Graham Is 2!!

Graham turned TWO on April 1st!

Can I start by saying that if I could birth TWO year olds, I would. All day, every day. As PRECIOUS as babies are, gimme allll the toddlers.

Graham is SO FUNNY. People at his school tell me this, our friends tell me this, and anyone who meets him tells me this. He is just SO FUNNY. I’ve said it from the time he was a baby that the boy finds joy in making others smile. He has the best personality!

School: Graham LOVES school. He loves his teachers and his best friends. He comes home knowing so many things that I’ve never taught him and I’m so thankful he is learning about the Lord and colors :) This school year we have gone through the biting stage, the hitting stage, the not sharing stage, and anything else in between. He is such a little manipulator that he will fake cry for his paci or smack you then instantly caress your face and say sorry. He is the comedian of the room and I was once told he was spreading his applesauce all over his body as “lotion!” He never keeps his shoes on and will find any puddle or patch of dirt that he can. He learned to ride a tricycle REALLY fast and goes down the slide head first. He has learned so many quirks from his friends (good and bad) and seeing his personality develop is just the best.

Eating: This boy can eat! Other than cutting molars or not feeling well, he is a machine. His 96% in weight shows for it. The boy is solid. He LOVES raisins, blueberries, yogurt, muffins, peanut butter, avocado and guacamole, Mexican rice, milk, pizza, spaghetti, green beans, and his MOST favorite of all time is still Annie’s Gummie Bunnies.

Sleep: Graham loves his crib, loves naptime, and loves his sleep. He is a great little sleeper and has always told us when he is ready to take a nap and go night-night. He hasn’t ever fought going to sleep and we are pretty good at not giving in to middle of the night whining sessions (few and far between). He was sick at one point and he got used to us running in to him when he cried, but we quickly nixed that after he was all better. He has very recently demand, "No sound, Mommy!!" which means he doesn't want his sound machine on. This was totally random and I am the one who can hardly sleep now. Two years of the ocean sound blaring through the monitor and now I feel like I hear everything!

Play: This boy loves anything outside. He could be outside all day and be happy. He LOVES playing football, “cractors” (tractors), and anything with bubbles. He rides his tricycle around the house at a million miles an hour and it is the funniest thing. He is really into coloring and tracing his hands and feet. He does have a tablet, but outside always wins. He has no favorite shows because he would rather throw the ball. I try to bribe him to watch the table or a movie, but he has NO interest! He plays great with friends and I love watching him socialize. He is far from shy!

Talking: Over the last few months his speech has taken off. He has always been a talker (cough, cough like his mom…), but these last few months words have definitely become more clear. He repeats EVERYTHING you say and can speak in complete sentences. The other day I casually asked him, “How are you today?” thinking there would be no answer. To my amazement he stuck out his thumb and said, “I GOOD!!!!!” Just another thing I can chalk up to his school teaching him. He knows all our family and friends by name and can clearly communicate what he wants. I love him being able to talk to us because that crying/guessing game is for the birds. On Mother's Day we were in the grocery store and he was playing with a balloon. I walked over to him and he said, "Leave me alone, Mommy." I have no idea where he got that, but I was dying laughing inside. Can someone give me my 1.5 year old back?! Ha!

Discipline: Graham is all boy and has his mom’s personality. He definitely likes to test the waters. He has been going to time out since he was 18 months old and the only change we’ve made to that is that we set a timer. He always goes to the same spot, has to wait for the timer to go off, and then he has to give me a hug and a kiss and talk to me about why he went to time out. 9/10 times he will stop doing whatever he went to time out for, but there are the occasional times that he gets right back up and runs over to the couch and sprints across it, just like I asked him NOT to. He is also veryyyy good at hitting and instantly, with the saddest pout, rubbing you wherever he hits you and saying, “Sawwwyyyyy.” We talk about how hitting is not okay and he usually still goes to timeout because sorry doesn’t make things right, it just makes things a little better.

Overall, if we could have 20 of Graham, we would. Chris is already itching for more, but we are definitely waiting to get into our new house and get settled. We are those crazy people who plan and save for college and cars and weddings and like to have no debt, so babies for us are definitely very thought out. We are enjoying Graham and this special time that he is our only child. God willing, multiple more Tucker babies will come, but we are LOVING this stage of life right now.

As for Graham, he is perfect for our family. He is spunky and sporty and we couldn’t imagine life without him. He is polite and says, “Yes, ma’am and no ma’am,” and definitely stands up for himself. He loves to pray before meals, yet will be the first one to die laughing when we look at each other when our eyes are supposed to be closed. He loves our dogs (especially Bailey) and is the sweetest little buddy. His favorite person is Uncle Sam and when they are together, it is like there is no one else in the room. There aren’t enough words to express how much joy he brings to our lives and those he encounters. He is healthy and happy and that’s all we pray for.

Graham, we love you and I can’t believe you’re TWO!