Blaine 26 Month Update

This boy is talking non-stop these days. He's our little parrot and constantly repeating words and phrases he hears. It's amazing to think how much he can learn and retain. I'm not even sure I can list all of his new words, but I'll try to hit a few highlights. He only calls Pierce "Buh-Wy-yul" now and usually says it in an annoyed tone when Pierce is doing something that bugs him. It cracks us up. He is also super friendly right now and says hi to everyone he sees. I can't remember if I wrote this last time or not, but the funny thing is that right after he waves to and says hi to anyone he immediately points to Pierce and says, "buh". Maybe so as not to leave Pierce out? He can express himself for his desires for most foods now and of course "gookies" and "nonis" are still towards the top, although I feel he's gotten better this month. He also finally started liking "applesa" again and loves "na buh" which is banana bread. He even helps me make it by pouring the ingredients in. We talk a lot about Daddy and "daddy's ca" being at "wor" everyday. He still loves to "wing" outside and always wants to go "higher"! We push him as high as we can these days.

He still surprises us with his coordination and he can go up and down stairs pretty much alone, but we're still right there to be safe. I don't know when I'll ever feel confident about them and stairs. He loves to nump (jump) and has even added a little clap to it. He can jump over items as well. And he learned how to push himself up on the shelf and white chair and swing back and forth. It's an impressive feat of strength and coordination we think. He runs full out like a boy now and is pretty fast. We definitely see athletics in his future.

Blaine continues to have such a sweet and tender spirit. He is very aware of how others are feeling and is very generous. He is almost always the one to relinquish a toy to Pierce. Yesterday we were taking turns with "names" (James the train) and when it was his turn to play he picked it up, held it for just a bit, and then came over to Pierce and said, "Here ya go, buh". So sweet! He loves to make others happy and usually gives Pierce a full out hug if he's sad. I pray these traits never leave him.

He's been a better sleeper and we've gotten several mornings of 7 AM wake ups from him. Such a treat! He's still our pretty good eater, but still won't try many things on most days.

He also really enjoys coloring and putting stickers on. His coloring style these days is long, thick lines and he often favors black. It doesn't always make for the cheeriest of pictures, but you always know who did it.

Blaine's developed some allergies (which he calls "almays") where he got a runny nose and red, itchy eyes. We've guessed it's the pollen count or something and are hoping they will go away soon. Andrew assured us we could give daily allergy meds and Blaine refers to them as "bubble yum" because he took some bubble gum flavored tylenol one time and thought it was delicious. So all medicine is now "bubble yum".

One time recently while changing Pierce's diaper I happened to say, "That's a big ol' poopoo". They both thought it was hilarious and now say it every time they poop. We've also adapted it to big ol' peepee as well. Somehow that phrase makes diaper changes more appealing.