2 Years Old

Bennett is two years old! Where has the time gone? He is very much the happy, easy going kid he has always been. He is silly, and sees humor in the world around him... or at least what he thinks is humorous, like saying silly words or when something happens that he knows isn't supposed to (like if I drop something). He is always commenting if things or people are funny. Bennett thinks it is funny to offer food, then eat it himself with a giggle. He has a great sense of empathy, evident if he is ever alone with Caroline and she is crying. He'll stop what he is doing and go to her. Sometimes he'll offer her a toy or blanket, rock the rocker, or talk to her. He is a great communicator. Often times at lunch, we'll have chats about our morning, or Bennett will tell me what's on his mind. Usually he is thinking about some kind of truck and how it moves, or who is sitting on it. He likes to talk about the people we know and where they are (at home or at work). Bennett is still a super cuddly kid and would prefer to have someone sleep with him, if he could. He taps the pillow next to him and says, "night night," when he knows we're going to leave. If he wakes up in the middle of the night and I lay down with him, he likes to stick his cold little feet between my legs to warm them up.

A gift from Grandpa and Grandma Kwong. Pure joy!

He has really become a boy, in every sense of the word. He is energetic, loves to run and jump, and really loves to dance. Bennett really does have an appreciation for music. We sing songs all day long and is really excited when he sees musical instruments. His favorite songs are "baseball song" (Take me Out to the Ball Game) and "bubble song" (this one is on repeat in the car). Recently he loves dancing to "fishie song" which we learned from story time at the library. Being outdoors makes him really happy, it's often a struggle to get him to go back inside. He loves playgrounds, slides and swings, bouncing, and being thrown in the air. I'd be surprised if he wasn't a daredevil, jumping out of planes and giving his mom a heart attack when he gets older.

A fake smile

Just like a stereotypical boy, Bennett loves cars, trucks, and anything that moves. The most recent vehicle he has learned about is the race car. Naturally, he loves it. The best thing about race cars is their drivers wear harnesses, just like his car seat harness. When I buckle him in, he often comments on how it is like a race car. But Tuesday mornings are particularly fun for Bennett, since it is garbage day. If he's lucky, he can see 3 garbage trucks. On a good day, we see a few school buses before we leave home in the morning. He knows school buses, loaders, cranes, backhoes, firetrucks, police cars, and tractors by name. Sometimes instead of saying 'police car' or 'firetruck' he makes the noises of the sirens. He likes to comment that police cars have red and blue lights... because we saw one pull someone over once, and we got a good look at their flashing lights. Another favorite word of Bennett's is "firefighter." He says it all the time. He also loves sports. Soccer, basketball, baseball, football, he loves it all. He has a pretty good arm, and kicks the ball well. Bennett loves to run too, so maybe sports will be his thing.

I always see Bennett as a wild and crazy kid, but people who don't know him well always comment on his calm demeanor. He is less crazy in public, so he must save his wiggles for when he's home, to drive his mom crazy. Bennett has always been an obedient kid. He clearly knows right from wrong, but keeps pushing the limits more and more each day. His play has been getting more and more loud and violent each day. Earlier this week he was playing with cars in the windowsill, like he always does. But this time the cars were loudly crashing into each other. Then he'd say, "I sorry. I sorry," and then they'd crash again. Over and over. But maybe I should be happy he knows to apologize after each crash?

He really hates taking pictures

They always say kids' minds are like sponges at this age. It is so true! About a month ago, we started working on our colors, because prior, I didn't realize he could learn colors at his age. He is getting pretty good at naming them, but blue seems to be his favorite. A couple of weeks ago, I started counting with him in Chinese and now he can pretty much count from 1 to 10 without messing up. We are still working on the alphabet. Bennett tries to sing along to the alphabet song, but only hits a few letters right. He does recognize the letter B though! Every day he learns more phrases and is talking from the minutes he gets up until he goes to bed. These past few days, it's been all about "this one" and "that one" nonstop. He likes to point out that he's a boy ("I boy.") and is good about distinguishing if someone is a boy or girl. It's really exciting to see him say/do new things every day, but it'll be nice to have him back at daycare, because I know he'll be learning a lot more than I teach him at home.

Bennett has gotten increasingly more picky when it comes to eating. A meal that is guaranteed to make him eat is pasta. He loves his pasta. If you ask him what he'd like to eat, chances are he'll say pizza or cookies. Yogurt, applesauce, cheese, and anything sweet are his favorites. Bennett can eat a lot of potatoes (regular and sweet) as well as corn, peas and edamame. He used to eat broccoli and cauliflower when he was younger, but won't touch either anymore. I can't blame him because they're not nearly as delicious as corn or sweet potato. Bennett loves all fruit, especially blueberries. He can't stop eating blueberries if he sees them. Peanut butter is another favorite. Sometimes I let him eat it off of a spoon, but I love peanut butter too, so I can't deny him of it. Bennett loves fish and shrimp too. One of his favorite meals is breaded tilapia, roasted potatoes, corn and bread. Meats are hit or miss with him. Some days he'll eat a ton, especially meatballs, but most days he pops a piece in his mouth, gives it a few chews and spits it out saying, "No... no." On days like that, it's easy to think he is becoming a picky eater, but just last week, he was eating sushi. If Bennett sees something he wants to eat, it's pretty clear to see. He tilts his head to the side, stares at it with big innocent eyes and asks for it. The head tilt and big eyed stare get me every time.

If I had to make a prediction for Bennett's future, I'd say he'd be a firefighting soccer player, who has a secret life as a Broadway star. He definitely loves being the center of attention and showing off in front of people. If he overheard a parent telling their kid to jump, he'll jump. If he knows the answer to the question someone else is asked, he'll answer it. Very quick to show off, but if I were pick up new skills and learning new things at such a quick rate, I'd be anxious to let everyone knows I know them too. I really don't know what Bennett would be, actually. He IS only two, but he clearly has a thirst for learning. The first part of his 1 year old life, he wanted to read the same books every night. Now he gets really excited for nap time when we have a bag full of new library books to read... and wants to read all of them before he goes to sleep. He likes to go out to new places, especially if they're busy places, so that he can observe the world around him. That being said, he's quick to model the behavior of naughty kids too, so I'm sure we have a busy year of keeping him in line ahead of us. One thing is for certain though, it'll be fun.