Happy 2nd Birthday Charlie!

Charlie is 2 today! I am so proud of him, and how far he's come. It's hard to believe our formerly 1 lb, 15 oz boy is now a whopping 28 pounds of spirit and stubbornness and giggles. We saw a new pediatrician today, and she was shocked when I told her he was a former 25 weeker. As we were leaving, she said, "Don't you wish you'd had a crystal ball 2 years ago?" That is exactly how I feel! If I'd known he was going to be where he is today, I would have done a lot less crying and a LOT less worrying!! The last 2 years have been scary, educational, hysterical, exhausting, rewarding, and so much fun!

Last year, I started a tradition of taking Charlie's birthday off to spend the day with him, and am so glad I can be home with him again this year! We started the morning with waffles and fruit. Can you tell how much he likes his waffles??

Can anything top this kid's smile??

We had his 2 year check-up at the pediatrician this morning. Our normal doctor was on vacation, but I loved the doctor we got in his place. She was so good with Charlie and was so pleased by where he is and what he's doing! He's had a big weight gain since his 18 month check up - 28 pounds puts him in the 50th percentile for weight, although he's still only in the 25th percentile for height. Clearly he gets his measurements from his momma. She was not at all concerned that he's not speaking yet (besides 'hi') and gave us props for the fact that he's no longer on the bottle, which we kicked months ago! She also told me not to even think about potty training yet (phew, he's DEFINITELY not ready) and that she's supportive of us getting him into part time preschool this fall. He only had 1 shot and took it like a trooper. All in all, it was a great appointment.

Next, we headed to Chick-fil-a for a birthday lunch. Charlie wasn't as blown away by his chicken as I hoped, but we had fun. Now he's napping, so I've had a chance to bake his cake, put together his new kitchen and his train track, and pile up the rest of his gifts from the family and sweet miss Pamela. Pretty impressive stack of gifts, huh?

Here's a better shot of his new kitchen. I can't wait to see his face when he sees it!

Charlie's back on track with his sleeping, thank goodness! We had to put up with a few nights of letting him cry it out, but that misery was worth it to get him sleeping through the night again. The last few nights he's hardly cried out at all.

He's walking better and better, and is much more interested in climbing on things now that he's got more confidence on his feet. He loves to climb up and sit in our bay window:

Last night he climbed up on the brick hearth of our basement fireplace (which is only a few inches off the floor) and soon after, fell backwards off of it. He froze exactly where he fell with a funny look on his face, I went over and scooped him up, and he went back to playing. No tears!

He's got some less-than-desireable habits, as all kids do at this age. His little monkey feet grab at the table whenever he can reach it from his high chair. Check out his little toes curled around the table edge:

So funny! He needs another haircut, but I kind of love how his hair looks when he has bed-head, and how it curls when he gets hot or the air is humid, so I've been putting off cutting it. It's a shaggy mess at the moment:

On Friday, I meet with the teacher at the preschool he'll hopefully start next fall. Since he's still behind and getting regular therapy, he'll transition from the home care he gets now to therapy integrated into a classroom setting. I'm eager to see what the school is like and hear more about the program. I think it's going to be great for him to be with other kids and to have to follow instructions and deal with not being the center of attention.

I couldn't imagine 2 years ago where we'd be now. I'm so thankful for our wonderful boy and the joy he brings to our life!