Reed, the 2.5 Model

In the last few weeks I have had to pause when people ask me how old Reed is. My standard response has been 2 years old or he'll be two and a half in March, well yesterday was the day and he is now officially 2.5 years old!!! We are definitely in a bit of a "terrible two" phase right now. He is moody and a bit unpredictable. We are having to discipline him more often, watch what we say in front of him much more carefully, and he gets frustrated when simple things don't work the way he would like them to.

All that being said there are also a lot of good moments and they are so, so good. He continues to impress us with his communication skills and he has a pretty great sense of humor. He handles taking all of his medications really well, is starting to understand his food and dog allergies and speak up for himself in certain situations, and while he doesn't do well with spontaneity if we tell him the "plan" ahead of time he rolls with the punches pretty well.  He loves talking about our day. In the morning during breakfast I tell him what we have planned for the day and at dinner we go around the table and ask each other how our days were, favorite parts of the day, and things we didn't like about our day.

Reed is also a great Big Brother. He loves on Kieran so much, brings him a pacifier or "cuddly guys" when he is fussy, and often asks to hold his Little Brother. He does get a bit jealous when I nurse K and also when he is due for a nap himself his tolerance of me spending time with the baby lowers. But overall he's a superstar Brother and I hope his feelings about Kieran stay the same and they can be the best of buds.

 

I think he's been going through a bit of a growth spurt lately, he is just really clumsy and has been falling over and running into things non stop. He is also gaining more and more independence. He now can open all cupboards and drawers and gets his own snacks and milk out a lot of the time. Reed is very caring and sweet. He will come up to me out of nowhere and give me a big hug, tell me he loves me, or say thank you for cooking him a meal.

 

Interesting Facts

Weight: 30 lbs

Height: 36.75 inches

Clothing Size:  2T for basically everything, he does have a few 3T tops he fits into

Shoe Size: 7, but I just ordered him some 7.5 size shoes because everything is getting a bit tight

 

Reed likes: Playing dress up with hats, shoes, bow ties, and sunglasses, stuffed animals (Pup and Soft Sheep are still the go to sleeping companions), playing with, balls, reading books, anything related to farming or cowboys, playing outside, puzzles, after bath TV time with Dad, his Grandma and Nonna, cooking with Mom, taking showers with Dad, anything that has to do with water, playing with his Star Wars guys, and working on craft projects.

 

Reed dislikes: When anything breaks into pieces (including food), being "itchy," being disciplined (usually this means a toy is taken away), and going to the bathroom in the toilet.

 

Nicknames: Reedster, Reedcito, Buddy, Monkey, Reed-man, Kooky Monster, Dingle Berry Jones, Wheezy, Darlin', and Honey Bear.

Food: His favorites remain the same - pasta, rice, all kinds of meat and fish, and pretty much every fruit imaginable. He also loves when we get pizza. He is picky about vegetables, but I continue to put them on his plate. He loves smoothies and sauces even when he knows there are vegetable mixed in.

Communication: Amazing! Not only does he now put multiple sentences together, he uses tenses and pronouns correctly. He also has started to sing lines from songs we listen to a lot.

How Reed is sleeping:  He goes to bed around 8:00pm and has been making it to around 6:30am most mornings. We are still using the toddler night light, but the pacifier and sound machines are things of the past. He sleeps in a twin size bed elevated off of the floor. He goes down for his nap between noon and 1:00pm and usually sleeps for abut two hours.

 

Milestones over the last six months:

He finally got his two year molars and now has 20 teeth

Reed moved into a twin size bed

Reedcito became a Big Brother
Reed can now jump

He drinks out of cups without lids or straws sometimes

Reed-man went to the snow for the first time