy seat.

The last six months have been an absolute blur, but I feel like we're finally getting into somewhat of a routine again. Beck has settled into his new school and seems to have accepted his new little brother (although last week, Paul asked Beck if he wanted a puppy - after giving Paul "dagger eyes" because there is no way in he** we could handle a puppy right now, I jokingly asked Beck if he wanted another baby brother or sister - Beck said "Yeah! Let's take Nolan back!"

As I've said, Beck has been going to a new "school." We decided to switch daycares for a variety of reasons...unfortunately the timing was such that he switched one week after Nolan was born. I think the poor kid was really thrown for a loop. Paul and I questioned whether we made the right choice, because Beck cried each time we dropped him off for almost two months. For the first couple of weeks, he would sit in the "cozy corner" amidst pillows and his blanket, and cry and whimper for an hour or so until he felt comfortable enough to join the rest of the class. Luckily that stage passed pretty quickly, and instead of crying when I drop him off, he now excitedly runs into the classroom. He immediately grew attached to one of his teachers - Miss Alyssa - and also really likes his other teacher - Miss Wendy. His best buddy seems to be Christian. I've observed some cute exchanges between them. This is from an email I sent to Paul on April 21: "Beck ran into daycare again this morning. Christian met him at the door. They were both wearing a long-sleeved shirt, with a t-shirt over it, and pants with pockets. Christian commented on Beck's shirt, and then they were showing each other their pockets by putting their hands in them. I took Beck to wash his hands and he looked back and said "Christian, I'm washing my hands." It's so fun to see him interact with other kids.

He looooooves to talk. He pronounces most words pretty well, but still mixes up some letters and calls some things by some funny names. My mom got him a toy cash register for one of his birthday/christmas gifts, which he calls his "oink machine." Bob the builder is "Bob the beedler." Need = "meed" as in "I meed help, mama." We play at a place called The Village, which is "The Billage." He likes to put cinnamon on his pancakes and waffles, and he calls the cinnamon "sprinkles."

He's not potty-trained, but he often pees in the potty. At home, he peers into the potty after he's done and tells us what shape the pee has formed. "Mama, it's an oval!" He loves to read books, and we often check out books from the library. He loves to tell me that we "meed to take these books backa the libarry." He's starting to show affection toward Nolan, and sometimes he'll cuddle up to me and say "I wuv you too, mama." He's still a picky eater, but he eats a lot more than he used to. So far today, he's had a waffle and a rice krispie bar (thanks to daddy) for breakfast, some crackers/pretzels for a snack, six dinosaur chicken nuggets, an orange, and half of a cookie for lunch. He'll usually eat two out of three good meals. He loves fruit, but I can't think of a single vegetable he'll eat. He won't eat meat, except chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and some sausage. He loves rice and beans, in many different forms.

He still has his occassional "terrible" moments, especially when he's sick, or not getting enough attention, but most of the time he's a sweet, funny, and very loveable 2.5 year old. I wuv you, Beck!