Not-so-terrible two

Boy, Oh Boy, Guess Who's TWO!? 

I look back on my kids' birthdays with a lot of nostalgia and emotion.  After all, I am a huge sap.  But, they were hugely important days in my life too!  So on this, my son's second birthday, I wanted to tell you a little bit about the little person known as my baby Bam Bam.  These years are passing too darn quickly, and I don't want to forget what it was like when my babies turned 2... or 5… or 10…  So to commemorate each milestone, I'll write about it, take lots of pictures, and hope that my memory doesn't fail me.  Because these are truly precious times.

It was a warm spring day two years ago when Noah Grey decided to join the world, just a few weeks ahead of schedule.  He has maintained that 'head start' approach since then, by doing everything as early as possible.  Noah's not always the most patient kid, but when he accomplishes something he celebrates like nobody's business!  The dude's got a fiery temper with a short fuse, but he is quick to forgive and is pretty easily distracted which balances pretty nicely.    He loves sleeping.  He loves eating.  He's a content little kid, but if he's ever unhappy he's pretty easy to please, because it's almost always one of those two things that will satisfy him: food or sleep.  His sense of humor is really starting to develop now. He's quite the little tease, and loves to watch our reactions when he's being silly.

Aptly named "Noah" so he could be nicknamed "No-No" by his sister (uncle Shad once said his name was fitting because after tailing the kid for a few hours, he found himself saying, "No! Aaaah!"  all the time!),  the little man would only say "No!" for about a year.  There was no affirmative in his vocabulary, so we'd ask him, "do you want [something]?" and he'd reply "no", even when it was clear he meant "yes"!   Our little German boy finally started saying "da" (as in German for "yes") so even when he's saying 'yes', he's still , you know, NOT actually saying YES.  Crazy child.

In true boyish fashion, he managed to get himself not one,
but TWO black eyes in a matter of only a few days!

He is of course into the things that typical little boys this age love: Thomas the train, cowboys, Cars (the movie), farm animals,and construction equipment.In fact, he can tell you the difference between a backhoe and an excavator ("eppagater"), even though I probably could not. His love for books makes me so happy, and gives me hope that he may grow up to be a nerd someday! (C'mon, nerds rule the world, we all know that, right?) He spends a lot of time hanging out in the little reading corner in his room, pulling every book off the shelf and reading through them one by one. He likes to make noise, and get dirty. And I had to stop allowing the boy to eat gummy worms when he began "shooting" people with them in the grocery store. *Pew! Pew! Pew!*

Looking very much like he's about to do something naughty...


Ever the Mommy's boy, he's snuggly and smoochy, and would prefer to sit on my lap for hours if I'd let him. Sweeter than I ever expected a little boy to be, he's constantly giving his loved ones random smooches and hugs. He loves the kitty beyond reason, that poor darned old cat will tolerate the most abusive hugs and squeezes from that kid. Their relationship is incredibly cute. While he adores the dog and pretty much any other animal that comes in sight, he & Tweak are friends for life.

Tweak & Noah, BFF's

How YOU doin', ladies?

Noah is a consummate flirt.Women of Fargo, (especially middle-aged ones), watch out for this little ladies man! He waves, cocks his head to the side, & singsongs "hiiiii" in his coy little voice to checkout attendants, waitresses, random shoppers in the store, and frankly anyone who will notice how adorable he may be. One of my favorite stories is of the late night that Dad & Noah came to pick Asha & I up from the airport when we returned from Texas.

That's right, ladies, this can be all yours...

Noah had thrown up a little bit on the ride to the airport (more like spit-up, but to hear Daddy tell it, he was like the Exorcist) and Dad tried rather unsuccessfully to clean him up with napkins he found in the glove box (Dads apparently don't believe in bringing diaper bags with them?).Once in the airport lounge, they took a seat and soon an attractive young college-aged girl sat down next to them.Noah spent the next 15 minutes making google eyes and trying to get her attention. Jordan, embarrassed by the awkward situation later says to me, "It was awful, I felt so bad for the kid. It was like looking back at myself in college: Up way too late, covered in puke and trying to mack on a girl that's way out of my league."

   

But what really warms my heart is his relationship with his big sister.  Being a big sister myself, I can tell you that little brothers can be a huge pain in the ass… but they can also turn out to be your best friends.  Which is why it makes me so happy that my kids get along as well as they do.  Anytime Noah is crying, we can send Asha in and he almost always stops instantly.  With his increase in vocabulary there are often words that Mom & Dad just can't quite make out… but big sister somehow can interpret perfectly.  His recent desire for independence has left his sister quite disappointed (she's pretty good at bossing and loves doing everything she can for her bro), and they've started disagreeing more often about what movie they want to watch, or what toys they want to play with.  But they also have a ton of fun together, and seem to truly enjoy joining forces against their parents to make things just a little more "interesting" for us!  Still, I find them sharing the sweetest moments together and I hope that they always stay this close.    

One of my faves - we call this one his "Grampa Chuck face".

Noah is silly, serene, joyful, stubborn, loving, energetic, bright, hilarious, tenacious, and a downright delightful child. And I can't wait to get to know him even better as he grows up. I love you more than these many words can ever express, my precious baby boy. You're not a baby anymore, but you'll always be mine. I'm so blessed to be your Mama! Happy Second Birthday, Noah!