2.5

Oh my ''little'' man! I cannot believe that you are 1/2 way to being a 3 year old!! I really wish you would slow down and stop growing so fast!!

 

Some  facts about Mr. Dominic at 2 1/2 years old:
He is absolutely hilarious - so funny. Hard to even explain but he just makes funny comments, even sarcastic ones that are usually right on cue.

He was doing really good with the potty (at least he had #2 down) but now after a week and a half of being sick he has reverted back and says he just wants his diaper on - deep breaths.

He still loves planes with a passion - I didn't really think this would change but yeah - in case you are wondering he still loves them.
He does like Dragons now as well - still hanging in there with the flying theme, but monster trucks are making a big run for it though - especially after going to monster jam with Daddy.

Of course Daddy had to make him his own ''monster dome" to have races and crashes every night! It's his favorite toy right now and he plays with it all the time! Good call Dad! 

He is so snuggly and loveable - he loves to kiss and snuggle and hug - I love it so much.

He also worships the ground his sister walks on - if she tells him something then it has to be thr truth - he will even argue with Robert and I on some things if she has told him something we contradict.

He is obsessed with boy and girl body parts and asks me at least 10 times a day why I don't have a ''peanut'' like him. :)
He is wearing a size 10 shoe - going on 11 - if you have kids you know how absurd this is! If you don't lets just say if he was a puppy he has a long way to go to grow into those feet! Ha ha!

Dominic is very tall for his age and with his handsome little haircut people just can't believe when I tell them he is only 2 1/2 they think at least a year older always.

 

He also speaks very well which is another reason people are shocked when I tell them how old he is.  

We are having some difficulty with eating - certain things he loves like: french fries, spaghetti, bananas and beans and rice, but it is so hard to get him to eat veggies!

But he does have a major sweet tooth (or more specifically a dum dum lollipop tooth!)

OJ is his drink of choice - any meal he will ask for it.

He loves his crib and has no desire for a big boy bed - 100% ok with mommy!

Usually he takes a 2 hr nap in the afternoon and sleeps 12 hrs at night - every once in a while he will refuse a nap but inevitably falls asleep in the car when I pick him up after work.

He can sing the ABC song, counts to 10 and usually a little higher with prompting and we are working on Spanish colors and body parts.

He is a little ladies man - I think he already knows how to flirt. He will even pretend to be shy sometimes! (trust me he is not!)

He is so destructive! Must be a boy thing cause I do not remember Elena being like this!
He also likes to throw things - especially when he gets frustrated. He instantly wants to throw whatever it is down or across the room - we are working on this!

Although he loves Daddy and wants to do everything he does I think it is safe to say he is a mama's boy for sure. :) I don't mind at all.
We started gymnastics and he loves it! Mainly swinging on the rings and jumping into the foam pit.

He adores babies - points them out everywhere we go and always talks about wanting his own itty bitty baby (too bad we don't plan on making him a big brother! But it tugs at my ovaries a little when he is so sweet!)

After his bath he asks me to wrap him up in the towel and hold him like baby :) Melt my heart!

Some of his favorite things lately:

Favorite Colors - Blue (and he usually throws in pink for sister)

Favorite Foods - french fries, macaroni and cheese, bananas, beans and rice in a tortilla.  

Favorite places to eat - On the Border, Olive Garden, Applebee's

Favorite books - The Big Red Barn, Trucks, The Very Hungry Catepillar 

Favorite songs - Old McDonald, Jesus Loves Me, ABC song

Favorite cartoons - Blaze and the Monster Machines, Paw Patrol, Dora the Explorer

Favorite places to go - Stearman, the pool at the Y, the park, Grandma and Grandpa's house

Favorite toys - he is usually playing with either his planes, train tracks or his monster trucks

Favorite desserts - any kind of gummies, ice cream cones, or marshmallows

Two.

Two? That can't be right?? But yes, my little man is officially two!! I cant believe how fast these past two years have flown by and how much Dominic has changed! Look at this handsome guy!!

He absolutely has an obsession with the Disney movie Planes. He loves it! He will watch the movie 100 times in a row if we let him and he plays with his toy planes for hours on end!

He has become very independent! He wants to try and do everything on his own!

He is his sisters little shadow - following her around and wanting to do everything that she does. He is going to be lost when school starts!

His vocabulary has exploded the last couple months! He uses his words very well and even in complete sentences most of the time! He is turning into quite the chatter box!
He can also count up to 10 and will go all the way to 20 with help.

He has started asking Why? - a lot. All the time really! If you tell him something you will most likely get Why? as his response. (I didn't think that started until 3?!)

If why is his favorite word the next one would have to be mine. He says that for any toy that he is playing with or any toy that he sees and decides he wants to play with. Elena is having to learn a lot of patience with him while we work on that whole sharing thing! ;)

We haven't really started potty training yet. You can totally tell when he is going to the bathroom and when I say hey Dom, want to go in the potty? He yells back Nooo!!! So I think we will keep asking and wait a few more months until he is more ready!

He likes to refer to what we are doing with the word time behind it. Obviously we have nap time, but he will also tell us when it is eat time, pool time, play time, bike ride time...etc. :)

He is a big guy. People always think he is closer to 3 at first! We had his checkup and he is 36.5 inches long - 95th percentile, 32.5 lbs - 90th percentile. No wonder he looks almost 3!! Love my big healthy boy!

He is really a sweetheart. So snuggly and loves to give hugs - I hope he is always like this!
He adores his mama and I must say that I love it!

He loves the water - pool, splash park, bathtub, sprinklers - any kind of water he loves it.

He has gotten especially fearless in the pool too. He puts on the life jacket and is off to the races swimming away! He loves jumping in from off the side too. We will definitely be having some serious swimming lessons before next summer!

He is a great sleeper. He sleeps from about 8:30 at night to about 8:00 the next morning and takes a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon.

He wants to be his Daddy - he wants cologne if Robert puts it on, wants to wear the same shoes as him, everything that Daddy does. He even wants to have a beard like him! He felt Roberts face and said Daddy me too - and pointed to his face. So adorable.

Although planes are his absolute favorite he also loves cars and trains too. He loves anything with wheels really.

 When he asks for something and you tell him no he immediately cocks his head to the side and says awe... (Like awe man - darn it!) Its pretty adorable.
He loves to dance! He will stop everything and start dancing if there is music on! He also likes to sing and his current favorites are Rain, Rain Go Away and Happy Birthday to You (imagine that!)
He is quite possibly the cutest little guy ever!! :) But you know I'm slightly partial. ;)

So excited to see what adventures you are going to have as a big 2 year old!!

 

*these amazing pictures of Dominic and our family are courtesy of my amazingly talented friend - Sarah Kaiser Photography

21 months.

My little guy turned 21 months last month!! He is getting so close to 2 years old it is crazy!! His newest obsession is planes, thanks to the Planes movie he got in his Easter basket! He is continually pointing them out in the sky, playing with them, talking about them, running around with his arms out, you get the idea...

 He loves to sat cheese for pictures, and its so cute. When he knows he is doing something cute he will look at me and say, Mama Cheese! Lol, I guess I have him trained! :)

He is one of the kindest and considerate kids ever! He always says thank you and loves to give hugs and snuggle. He is continually saying Love you (Mama, Dada, etc...) and giving us big huge hugs - I hope he never outgrows this!!

 

He also has his fair share of temper tantrums, especially when he wants to do something his way and doesn't get to do it that way - meltdown city!

He also likes to put his little finger up and say 1 more, pwease. Very hard to resisit! ;)

He has absolutely no interest in the potty, he will run and hide to do his business and when I say - hey, lets go use the potty he yells "no!" at me. But he does let me know he is tooting (usually at the most inconvenient times - people sure do get a kick out of it though!)

He is pretty darn fearless! He will climb on any and everything. Seems to have no fear of heights or falling either!

 

He has been joining me for runs and bike rides. Talk about a motivator - more mommy more!

 

He is obsessed with popsicles, all day everyday he will ask for them. His favorite place to enjoy them seems to be his swing.

He just jumped into a size 9 shoe!! This is crazy! He still fits in some of his 8s but most kids his age are in like a 6 or 7 at the most!

 We've been doing swim lessons and he absolutely adores the pool - on the way he will repeatedly say pool, kick, jump, whee!

 One of his favorite games to play is to stand on one side of the yard and say - Ready, Set...GO! and run to the other side - over and over and over again!

He has discovered sidewalk chalk and wants to draw on everything!

He loves pasta and rice and beans - his Italian and Mexican heritage are definitely coming out there!

Has become a total Mama's Boy lately - I guess it came from being sick a couple weeks back and he has been very clingy to me ever since. I have a love/hate feelings about it because I love that he wants me, but I also loved his independent happy non-clingy and whiney self - we will just have to see what the next month holds!

 Wants to do everything Elena is doing, follows her around, plays with what she is playing with - he is her little shadow.

He has started calling her ''Lanie'' for short - it is pretty sweet to hear him say Hi Lanie or Love you Lanie! 

Random strangers always comment on how cute and fun he is - we feel blessed that his awesome personality shines through so much that even strangers can see it! 

Looks like its time to start planning a fun plane themed 2nd birthday party!! Yay!

20 months!

20 months! How did we get this close to 2 years old so quickly? Here are some fun pics from the park this weekend!

Love this little man!!

A year and a half!!

18months - what? It is so hard for me to believe that my baby boy is closer to two than one now!! How in the world did that happen so quickly?

He has grown up so much these past couple months and is so much more a little boy than a baby. :(

He has developed quite a silly and entertaining personality. He loves to run and dance around like a goofball before bed entertaining us.

One of my favorite things he does is he will back up and start beeping like a truck! Beep....beep...beep - it is hilarious!

He has a major obsession with the movies Cars and Cars 2 - I swear we watch them every day and he acts like each time he watches is the first time he has seen it! Laughing out loud a parts even!

We have been trapped in the snow so much this past month and Dominic is so ready to be able to play outside.

 

We have been going to the Y on Saturdays and letting the kids swim. Holy moly! What a little fish Dom is! He has no fear of the water and will jump in to you and go under water over and over again. It is going to be a fun summer at the pool this year!!

He loves to give fist bumps and makes sure everyone at the table gets one - including himself!

He also loves to show us his muscles by raising up his arms and going - grrr!

Dominic is a big boy - 34'' tall and 29 lbs - which both just happen to put him in the 85% for both.

He is in a size 8 shoe -- if you don't have a toddler this might seem like a big deal but his feet are huge!! If they are any indication on the future he is going to be a big guy! (basketball player maybe?)

He is really getting longer and thinning out - he is starting to look so much like Elena did at this age.

He adores his sister still and she is getting so much better at including him and playing with him. It is so fun to see them interact and play together.

He loves to sit and relax and watch cartoons with Grandpa.

He also has a new favorite cartoon - Paw Patrol - he will even ask for it by name - "Paw, Paw, Paw - pwease!" So glad that is Elena's new favorite too! ;)
We've been having him paint and craft with Elena more and he loves it! He gets very serious and focused.

 

He is quite the little dare devil - he will climb up on pretty much anything! We have to keep an eye on him every second.

He has been sleeping a lot lately! I think he may be going through a growth spurt or something - he is sleeping 12 hrs at night and has been taking 3-4 hour naps in the afternoon! Crazy!

He pretty much always has a car or truck of some sort in his hand. He loves any vehicle and plays with them all day long.

He likes to relax - he lays on the floor to play with his cars all the time. I also find him randomly laying on the floor too. He loves the little kid sized couch and will sit and watch Paw Patrol (or Cars of course) as long as we will let him!

He loves to rough house and wrestle - his favorite thing is playing super baby though!

 

He loves the bath - and will ask repeatedly throughout the day if he can have one! He will come up and say Bath? Bath? and run to the bathroom. So funny!

He is very ornery and even though it is a little blurry, I think this last picture captures his personality to a T!

 

I just can't believe you are officially closer to 2 than 1 now!!  Happy 1/2 birthday little man!