Oliver: 2 1/2 Years Old

Dear Oliver,

Your dad and I simply cannot get enough of you lately. You are ridiculously adorable. We were talking recently about what the best word is to describe you and we both decided that it is "cheerful." You have such a happy disposition and love doing almost anything and everything. Instead of walking or running, you prance almost everywhere you go.  Your pop pop recently commented that you are "light on your feet." It's true. You skip, hop, and jump almost constantly, and it is the cutest thing ever. You frequently have a cheesy little smile on your face. You love to hold hands, snuggle, and grin. You are simply delightful. When your dad went to pick you up from nursery at church last week, you were the last one in there. He apologized to the nursery leader for being late and she replied "There is no child I'd rather stay late with than Oliver." Your happiness is infectious and everyone simply loves you to pieces.

You're extremely easy going- except for when you're not. Let me explain. You are very laid back except for when it comes to the following things: your clothes and dinnerware. Dressing you every morning has become a nightmare that I dread with every fiber of my being. You are extremely picky about what you'll allow on your body. Right now, you only own three shirts that you'll wear; your Utah football jersey, a striped t-shirt that has a space ship on it, and your dinosaur shirt. If I haven't done laundry in a few days and they're all dirty, we're out of luck. You also only own one pair of pants that you'll wear, so I constantly have to make sure they're clean. If I every try to dress you in anything else (anything that I think is cute, heaven forbid), you will kick and scream and cry big crocodile tears until I give in and let you wear something from the dirty clothes basket. When it comes to your dinnerware, you have equally strong feelings. We have to lift you up onto the counter and stand there for minutes while you choose. You finally pick a plate/cup/fork, etc and then you will change your mind and start crying as soon as we put your food on it.  SO. FRUSTRATING.

You love to sing lately and are actually pretty good at it. You can carry a tune! I'm a proud mama! You love to sing primary songs and songs that you hear on the radio. Right now your absolute favorite is "Animals" by Maroon 5. Whenever it comes on, you get the cheesiest open mouth smile on your face. The lyrics to that song are terrible and I regret letting you listen to it in the first place, but there's no going back now. You're completely obsessed, so I just let you listen and feel thankful that you are too young and innocent to know what the song is actually talking about.

A few days ago, you started climbing out of your crib. Your dad and I were in our bed sleeping in the early morning, and we were surprised to see you standing at the side of our bed with a mischievous grin on your face. We thought that it might have been a fluke, but after you climbed out a few more times that day, we realized that nothing could be done and that we needed to switch you to a big boy bed for your safety. You did surprisingly well in your big boy bed the first night, but naps have been another story. You won't take them because you're so excited about your new found freedom. We'll have to wait and see if the novelty will wear off. I'm guessing that you'll start taking them again, but it might take a few weeks. We shall see....

You are also starting to get out of bed over and over after we put you down for the night. It usually takes you over an hour to finally decided to stay in bed and go to sleep. It's frustrating because we haven't found any punishments that you care enough about to make you stay in bed. I don't want to do it, but my next move is to start locking you in your room when we put you to bed. I would unlock it before your dad and I go to bed of course, but I want you to cut this crap! By the time you finally fall asleep around 9:00 p.m., your dad and I hardly have any time to spend together before we have to go to bed ourselves.

Oliver, you're a great kid. I love this stage you're in and just commented to your dad last night how I wish you would stay this way forever. You've started this hilarious habit where you yell in a loud voice "Mmmmm! Tasty!" when you eat the bread in sacrament meeting. Everyone around us always cracks up. You're very polite and say thank you without me every having to remind you. I love it.  Thanks for being a part of our family!

Love Forever,
Mama

2 Year Old Stats: 
Weight: 30.4 lbs (56th percentile)
Height: 37 inches (68th percentile)