Birthday Boy!

Well, our boy is two years old. This weekend was quite the birthday bash. On Friday afternoon, Nana and Grandpa Hendler arrived. They stayed through the weekend, and Myles became quite enamored with his "Pa." (In fact when we pulled out of the driveway this morning and said our good-byes, Myles cried a bit...we're hoping the growing bond will persuade Seth's folks to relocate to the south sooner than later.)

On Saturday, we packed the car and arrived at the Nature Center for the birthday party a little before 10am. At ten, our guests began to arrive and we had snacks, homemade ice cream cake, and a visit from a real groundhog. The WNC Nature Center rehabilitates wild animals that have been wounded. It re-releases them to the wild when possible, otherwise it provides a home for them for the rest of their lives. At the Nature Center, you can see all kinds of animals from hawks and otters to wolves and bears, and there's also a petting area to interact with the domestic animals. Myles had a blast running around, patting sheep, spotting animals (the cougar was the coolest), and interacting with friends. We are so grateful to have such a wonderful group of friends, and that Myles has his own set of friends who he's beginning to enjoy more and more.

After the party, my mom, my brother's family, my brother-in-law, and Seth's folks all came back to the house for pizza, presents, and playing. Myles scored some incredible gifts, like two Hess trucks that used to belong to Seth, a wooden train set with a copy of the little engine that could, an art easel, a book that spells out his name, a mini repair shop for his wooden car set, a Kleen Kanteen, a gently used plastic shopping cart complete with a stuffed lamb sitting in the front (like a baby would), a donation to the Heifer Project with a book, and a wooden mail box with post cards, velcro stamps, and a key to open and close it. Wow! The boys played, and we chatted. My brother-in-law Brian was in town to interview for two positions in TN, one in Newport and the other in Tri Cities area. We were so excited to have him at our house for the first time, and from what we heard from my sister this evening, his interview went well, so we have high hopes that a move to this region might follow for her family. We missed cousins Kaleb and Finn (and Aunt Brenna)! And we also missed my dad.

Mylestones: Myles has started washing dishes several times/day. We are hopeful that someday this might actually be helpful. For now, it's an opportunity for him to play in soapy water with the less breakable things that need washing. This activity usually requires a complete change of clothes, because the front of his outfit gets soaked. We're on the lookout for an apron for him. Myles also helps feed Juniper (whose name he has started saying, but you would never know it because his interpretation sounds nothing like "Juniper"), helps put her in her crate and take her out of her crate. More and more he wants to eat his meals at a "big boy" chair (i.e. not his high chair), and he often makes a mess. We've started using his yellow place mat with a small trough that catches whatever falls between his body and the table. He also insists on going up and down the stairs by himself, though I will grab his hand anyway, because the stairs are wooden! He enjoys brushing his own teeth (or sucking on the toothpaste may be a better description of it). Oh, and now that he's turned two, he has zero interest in the potty. He also has zero interest in diaper changes, which sometimes turn into a wrestling match. Every Wednesday we go to story time at the library, and we just introduced him to a Sesame street video rental last week, and he's digging it!

Well, I guess that's enough of an update for now. A few friends were kind enough to wish me a happy birthing anniversary on Saturday, and I did pause to remember that long long labor (28 hours) and birth. I read my account of it in my journal, which I'm grateful to have. My baby's growing up!