Our love for Reddington has only multiplied & grown over these past two years. It is impossible to imagine our lives without this adorable boy at our feet on a daily basis. Hearing "Mama" over & over is a wonderful sound! This post is scheduled to publish at the exact minute of Reddington's birth on 02/05/09 which was 9:48 a.m. So, HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, REDDINGTON FORREST! We are crazy about you!
*For Reddington, the word "baby" means 3 things: baby doll, a baby that he sees in real life, & if he wants to be held he will hold his hands up in the air & said "baby, baby" It's so sweet. He has been doing this constantly when we put him in his crib. Recently he has loved being held before nap time & bed time. He has become quite the cuddle bug.*At Grant's 2nd Birthday Party Julia, Grant's mom, said, "Grant, do you want to eat cake or open presents now?" At the top of his lungs right on command Reddington yelled, "CAKE!" It was hilarious & all of the guests were cracking up. I believe that was the first time Reddington had even said the word "cake" let alone yelled it on cue.
*In addition to basic words that he's been saying forever (mama, dada, dog, bike, frog, cow, papa, mimi, no, yes etc.) He is now saying these: tractor, bear, Thank You, Jeep, Yuck, Eww, Nigh-Night, Elmo, Bird, Sock, Shoe, Drink, "Nack" for Snack, Cracker, Cookie, & more!
*Reddington is now starting to form 2-word phrases such as: "More, please" "Yes, please" "DaDa's Boots" "Up, please"
*3-word phrases I've really noticed are: "Look at that!" (He was pointing to a "choo-choo" on his pajama pants) & "Mama come here!" {Love that!} If he wants more of something he's now saying (every time) "More, please, Mama!" That is music to my ears. I love hearing that boy jabber!
*Animal sounds such as "mooooo" for a cow & "sssssss" for a snake are heard in our house regularly! He can also do the sound for a horse, sheep, monkey. Reddington can't see a monkey without doing the monkey sound- Hilarious!
*Since we have a 30 minute+ commute to work/Stacey's each day, we've really been taking advantage of the time by talking about colors & having him repeat them to me. We work on the alphabet & numbers some, too. It's funny because some days he will repeat every single color & everything I say and other days he will just say "No" so I just turn the radio back on & we sing along to tunes, instead.
* The Mr. loves to throw things away. I'm thankful that it's not random stuff but items that belong there. He will pick up pieces of hair, dirt, paper, etc that he finds & say "Ewwww" or "Yuck" & take it into the kitchen to the garbage. Over break he received a little Snowman stuffed animal. Although it was a nice gesture, it smelled of cigarette smoke so I tossed it. WELL, later in the day I saw Reddington HUGGING the snowman after seeing him pick up a piece of lint. Darn it! He tossed the lint & took the Snowman out. Hilarious & gross at the same time!
*Bath time is his fav. He will play for as long as we allow. For Christmas he got these color tabs & he has wanted to drop 2 in during bath every night. It just makes bath time even more fun! He also loves to color in the tub using these. I think he would stay in all night if we'd let him!
*There's a family of about 5 squirrels that live in our front yard. By that, I mean we see them every single day on the large tree, chasing each other around the yard, & sitting on our stone pillars eating acorns. Reddington absolutely loves to stand at the window & watch this action take place.
*The number that Redd repeats regularly is the number 2. We started this a few weeks ago by asking, "How old are you going to be?" He will say "2!" He will also hold his fingers/hand up occassionally & attempt to show you 2 fingers. Practice makes perfect! :)
*Reddington doesn't know a stranger! He will smile & give high-5 to anyone we see. Others can hold him or help him in any way that he needs and he is fine with that.
*Lately we have been cracking up over our boy when it's not the best time to be laughing- Here's what I mean- He wants to be "chased" around the house CONSTANTLY. If you say, "Reddington, let's change your diaper." He will run the opposite way of his bedroom. If you say, "Reddington, let me have the ______." He will run the opposite way with the object & sometimes try to hide from you. SO, starting over break we now both say to him firmly (in between laughs/while trying not to laugh) "Reddington, I am not chasing you. Come here!" & it works almost every time! Yes, it took probably 4-5 days in a row of being consistenent on our end to get in the habit of saying it. Yes, we love to 'chase' our boy & listen to his giggles. It is so stinkin fun. However, we want him to do what we say the first time. So, saying this was essential to getting our boy to listen immediately. For instance, when in public he must listen the first time- "Come here because there's a car coming, " etc. The last thing you want to have happen is for him to run the opposite direction thinking it's time to 'chase' him. Hope that makes sense. It is silly but completely necessary for a 1.5-2 year old :)
*Reddington has quite the personality. We didn't realize that he did until he was around other 1-2 year olds recently. He was dancing, laughing, playing, giving strangers a 'high five,' etc while the other 1-2 year olds were kind of following him around. I think he's going to end up being a 'class clown' like his Dad. Let's hope not or we're going to have our hands full come kindergarten!
*Presently Reddington loves to play with about 6-8 toys- his vacuum, Jeep, Monster Trucks, motorcycles, John Deere tractor, Pirate Ship, farm animals, & books. It is really nice that he plays with these toys consistently as we've been able to donate & put away a lot of his toys that he just isn't interested in. That makes for a clean & organized play space in the living room, basement, & bedroom.
*There's not a single television show that Reddington watches. The sitter has said more than once that all of the other kids will want to eat popcorn/watch a movie & Redd is bored after about 15 minutes. That's my boy! :) I'm thrilled that he doesn't want to watch t.v. or movies. He will sit with us while we watch Glee or American Idol but after 10-15 minutes he is ready to PLAY! He plays very well on his own or with just a motorcyle or tractor on his lap near us.
*If were were to take Reddington to a movie in the theatre, it would definitely be Yogi Bear! When the preview comes on t.v. Redd goes CRAZY! He will get my attention, point the t.v., & yell "BEAR!" He has even handed me the remote before & said "please" wanting me to re-wind & watch it, again. We will probably rent it as I'm just not ready to spend the $ to watch a show at the theatre with him. I know that he wouldn't make it through the entire movie, just yet! This summer will be a perfect time to try a movie at the cinema.
*When it comes to meal times, Reddington wants to eat what we're eating. His favorite thing is to "dip" whatever he is eating. Ketchup, Ranch Dressing, & Monical's French Dressing are a few of his favorites! He is actually very good with his fine motor skills & can eat about anything with an adult fork without spilling or making a mess. I was surprised recently when he ate an entire dish of applesauce with an adult spoon without spilling a drop as I just assumed it would end up everywhere but in his mouth- - it was a pleasant surprise!
*Our high chair is about to be put away. I can hardly believe it! Only a few times a week it is being used because Reddington will sit in a chair at the table on his knees. He loves it & feels so grown up. We love having him sit at the table with us for meal times. He is becoming quite the 'little man.'
*At the sitter's the older kids must constantly be saying, "One, Two, THREEEEEEE!" When we are counting Reddington will YELL the number 3 & then stop every.single.time. It is ADORABLE & oh so fun. Sometimes* he will count with me up to 10 by repeating after me. I just love it.
*Well, I know there's more but I think this is plenty for now. I love documenting my favorite boy's life. If you made it to the end of this list, that is quite an accomplishment! Reddington has his birthday pictures today with Aunt Lori of Bettis Photography. We are so excited to celebrate our boy today (and everyday!) & look forward to celebrating with our families & close friends on Feb. 26th.
*Lots of Birthday blog posts & celebratory photos coming soon! :)
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