Happy 2nd birthday, Dorian!

Dorian turned 2 years old at 9:49pm on Friday, October 16, 2009. I can not even begin to explain the emotions that came over me as I realized my baby was truly, officially a toddler, a little boy, and no longer a baby. He is running, jumping, climbing, talking, joking, being cheeky, and more. James and I both can not believe how FUN parenting a child has turned out to be. Okay, maybes James can but I can't. It's also very challenging, of course, but I really feel like it started become super fun when this kid started sleeping more. We still don't have perfect nights (though we had about 10 nights of 12 hours straight) but it is SUCH a difference from the old sleepless Dori. I feel human again. I am actually REALLY glad I'm in school because I've started getting a little broody again and I do NOT want another child until I have a job, had the chance to really catch up on sleep and get my body back into pre-pregnancy shape. Nursing school is great birth control! We are actually in our maternity rotation right now and I am loving it, just as I expected I would. So I'm getting my baby kicks in school.

Anyway, back to Dori's birthday...James and I gave Dorian a really nice, wooden kitchen made by Melissa & Doug (the brand that makes probably 75% of Dori's toys). We really like Dorian to have well-made, wooden toys. I am not a big fan of plastic, except for outside and in the bath. We were fortunate enough to find the kitchen and accessories on Amazon for much less than the normal price. The night before Dori's birthday, Grandma, Grandpa and James put the kitchen together and I managed the whole situation. :) Dorian woke up the next morning, saw the kitchen and said "Ooooooh, look at that" and then eagerly began exploring it. We knew he would love it (and hopefully for years to come) because he seemed obsessed with the toy kitchens at the various play centers we go to and at his friends' houses. It's also great because we can continue buying more food and accessory sets for Christmases and birthdays, and it's a sturdy toy we can keep for any subsequent children we may have. Plus, I wanted it to be pretty since it really is like a piece of furniture in our dining room.






The following week-end, we threw a birthday party for Dorian. We had aimed to make it a smaller party than last year by only inviting the children (and their parents) Dorian plays with. What we hadn't realized is that we have made so many friends in the past year! What was supposed to be a smallish party in our backyard ended up being a party with 15 toddlers, 3 babies, 2 fetuses (in utero), and maybe 25 adults or so! We had a great time, and so did Dorian. Although he did spend a lot of the party watching everyone from his seat. And pizza...boy did that boy eat his pizza. I think he had more pizza than James and I did. But he needs it...we took him to the doctor for his 2 year check up last week and he is 37.5 inches tall (97th percentile for height), and 30 pounds (70th percentile for weight). He's a big boy!

But anyway, back to Dori's party. Pictures below!

Mamas and children!
Pregnant ladies!
5 month old babies!




James, Ladies' Man.
Kelly with our Gymboree mom friends.
Sometimes you just need to take a breather.

It's my party, I can cry if I want to!

More birthday pictures to come soon...

2 years ago today...

I was getting tired and bored and antsy and soooooo ready for Dori to come out!

I can not believe it has been 2 years. Where the hell has the time gone? My kid is now, well, a kid! He truly is a baby no more.

Soccer/Football!

Ladies' Man

Fall is here

He won't shut up!

Some of my favorite verbal interactions with Dorian over the last week:

Kelly: "Oops." (After I dropped something on the kitchen floor.)
Dori: "Silly Mama!" (Repeat 20 times while giggling)

Kelly: "Let's go see if we can find Grandma and Grandpa."
Dori: "Both Grandka's!" (he calls them both "Grandka")

After I passed gas one day...

Dori:"Peepee!"
Kelly: "No, that wasn't pee pee."
Dori: "FART!!!!" (Repeat 20 times after James and I killed ourselves laughing and Dori realized it was funny.)

Any time I pass gas now...

Dori: "Burp"
Kelly: "No, Dori, not a burp."
Dori "Burp, burp, burp!"

Speaking sentences now...

Kelly: "Look at the tortoise eating vegetables, Dorian."
Dori: "Big turtle eating carrots!"

And my favorite...

My mom: "Do you think Dorian wants some p-u-d-d-i-n-g?" (spelling it out to me)
Dori: "Pudding." (I've been telling you guys he is a genius!!!!)

Dori tells me about his day all the time when I get home from class/clinical...it is so cute. It's a mix of jibberish and words. Example: "Mama, dah dah oonka lah Dori and daddy gymboree! Doo kah la fabadoo go store. Bananas dooba doo cookies da do uh huh milk. Balloon (pointing up) away. Birds in sky. Car doo dah doo home. Maggie ball! Snack...cottage cheese!" Amazing. My kid isn't even 2 years old. I love seeing how his mind works and being able to directly communicate with him!