Two.

How on Earth did this happen? And will I feel this way every year? My baby is two today and while last year's birthday made me feel like I'd survived, this year's just leaves me scratching my head and wondering how it is that he's been hanging out with me for 730 days.

We celebrated more formally on Sunday evening, so today we're just doing little fun things all day (translation: it's a normal day to Wyatt). Jeff and I greeted him this morning with a little happy birthday song, he requested cake for breakfast and was denied, he opened birthday presents from my sister and her family this morning then played all morning with Grandma, Grandpa and Great Grandma before we all took him to a park. My plan was to get McDonald's for lunch, but he said he wanted macaroni & cheese, apples and milk so I decided we'd err on the side of nutrition (well, not totally since he had his cake for dessert).

Wyatt at two is entertaining, a great mimic - he'll attempt any word you ask of him - and really fun. I know, I know. I rant about his antics sometimes and I'm sure those days will come again, but we're in an upswing around here and for the most part, times are good. His favorite activities are having me read him books, playing in sand, water or both, pretend cooking and just generally being a little boy. He manages to litter the house with balls, trucks and other random toys, he can derive great joy from a single free balloon from Trader Joe's, or rocks, sticks, acorns and anything else found in nature; he likes to get his own bib and then close the drawer by leaning against it and telling you, "knee", as if you can't see he's not using his hands. He likes to hide and can stand eerily still behind dining room chairs, loves to dance and requests music all the time, has a great appetite and a vocabulary that surprises me daily. He uses his manners most of the time and understands that without them his requests are less likely to be granted. He has started making three-word sentences (usually in the form of a command) and is a highly opinionated little boy who usually lets us know exactly what he thinks. Basically, he's doing all kinds of things these days that make me think I'm raising myself and not all of them are flattering. He's full of energy, likes to sing, can count one to ten but often skips numbers 3-5 and almost always ends with a big YAY!!! He keeps me on my toes and makes me laugh a lot. He's a good little sidekick.

But here's what gets me: this time last year he couldn't walk. I can't believe how much things have changed in the last year which leaves me wondering how this post will look in another 365 days.