Riley is 2

I’m a little late on this, he turned 2 on July 31, 2015. But I was waiting on his 2 year old check up stats. Since Charly’s due date was so close to his birthday I wanted to wait until the dust had settled for his appointment. We had is back on September 16.

The past 6 months have gone quickly so I though it might be a good idea to do a little update on our tiny human.

Size: 35lbs. (>98%) Height, I think around 40″ (> 98%) I forgot that stat, everything was sort of hectic, getting him to hold still was my only goal – I don’t think the nurse even told me. Basically he’s the size of an average 4 year old, or a normal 5 year old. He’s wearing 4T clothing and size 8 shoes. He’s about ready to move into the next sizes up though.

Health: He’s been really good these past few months. He just recently had a little cold but extra sleep and some Elderberry syrup helped kick it. At the check up his doctor was even impressed that we’re not in the office often for sickness. I think he had 1 ear infection? I took him in and we did one round of antibiotics. At the appointment he had a urine sample (interesting – they use a bag with adhesive) blood drawn – he was a champion! I held him and he maybe cried for 2 seconds. Hep B shot, and a flu shot. He was such a trooper and did so well and only cried another 2 seconds after the shots. I love our Peditrician and the staff at the office.

Sleep: He held onto the 2nd nap for a long time. Finally dropped it around 21 months? Sometimes he’ll still need an extra nap, especially on days when he wakes up really early. Right now he’s going down for his nap between 12:30/1:30 and sleeps for 2 – 3+ hours. In the morning he’s waking around 6:30am and gets up to turn off his sound machine then hops back into bed to roll around until 7:00am when we go get him. His bedtime is 7:30pm, unless he naps late then he’ll go down at 8:00pm. I asked his doctor about his sleeping schedule and told him that even 30 or an hour less a day and he’s a mess. He said that bigger kids need more sleep, and he’ll likely nap until 5. Good to know! In our house sleep is a commodity, and a cure all for anything. A solid nap and a good night’s sleep = happy toddler/happy mama.

Eating: Pretty typical American kid appetite. Loves cheese and cheese foods: grilled cheese, mac n’ cheese, quesadillas. A grilled cheese from In N Out is winner. Eats tons of fruit. All berries, apples, bananas, Cuties. Smoothies with spinach. Applesauce + veggies (carrots, broccoli) Chicken nuggets, fries, sweet potatoes. Loves breakfast – oatmeal w/peanut butter and honey, gluten free waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, donuts, blueberry muffins. Current favorite snacks are popcorn, dry cereal, dried fruit, nuts, Pirates Booty. He drinks a ton of water (just like Mama) and has a cup of 2% milk with breakfast and dinner.

What Riley is up to: Talking is happening, but pronunciation is still unclear for a lot of things. His Pediatrician offered Speech Therapy which I happily agreed with. I worked at a Speech + Hearing Center after college, and it’s awesome. I’m all about it. He’s running and climbing and jumping all over the place. He’s an energetic little boy for sure. Sliding down the slide or digging in the sand are favorites at the park. He can throw a ball and race around after Betsy. He can stack and build and do puzzles. He’s really good at a shape app on my phone, which is an awesome distraction when I need to nurse Charly in public. Tantrums are here! I read the book 123 Magic and we’ve been using that system and it works really well for us. The one thing we’re still correcting is him chasing Betsy and being too rough with her. He’s started with a really high pitched scream when he’s happy or excited, ouch. He’s got some awesome friends that he loves (Lee + Moor). He always has to have his shoes, sunglasses, hat and backpack before we leave the house. He’s got a thing for shoes (like his Daddy) and he’s all about you wearing them, him wearing them, making sure everyone has their shoes. Monday is Trash day, and man – that kid loves his trash trucks. When I was a kid I would sit outside and wait for the trash truck to come up the street, he spends the morning sitting in our living room window watching :)

Looking too grown up

All about the sunglasses

Family Bike Ride

First Beach Trip

Babywearing

Trolly at the Grove

Chappy

Backpack Love

Malibu Pier

Family

Buddies

Helping Daddy

BFFs

Trains

Big Brother

Toys + Activities: Puzzles, PlayDough, our sandbox, Hot Wheels, Little People Cars + Track, coloring books and crayons, all things Curious George, pots and pans and kitchen gear, Trash Trucks, helping in the kitchen, laundry, making cookies/pizza, music and dancing, splashing in the pool.

Thoughts: Being a mom to two is a different adventure! I’m learning how to parent Riley as a toddler, just as he’s learning to be a toddler. It’s challenging, but also really rewarding. He’s so funny, and has such cute little habits.