Ethan Turns Two!

I took advantage of probably the last birthday I have with Ethan in which I can get away without doing much in the way of a party. I'm sure by the time he is three, he will have the intellectual processing skills to understand that turning three means presents, cake, ice cream, friends and some sort of expensive activity. Until then, I relished the idea that I could still get away with a simple gathering at home with a few friends and family. We did do a fun cake, and since he is into all things Monster these days, it was a brightly colored greenish, bluish, yellowish concotion! Here are a few pics from the party:

Ethan is definately his own little person. Over the past few weeks I have really come to understand him and finally, I think I get him. He wants to be a big boy, just like his older brother. So he wants to do everything himself. And I have found that by allowing him this independence, he is responding to things so much better than before. For example, we've had problems with him getting into the fridge and grabbing things out. Before, we would pick him up and drag him out of the fridge while telling him, "no fridge" and he would throw a fit and scream and cry. Out of frustration, he would hit us in the face and then try to bite. Then, he would end up in his crib on a time out. This was happening all the time, over all the things that little boys want to do that they simply can't do. Now, that I understand it's all about independence, instead of dragging him out of the fridge kicking and screaming, I simply ask, "Ethan, are you thirsty? Do you want something?? Can you get the juice yourself??" This makes him feel like such a big boy and he is so excited to find the juice himself and get it out, and use his big muscles to carry it to the counter. Now, I do this on everything. Whenever he's trying to get into something that is a no-no, I try to find out what's he looking for and re-direct him to something that is ok. He is so much happier and I am so much less frazzled! Sometimes it feels like I'm letting him be in control of things, which I struggle with, but I think this is just one of those phases that toddlers go through, the "I'm independent and I can get into whatever I want" phase to test those limits and boundaries. Once he understands that I'm not trying to control him and I'm really just here to help, I think this will all be for the best! Oh the toddler years - they are so adorable and such a handful all at the same time.

Another special note about Ethan is his ability to verbalize himself. He is so verbal sometimes it is disarming. When I go into the bathroom to get ready, he follows me in and literally has a conversation with me about what I'm doing. He memorizes songs, quotes movies, does pretend play, and even knows how to talk back. For example, the other day Kellin came down stairs and said that Ethan threw popcorn all over the play room. I could hear Ethan coming down the stairs saying, "No my didn't" even though he really did. Or, after watching The Land Before Time, Ethan comes downstairs and says to me, "Mama, what's a loooong neck?" which is directly from the movie. He is so full of personality, sometimes I feel like he is three or four, not two. He loves to play with Kellin, usually pretending to be a monster or ghost or chasing Kellin around the house. I love our little Ethan moster, and am so glad that eventhough I wished for a little girl, I got him!