mylo turns two

my baby is two. and my heart is broken. i will never again have an infant, or a one year old. nope, we are slowly passing milestones marking the end of the watkins' baby era. just 11 days shy of his 2nd birthday mylo decided he was ready to sleep in his big boy bed. and just like that he was no longer my baby, he is officially a toddler. i've been snuggling this little angel to sleep every night for 2 years (it was the best way to end my days. he would toss & turn for a little while than finally give up & curl his little body right against mine, wrap his chubby little arm around my neck, & tuck his forehead under my chin. and every night i would get overwhelmed with joy & gratitude) and just like that he decides to grow up. he still insists that i lay next to him but even when he wakes in the middle of the night or rises too early in the morning he prefers to take me back to his toddler bed than climb in my big comfy king. soon enough he'll be driving off to college.

in so many ways mylo behaves years beyond his tender age. he is way too smart to be two. he just gets things & his reasoning surprises me on the daily. he comes up with arguments that actually make sense like when todd took the boys crab hunting while i was at a baby shower the other night. mylo didn't want to go & he told todd, "tay hm, dart ow-sie" (stay home, dark outside). he's a duplo master. he loves building and destroying. he was never much of a tv watcher until his second femur break, now he is officially obsessed with curious george. he is wild and so full of life. he cannot be stopped. and he shouldn't be. he is happiest running and jumping, and exploring. he loves to be outside. he is perfectly content with a pile of rocks and some sticks. throw in a bug or two & mylo is totally beside himself. his favorite places are the beach, waterfalls, the costco food court, and his bestie mosiah's, house. his smile is contagious and his laugh is addicting. i find myself doing the most outrageous things just to get one more laugh out of him because i just can't get enough of his giggle. on the same note, i can't seem to get enough of his sweet little voice. it is the cutest. ever. and lately he's really expanded his vocabulary so he has plenty to say. i spend all day asking him what a duck says or to repeat whatever words come to mind just because i can't hear enough of his baby talk. i just about die every time he says baby (bee-bee) or nose (nuse) or aloha (hoo-ha) or hulk smash (imagine coughing up a lugie and adding the word smash, kind of like hhhhckkk-msh) or that guy (dat duy) or ta-da (dot-dot with tons of enthusiasm). he often shortens words by only saying the first syllable, yea, he's that lazy. at which point, i am forced to play a guessing game to decipher if "ba" is ball or bug or balloon or cooper or book or batman or whatever random word has popped in to his baby mind. he's also known to refer to objects by mere sound effect & he is remarkably accurate in his depictions. dog is "woof-woof", airplane is "swooo-ooosh", cars are"wee-wees", snakes are "ssssssss", & trash trucks are "vwmmmmm-tshpfffffff". the other day the mechanic at sears said that watching him play was like watching a tv show. it's so true. he is a major jokester. he truly thinks he is hilarious & he loves to tease. his current favorite joke is to call any & all food "pizza". he knows what pizza is but he just thinks it's too funny to call all food by the same name. he also loves to call people by the wrong name. in fact, he calls himself "noniah" (mosiah, his best friend) all the time. he has the most adorable blond ringlets. i never thought we could have a child with more curls than tj but mylo clearly takes the cake. he loves water, any & all water, we go to the beach & he runs straight in to the waves, we go to the river & he jumps right in the freezing water without hesitation, & as soon as anyone turns on the shower his clothes are off & he is climbing in. he is obsessed with super heroes. i love how he thinks he can strap on a cape & suddenly he is invinsible. he is a huge fan of fruit snacks, oatmeal, donuts, pizza, apples, bananas, naked juice, anything chocolate, & cheese. he is stubborn, all my boys are stubborn but mighty mylo is the most. he knows what he wants & he is bound & determined to get it. and i'm ok with that because it will make him such a strong child, teenager, & adult. usually, his requests are reasonable & he asks with what we call "strong words" & i give in. i can't get enough of his jump. he swears he is soaring through the sky every time he bends those baby knees to lift off but i'm pretty positive he has yet to actually leave the ground. it's my fave. but don't be fooled, the child has incredible athletic ability. he has no problem keeping up with his brothers. mylo is a caretaker. he is always the first to pass out hugs to a broken hearted sibling and the first to offer toys to random kids at the park. he has a big heart and unlike my other two shy-guys he is not afraid to use it. he loves on my friends and chats away with strangers. then again, he also has a rather rad right hook (todd can testify). he is his mama's little angel. he always has at least a dozen kisses in store for his mommy & maybe one or two for his daddy or his brothers. he is such a snuggler. he runs around like a wild man all day but once the sun goes down & his exhaustion sets in he wants nothing more than to be in his mama's arms. and my arms are never too tired to oblige.

in so many ways, i look up to him. he has endured so much, two femur breaks at less than two years old isn't easy. he is so strong, so reslient, so brave. and despite what he is enduring he is always aware of those around him & willing to lend a helping hand. that type of character is hard to build. i am so grateful that it comes naturally to him. he is and forever will be our baby. we all adore him more than words can say. we are so tremendously grateful for his sweet spirit & the energy, enthusiasm, & joy addition he brings to our family.