camden is turning two...

our littlest big boy is turning a whopping two years old next week..we are having a party to celebrate at our place on saturday the 28th (you will see a formal invitation on the blog soon)...i am so in love with this age...tantrums and all :) at almost two camden is....

*a first word user (meaning he uses single words, and copies or tries to copy the things that you say) words he uses on his own include: mama, dad, chase (ase), toe, two, turtle (tuwtuw), bye, that (dat), no, more (mo), oh, wow, santa (anta), nigh nigh, grandma (um ma), grandpa (pa), thank you (an ou), all done (a don), yes (es), head (ed), snow (noh), me (meh), yay...

*he will tell you what a cow, dog, cat, duck, monkey, bee, snake, gorilla, bear, tiger, dinosaur and wild thing says when you ask, or he sees one, he also knows most of the signs for different animals. 

*we stopped counting when he hit his seventieth sign, and he has learned so many more and he will often combine signs...like "roll ball"

*he understands a ridiculous amount when spoken to, and can answer a question he knows instantly...although he chooses quite frequently to ignore you.

*he gives hugs and kisses on demand.

*he can point to his head, toes, hands, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, head and hair when asked.

*he is walking! when he wants to...and he will only do something for people he doesn't totally know when he feels 100% confident about it. 

*he can walk up stairs with two hand support, alternating feet.

* he can turn around and go feet first off anything: down the stairs, off the couch....

*he dances standing up without holding onto anything, the kid can shake his little booty.

*he can bend over in the middle of the room and pick up objects and stand back up, sometimes walking them over.

*he uses a push toy and can get on, off and ride a push car.

*he can get up into a kid sized chair on his own and turn around.

*he can push his chair over to the couch and use it as a ladder to get onto the couch, although he doesn't like to if it feels unstable at all.

*he loves anything ball related, he loves to roll and throw them.

*he knows the words and signs for the colors: blue, yellow, red, green, brown,  black and white...and is beginning to understand the concept behind color (he is pretty consistent with red and blue)

*he is stubborn as all get out and hit the terrible twos around 18 months...lovin' those fall to the ground and kick tantrums...my fav.

*he is a great eater...finally! 

*he can use a spoon, although he is still working on consistency with the scooping action.

*he is learning how to use a fork and is getting pretty good.

*he drinks from a straw and open cup

*he can do simple matching puzzles.

*he loves to feed his elmo and cookie monster and knows how to get the cookies out of cookie monster's backpack, feed him and start over, he also loves to rock and kiss baby dolls and chuck them across the room when he is finished, haha. everything is a phone. he also likes playing with cars and doing the sound effects.

*he can work push button toys without help, and can navigate some apps on the ipad.

*he is quick to pick up on how to make things work.

*he loves to open the garage door, and has to do it every time we enter or exit.

*he knows the actions and signs to the following nursery rhymes/church songs: itsy bitsy spider, the wheels on the bus, patty cake, book of mormon stories, popcorn popping, up up in the sky, twinkle twinkle...and asks for each quite frequently

*he loves bubbles and can blow out of his mouth (not strong enough to get the bubbles going yet, but he is getting there.)

*he can put pegs into holes.

*he can do the ring stacker, stack 5 plus blocks and the shape sorter (most consistently with the circle, square and triangle)

*he is the first to fold his arms at the dinner table awaiting the prayer

*is obsessed with signing time and finding nemo, and asks for them anytime he can see a tv in the room...he loves to chant like the fish in the tank and pretend he can speak whale like dory.

*he knows how to work the dvd player (we had to turn off the touch screen buttons on the front so he couldn't get the dvd's out anymore)

*he loves rocking out to music...any kind, and can sing away into his pretend microphone like no other.

*he helps with chores...like wiping down the counters or floor, sweeping, laundry (more often than not he ends up making more of a mess, but that's ok) and when asked and in a good mood he will help put his toys away. 

*he can also make quite the mess, dumping toys out everywhere, emptying the cupboards and drawers, we can't leave the toilet seat up, 

*he loves to play instruments: drums, piano, shakers...you name it, he will play it.

*he signs potty before going number two :) and has been known to bring me over a diaper when he needs to be changed and there is one lying around.  he has also gone to the potty on his training potty multiple times, no we aren't training but getting him use to it here and there and really just trying to keep him from going in the tub. 

*he hands me his bottle when it is empty and he wants more.

*he loves books, he mimics the facial expressions of characters in the book, turns the pages, signs and points along as well. 

*he knows his signing time dvd's so well he signs the sign that is next before she gets to it.

*he goes to nursery at church and even though we requested an aid it hasn't worked out quite yet, but he is doing great in there anyway and eats his snack, listens to singing time, bugs the leaders to hold him, gives them hugs and sits independently and attentively in a kid chair with the other kids.

*goes to music class and a toddler class through early intervention, goes to physical therapy twice a month, sees a speech therapist here and there and has an early intervention coordinator pop in twice a month.

*his dr appointments have slowed and he is on a typical schedule with the pediatrician and doesn't need to see a cardiologist again until he is three.  

*he still has a hair pulling problem, although i have noticed it is when a kid invades his space bubble or he wants their attention...we are working on it, he also tries to kick them away if he is annoyed and when he gets hurt or angry he hits...again working on it. 

*he likes to wash his own hair, rub in his own lotion and brush his own teeth and hair.

*and if you ask him "camden how old are you" he holds up one and a half fingers and says "two!"

i love this little man of mine so so much and i am so excited for what the future holds for him...