:: catching up ::

for what feels like the first time in awhile, i haven't written because too many good things have been piling themselves up like so many football players on a fumbled ball. that and the enormity of the stuff going on (evan turned two this week, people!) has left me a bit speechless.

how do i even reflect on two? how do i put it into words?

sure, two brings with it floor tantrums (although i've pulled evan back from the edge of a few by making him laugh... i tell him he looks like a fish flopping on the floor and then i call him "flipper flopper" and he laughs and gets up and we walk calmly away from the train set at barnes & noble or whatever) and lovely phrases like, "MINE!" and "nope" and "no way, jose" (thanks, gramps, for that last one).

but two also brings with it so much good. like tonight before bed evan, unprompted, kissed my belly and said night night to the baby. earlier in the week he force fed me strawberries because he wanted to share them with the baby.

he's also talking up a storm. this week we looked at a few more houses (we made an offer on one this morning -- more on that to develop, i hope) and when i sat down with him at lunch one day to ask him what he thought of them he had two questions for me:

1. guy there? (he wanted to know if the realtor would always have to be there to let us in -- when i said no, mommy would be able to open the house if we bought it he said, "mommy key? mommy key open house?" and then also double checked that daddy would have a key)
2. doggy there? (he wanted to know if that rabid-sounding dog in the cage in the basement would be staying (he hoped it would not be) and once i told him that the dog would go away if we bought it he seemed totally on board with the house)

two sits and plays alone. two arranges his toys. two sings songs (in the grocery store, loudly: "i workin on railrow" and "rub ducky you're wa won"). two asks me to take him to the woods so that we can hunt for owls (even though he knows they sleep in the daytime, he still stands in the woods and does owl calls and then leans forward and shouts, "hey owls!"). two has favorites. two pretends (at the playground steering wheel he drives to get us ice cream -- a kid after my own heart!).

and oh! two negotiates! i'll tell him it's time for breakfast, he'll ask if he can watch nemo first, i'll say he can watch it while i make breakfast, he'll ask if he can watch it until nemo touches the boat. i always say yes. he knows i will.

i spent all last week telling everyone that evan was practicing being terrible in preparation for his second birthday (and oh, he was), but this week he was so good. i have to admit, i love two so far.