Happy 2nd Birthday, Josiah!

When I think of the time that has passed, I can hardly believe Josiah is TWO today!  But when I hear him talking and see him interacting, playing with big boy toys (mostly things with wheels), eating as much as I do (he can eat a whole 6 inch sub plus a side!), and having clear thoughts and ideas of his own, I can fully believe he is growing up.  It is hard to realize that this baby that we anticipated for so long and mostly only ever thought of AS a baby, is no longer, and never will be again.  He is such a great little guy, though, with a wonderful disposition and I’m so excited to see who he is in 18 years.

In addition to his swing, he loves anything with wheels that he can push or ride on, his current favorites by far are Jacob’s matchbox cars.  Actually, most of them are tractor/trailer/farm equipment combos.  Josiah LOVES a trailer of any kind or a train with cars.  We hadn’t really planned on giving him the matchbox cars yet since there are small parts and he tends to break them, but he always seems to track them down and insist on having them.  They are a must have at breakfast time.  They are currently stored in our storage trailer, but every time he sees the key for it he begs for it and, if possible, will go outside and start walking towards it (the other end of our property!).  Once there, he knows which box to open.

    Here he is in his beloved “wing” after a raid on the matchbox toys!

In the last three months, Josiah has transitioned from that in- between stage to a full blown little boy toddler.  I can see it in his toy choices, and speech, as well as the fact that his independence is growing.  He used to cuddle with us on the couch in the mornings and drink his milk which made for some special family times, but now he must start playing right away and milk is taken on the go or with the breakfast he eats by himself.  He also LOVES books with a passion!  I love our nighttime ritual where he curls up in the rocking chair with one of us to drink his milk with his blanket while we read Bible stories to him.  Once done, we brush teeth, return to the rocking chair to cuddle, sing songs, and pray, then put him in bed.   I know the nighttime milk needs to go away soon, but I’m holding on just a bit longer.

The picture quality is bad, but it was a sweet moment as Savannah “read” multiple books to Josiah.  Prior to this he had been following us around begging us to “weed” him “buk” again and again, so we were happy with this arrangement.

Josiah is saying multiple new words a day.  He said “Jesus” for the first time several weeks ago and it was so special to me, though in his mind I doubt he considered it much more significant than many of his other first time words.  Still, I’m so thankful the name is familiar to him.  He is also beginning to count, but only on his own, never when prompted.  Despite the fact that he’ll repeat almost anything you say, he rarely will repeat numbers, letters, or colors, but I know he knows some of them and can identify them based on his interactions with us and on occasion he’ll say them on his own.

He is slowly but surely learning to put his shoes (“oos”) on.  He loves it because it means he’s going out.

During these last months we have struggled with health as he has been on 3 different antibiotics for 3 different reasons in one month, but we seem to be on the right track now, he is gaining weight again, and his GI issues are better than ever.  I had suspected that his 2 year molars were coming in and contributing to the problem, but they just seemed to be taking their sweet time to the point that I wasn’t so sure, but sure enough the first two have begun peeking through .  Hopefully they will hurry up!

Showing off his pearly whites after enjoying a cookie (“ookie”).  I love how when he gets a treat, he celebrates it and looks at it for several minutes before actually eating it.  Having possession of it and anticipating it is as good as partaking in his world.

So, at 2 years of age, we are loving and enjoying our little boy, perhaps more than ever.  There are times I feel a bit of guilt that there will be another little one and he will have to share our attention and that he will definitely no longer be the baby, but I know it will be great for him.  When I cuddle with him and his legs hang low and my back strains to hold him too often, I’m thankful for his “kid” self and look forward to a new little bundle.  I know I love the fact that I have siblings that add something to my life that no one else ever could (good or bad!).  Lately, with my belly protruding into my lap, I barely have enough room to hold Josiah and have to keep readjusting to keep him from sliding off.  I asked Jacob the other day if he thought I’d ever have a lap big enough to hold Josiah again.  He responded with “yep, and it will be big enough for two!”  I’m not sure if that was supposed to be reassuring or depressing!

A random picture of our big boy: Josiah went orange picking on the farm with his Papa and Daddy.

 

Happy birthday, little man, you are our little blessing from God.