Taking Inventory -- Joseph Carl

As the end of the year is rapidly approaching, I thought I would write an update on what is up with each of my boys. Since Joe Bug's birthday was this week, we'll start with him.

Joey is 2 years old and I honestly feel like he was just being born and placed in my arms 2 MINUTES ago. Where in the world have the past 2 years gone?!? Joey is a great kid; to know Joe is to love him and boy do I ever love him! He is like a little addiction that feeds my soul; I just can't get enough of his lovin!

Joey is a little sponge right now. He has mastered verbal understanding and can easily perform any (reasonable) task asked of him (i.e. Joey, go into your room and bring me your shoes please). His verbal skills are definitely improving, but I still think it is pretty challenging to understand him most of the time. Bless his little heart, though, as he tries so hard to communicate with us and doesn't get frustrated when we don't understand him, but keeps trying to show us his intention. He will tilt his head and try emphasizing his words, and if that doesn't work he will physically take us to a visual clue, and if that is not an option he will make up some kind of brilliant sign language type thing to communicate. Believe it or not, after all that help we still sometimes can't figure out what he is saying!!! Poor Bug!

I sometimes wander if Joe is color blind as he still doesn't know his colors (or at least he doesn't appropriately identify colors upon request). He joyfully proclaims "BLUE" whenever you ask him what color something is. He can count definitely to 5 and I think higher, but he usually gets distracted in the middle of counting and forgets why he was counting in the first place!

Joey loves to sing. His absolute favorite song right now to sing is the ABCs and he does a really great job, though sometimes when he is in a silly mood he will sing "Q,R, No S, T, U, no V." It is really funny because he purposefully omits letters from the alphabet with a sad little frown and a shake of his head as though he can truly make them go away. Joey says "no S" and POOF! S is gone!

Joe also loves to sing the "Elmo's World" song and "Wheels on the Bus" and is a HUGE fan of the "Joey song" that he and daddy sing together. Speaking of Daddy, Joey has officially turned the corner and is a big time daddy's boy. Just ask him, he'll tell you: "NO mommy. I daddy's boy!" It is so cute to hear him say this as he buries his little head in his daddy's chest that my heart can't break entirely. Joe will settle for me when daddy is unavailable, but his preference the past several days has definitely turned toward daddy. booo.

Joe is doing better at school. He no longer cries all day and actually will tell me bits and pieces about his day with a smile! He was even excited to get to go to school Wednesday. Woo Hoo!

Despite being as sweet as he can be, Joey is not perfect and I fear the terrible twos are threatening to take over his awesome, flexible, kind personality. Joe has been much more emotional lately and has experienced quite a bit of time out time and "breaks" in his room. The "real" Joe always shines through however when the "terrible two tantrum" has passed and Joey will emerge from his room with a smile and a "Hi!" as though nothing ever happened. I wish I possessed his ability to just drop it and move on after he looses control.

Some of my favorite other fun Joe facts:

• Joey loves chocolate milk and will request several times throughout the day, "chocy milk?" When told no he will say "white milk?" The boy loves his moo juice!
• Joe calls my mom (nana) "my nanny." As in "I call my nanny?" He calls her several times a week on the phone and at night when he says his prayers he almost always thanks God first for "my nanny." I love that.
• Joey is an animal lover. He will lay down in front of Jack, who is quite old and moving slow these days, on his belly with his knees bent and ankle crossed up in the air and his little head in his hands and just smile and laugh at Jack. He also loves to feed Jack, but I'm not sure if that is more for his benefit since he is not the world's best eater or out of love for Jack!
• When Joey goes to bed at night, almost every night he will spend several minutes saying "I love you" to the whole family. He will be lying in bed saying as loud as he can without shouting "I love you bubby! I love you daddy! I love you mommy!"
• There are few "things" or people Joe loves more than his cousin Brooke or butie as he calls her. Almost every morning when Joey wakes up he comes running into the kitchen and picks up a picture of Brooke and says "awwww. Butie!" He is always kissing her and trying to feed her when she is around!
• I call Joe my trainwreck (Ben is my tornado). Ben has started calling him trainwreck as well, which is pretty funny to hear. "Joe, you're such a trainwreck!"
• Joe can be one of the most destructive children on the planet, it is nearly impossible to keep my house picked up when his is present; however, he is also the only child I know who seems to love to clean up! If you ask him to clean up a certain toy or mess he will nod his head and say"OK!" and run off to do what you asked. The problem is that 9 times out of 10 he will make an even BIGGER mess upon picking up the first mess!

I know there are a ton more things I could and should share about Joe, but it is getting late and I am in need of sleep. It's tough keeping up with my little wild man and I need my rest! Joe is a delight and brings immeasurable joy to our family. He truly completes us.