Gabe | Two Years

I was feeling sentimental the other day and scrolling through old pictures and watching videos from this time last year, and man -- my round-faced, wobbly walker has changed SO much. While I feel like this season with Gabe as a toddler has gone by extra fast, I absolutely love this age and these new milestones with him. I am doing my very best to soak them in and not miss out simply because “I’m busy.” So many memories have been made in this 2nd year with our little buddy, and I'm hoping by writing this post I can document them all together in one place. Without further adieu, here's more than you ever wanted to know about Gabe at two years old:

TWO YEAR STATS

Weight: 28 pounds

Height: 34 inches

Clothes: 2T (24 Months in some brands)

Shoes: Size 7

Diapers: We haven't officially taken the potty training plunge, but he is wearing 2T/3T pull-ups since he's started telling us he needs to go potty and pull-ups are much easier to get off than diapers! But still wearing Size 5 diapers overnight.

SCHEDULE

Gabe's typical schedule right now looks like:

8:00 a.m. - Wake up
8:15 a.m. - Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - Playtime
10:30 a.m. - Morning Snack
12:00 p.m. - Lunch
1:00 p.m. - Storytime
1:30 p.m. - Afternoon nap
3:30 p.m. - Wake up from afternoon nap
3:30 p.m. - Afternoon snack and playtime until dinner
5:30 p.m. - Dinner
7:00 p.m. - Bath and bedtime routine
8:00 p.m. - Bedtime

All of that to say, don't think that we follow this schedule to a tee everyday! Most days (aka everyday) we're all over the place, but in general, this is what our day looks like.

EAT

Gabe will try what we offer him for the most part, but he does have his moments of picky eating. I notice it mostly when he's cutting teeth or if he isn’t feeling well. He will also eat all day long if I let him. If Gabe knew how to open the door, he would probably just help himself to the pantry.

Some of his favorites include grilled cheese, pizza (he finally loves pizza!), chicken, rice (especially Mexican rice), cheese, deli meat, and yogurt. Fruits are something he requests at meal time too. When it comes to eating protein, dipping sauce is his jam, and he especially loves Chick-fil-a sauce any time we have chicken. He loves to dip chips in salsa and queso too!

KIND granola bars are hands down his favorite at this age, along with bread, dry cereal, and raisins. We stick to about 12 ounces of milk, and 1-2 servings of yogurt and cheese every day for his dairy. For the most part Gabe will eat breakfast (which is usually milk right when he wakes up and then cereal or granola bar and yogurt around 8:15-8:30), lunch around 12:00pm before nap time, and dinner is all over the place right now but is usually between 5:30-7pm, depending on when we get home from work.

SLEEP

Gabe’s usual sleep schedule is from 8:00 pm to 8:00 - 8:30 am with a nap after lunch (about 1:30pm) until 3:30-4:00 pm. Lately it's been hit or miss with his naps though. Some days he'll play in his crib for an hour and half before he finally falls asleep, and other days he doesn't nap at all and just plays the entire time. I know he's still too young to skip a nap altogether, so he still has designated rest time in his crib, whether he's reading a book, playing with his stuffed animals, or actually goes to sleep. We haven't transitioned him to a toddler bed yet, and honestly we're not in a rush. Our pediatrician advised to let him sleep in the crib as long as he'll stay in it, and that's what we've planned to do all along. Once he starts trying to climb out and it's no longer safe, then we'll transition to a big boy bed.
 

HEALTH

Overall Gabe doesn't get sick that often, though I'm sure that will change now that he's going to preschool. He's had the stomach bug twice this year already, and both times were during the summer. Over this past winter, we noticed he starts to wheeze when he gets a bad cold, so we now have a Nebulizer machine at home to give him breathing treatments when the wheezing gets bad. The pediatrician said it's too early to diagnose him with asthma, but since he only wheezes when he's sick, most likely it's not something he'll struggle with long term (PTL!).

MILESTONES

The older Gabe gets, the more I've learned to take a chill pill when it comes to milestones. They'll do it when they do it, and there's honestly not much we can control as parents. Gabe started walking at 14 months, which is within the average age range, but in my head he was "late." Why in the world did I think that? Now I wish I could go back and tell my year-ago self to just chill the mess out. He's running and jumping around now like there's no tomorrow, and there really was nothing to worry about.

So instead of talking about milestones specifically, these are just a few more random things about Gabe that I want to make sure I remember. As far as talking goes, he is much more inclined to repeat what we're prompting him to say, and his annunciations surprise us all the time. His ‘I love you’ is one for the books and melts me into a puddle everytime. A few things he says the wrong way that I can't bring myself to correct because it's so darn cute -- "nunder" for thunder, "bee" for blanket, and "wuv" for love. He loves singing, and his favorite songs right now include Baby Shark and If You're Happy + You Know It.

He is really smart and truly enjoys problem-solving. Coloring and playing with his golf set, basketball goal, or t-ball set will keep him entertained for a good while. He loves to dance, run, and jump (especially on the couch, which is our daily battle right now). His running can be best described as kicking his feet out to the side, arms flailing, and bouncing while shimmying his hips. It is SO cute and I never want to forget it.

ADVENTURES IN YEAR 2

Took his first trip to the Georgia Aquarium
Went to his first Braves game
Dressed up as a Ninja Turtle for Halloween
Experienced his first plane ride!
Spent a weekend exploring Washington, DC
Played in the snow for the first time
Went to his first UGA basketball and football games
Welcomed three new boy cousins into the family - Graham, Elijah, and Nick!
Fun adventures on Ama + Big Dad's farm - collecting eggs, picking strawberries, and hanging out with the horses
Visited Aunt Ashley and Uncle Drew in Augusta and saw where Mama + Daddy spent LOTS of time during PT school!
Took lots of boat rides (+ his first jet ski ride!) at the lake
Visited Aunt Jenny and Uncle Zach in FL and spent time playing at the beach
+ many more I'm probably forgetting!

Gabey Baby,

You are a laid back little bit with the most free spirit and sweet demeanor anyone could ask for. You have changed the very most over this last year, and I fall in love with you more and more everyday I spend with you. You have absolutely changed our life, Gabriel Kyle, and I thank the Sweet Lord every day for blessing me with you.

I love you,

Mama