twosday

this little boy of ours turned two today! turning two seems so much like turning thirteen - a time of change, of growth, of rebellion and of yearning for independence. it's teenagerhood without the height or access to allowance money...

speaking of height, we hung the growth chart and took his measurements today. it's been irregularly updated until now - we bought it in the summertime after many, many months of me thinking i would make one and wanting to do something exciting but not knowing what. and then suddenly came the realization that what with the walking around and all, this little guy, this boy, was growing right in front of our eyes and we probably should start taking actual records! i settled on a chart that was not too babyish, that stretched as tall as you would ever wish to be and that i could fold away for safe keeping... we measured when we got it, again around 18 months, on the momentous day of cole's first haircut and also added a few retroactive measurements that were jotted down. we bungled some measurements on the inches side so now we're using the metric - how international! cole loves being measured, probably because i use a quilting ruler to fix his height against the wall and it's the only time he has access to it's sharp corners...

today he's as tall as he was on february first when standing on tippy toe. that makes him 88cm - almost 34 inches tall! he weighs about 27 pounds, give or take, and he's got 16 teeth, for anyone keeping track at home. today he had three small boo boos on his hands, including one sliver that he let me remove. he nurses these boo boos, hides them under his shirt sleeve if i want to look but milks them the moment i stop looking. he speaks in full sentences, gets jokes and makes us laugh, has a memory like nobody's business, dances but not if you ask him to, loves music and extreme flavours and books until the cows come home. he's two, and that means at times he's stubborn and opinionated, even if the opinion he's expressing is quite obviously illogical or the opposite of even what he wants. it's exasperating at times but thankfully, so far, not long-lasting. he's always been generally even-tempered and kind, patient and happy. not always, but mostly. i love his creative streak - "you go ahead and add eyebrows instead of stripes to that zebra," i think, smiling and loving how he sees his world.

to celebrate in our own quiet way, today we kicked off with his birthday gift first thing. it's not like he needs more toys, but it's something we knew he'd love - a mini basketball hoop for the patio. we went swimming, ate pancakes with blueberries for breakfast and lunch and sang him 'happy birthday' with his candle in ice cream with strawberries after dinner.

just when i think he's so tall and boyish, i watch him stretching to put the ball through this little hoop. he's so much still a baby at times - the one who wants to snuggle in my arms and curl with his blankets and who still fits 24-month onesies if they're long. when i go clothes shopping i keep seeing cute onesies and feeling that bittersweet twang at my heart as i realize he's nearing the end of that whole stage. babyhood. i kiss his soft, sweet-smelling head and turn toward the big boy clothes, with their durable knees and proper collars and pockets for storing found treasures. and i see a shimmery glimpse of what lies ahead - boyhood. in his smiles and his eyes, in his reaching. and adventures, independence and reaching back when he needs support.

today a lost bee flew in the window while we were measuring and became trapped. we stopped and watched him buzz and fuss and try to find his way back out the window. when he rested, we caught him in a cup, took him safely outside and set him free. as the bee flew away, cole reached out and asked me where he was going. "back to his family," i told him. they would miss him and surely he wouldn't want to spend the day inside with us. he thought about it and nodded, and told me that the bee was looking for fun, he saw the toys and wanted to play. "but bee flew home," he said, and he tucked his little hand into mine and we went back inside to finish our measurements.

coco, we love you!