Reed: 2.5 Years

On November 5 Reed hit two and a half years old.  His personality seems to be just bursting out and - as usual - I just want to capture as much of it as I can.  In preparation for writing this I went back and read my last write-up for Reed, when he was 22 months and before Holland was born.  I feel like so much has changed since then (at that point he didn't know colors and I feel like he's known his colors forever!).  Here are a few notes about him right now:

• This boy can talk!  I think (but am not certain) that his speech is fairly advanced and he is pretty consistently now speaking in full sentences.  It is so fun - and often funny - to hear how his little brain works and the thoughts he has.  Just tonight, as TJ came home, he said "Daddy!  Shhhh.  Han sleeping.  Whisper."  
• Reed really loves Holland and wants to interact with her more and more: this often means he is nudging her so she falls over (from sitting), grabbing her head to pick her back up, lying in her lap, rolling her over like she's a log, and doing other comparably loving actions (which I know is just him figuring out how she works but it can get tiresome to holler "Stop squeezing her hand!" or "That screaming she's doing?  That means stop.").  To be fair, he really does love her: he gives her loads of kisses, hollers "What's happened, Han?" when he hears her cry, tells her "Deep breath, Han" when she's screaming, gives her loves before she goes to bed, and tells her, "I love you go-whoa (girl)" every day.    

• Prior to General Conference Reed memorized the names of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve.  It's pretty darling to hear him yell out "Gong!" and "Soares!" when he sees them (on TV, in a church magazine, etc.)  We also taught him that President Nelson "fixes hearts" and that Elder Uchtdorf "drives airplanes" and he figured out for himself that Elder Holland and his sister Holland have the same name ("same same!").

• I can't really understate how much Reed loves vehicles.  He is incredibly aware of the vehicles around him at virtually all times.  When we eat breakfast he is calling out what he can hear working in the neighborhood (with all the construction in our area).  He tells Holland when an airplane or helicopter flies overhead.  And he is on high alert anytime we're driving: he has fantastic eyes and knows so many types of vehicles it's fun to hear him call them out as we drive.  At present he can identify: diggers (excavators), pushers (bulldozers), cranes, police cars (even ones without lights on them, leading me to know how he can tell them apart from any other vehicle with writing, but he can), ambulances, fire trucks, tow trucks, box trucks, semis, hopper cars, Hummers, Jeeps, BMWs, oil tank trucks, chippers, covered dump trucks, dump trucks, side dump trucks, cherry pickers, up and downs (forklifts), motorcycles, motor homes, buses, trailers, flat beds, street washers, vacuum trucks, mail trucks, garbage trucks, trucks with lift gates, vans, race cars (anything that looks fast to his mom, who doesn't know the difference...), tractors, snow plows, and probably a dozen more I can't think of.  He also knows the type of car/truck/vehicle that Jeff, Mary, Papa, Bompa, a random neighbor, and TJ drive and will call them out ("Jeff car!" for a BMW) as we see them.  As someone not inclined to notice or care about vehicles before now, his ability to grasp the differences and notice them is pretty mind boggling to me.

• After 8 months of spending 95% of his sleeping time zipped into his tent, Reed has FINALLY chosen to sleep in his bed.  This is a big deal and after two weeks of him almost exclusively sleeping in his bed I still worry he'll revert to his tent!  For 8 months we have consistently asked him (at both bedtime and nap time), "Reed, do you want to sleep in your bed or tent?" His answer was always, "Bed," and we'd lay out the terms: "If you stay in your bed you can sleep in your bed all night.  But if you get up, you'll sleep in your tent."  We'd get maybe once every two weeks that he'd sleep in his bed, month after month.  But something clicked a couple weeks ago and he's doing it!  After he stayed in bed for both his nap and overnight I added some incentive: if he would stay in his bed all night he could get a whole page of stickers when he woke up.  I bought him some transportation stickers and they've worked like a charm.  He no longer is asking for them but the sleep continues.  HOORAY!

• As a funny side note to the sleep thing, I've told him that once he's in bed he needs to stay in bed but that if he needs something he can call for me and I'll come.  This has led to Reed hollering, "Mom!  Need something!" with some frequency.  When I go and ask him what he needs he usually just says, "Something."  :)
• Reed has started regularly (as in, many times a day) asking about random people and where they are.  "Where's Mack Wilberg?  Where's Poppy?  Where's Paige?  Where's Dad?  Where's tiny Graysen? [Our neighbor's cousin, for crying out loud]"  We talk about where they are or where they could be.  "He's at work.  Maybe he's at the temple.  It's 7 AM, I bet she's at home."  He's started using my wording and now says "Prob'ly at work." or "Prob'ly at church."  The "prob'ly" always makes me smile, as does the whole habit of asking where people are.
• I was thinking it would be good for Reed to know his full name if he ever gets lost, so I taught him that he is Reed Morris.  He probably calls himself Reed Morris about half the time now.  "I want some Reed Morris" is a pretty regular example of how he tells me he wants something.  He also knows, and frequently reminds me, "Gem Morris, Poppy.  Eileen Morris, Nana.  Gordon Milar, Bompa.  Rachel Morris, Mommy.  TJ Morris and Tanner Morris, Daddy.  Elliana Ava Peterson (he nearly always calls her by her full name).  Holland Eileen Morris (same, same - Eileen Hana and Eileen Nana)."  He is getting pretty good at Cora Milar, Grandma, and knows a few other random ones too.
• Reed has a pretty incredible memory and every couple days says something or brings something up that really surprises me.  A quick example: in September Nana and Papa spent a week back East, starting in Boston and then visiting New York.  While they were there Reed - as usual - asked me where they were and for a couple days I told him they were in Boston.  Fast forward to two months later: last week we were listening to a podcast that was made by "WBUR Boston" and Reed immediately picked up on "Boston!  Nanny Poppy."  
• Related to the memory thing, Reed seems to be pretty good at knowing where we're driving.  We drove around the point of the mountain this week and he called out "Go butterflies," referencing the Butterfly Biosphere at Thanksgiving Point that we went to once a few weeks ago.  When I told him we weren't going today he said "Go Petersons," because that's the way we go to their house too.  
• I tried to get myself pumped up to take away his binkies a couple months ago and I definitely didn't even try.  He loves them SO. MUCH.  I think he's become more attached to them since Holland was born and I just think it would be a miserable battle if I tried to take them now.  We've started telling him more and more that he's a big boy and that big boys don't use binkies (naming a number of the boys he knows as proof).  It seemed like that was clicking for him, but then he noticed that Holland gets a binky clip to keep her binky from even getting away from her and...now we have a toddler using a binky clip.  Ha!

• Nana gave Reed a darling puzzle with lots of vehicles and he loves doing it (calls it his Red Bus Puzzle).  We've bought him a safari one and a farm one and he's getting pretty good at them - can't do any alone yet, but can put several pieces together on his own in each of them.
• Reed still loves books and reading - hooray!  We typically have 30-50 picture books checked out from the library and cycle through them pretty regularly.  He will sit and listen to as many books as we'll read him.

• A few months ago I thought it would be good to introduce him to audiobooks.  We moved the CD player into his room and, using Mercy Watson, taught him how to put the CD in and out of the player, and how to start it.  We listened to Mercy Watson dozens of times as he started turning it on before every nap and bedtime and often throughout the day, which we take as a good sign that he enjoys it!
• Reed is becoming a much better eater - HALLELUJAH.  He still isn't open to trying everything but he loves meat now (grilled chicken and steak especially), drinks smoothies with me every morning, and is even starting to like vegetables (broccoli, zucchini, cucumbers, sometimes bell peppers).  He still loves chocolate and has now fallen in love with M&Ms (which he called "MMs" for the longest time - I'm sorry he fixed that one!), which his Bompa gives him every time he sees him.  Breakfast is usually pancakes or waffles with a smoothie; lunch is usually pasta, quinoa, or rice with fruit, chicken, string cheese, dried fruit, crackers, nuts, or something else in the cupboard; he typically eats what we eat for dinner (which we really appreciate).  Pao de queijo is an ongoing favorite, as are all kinds of noodles, berries, and whipped cream.  :)

• We have a pretty steady daily schedule while TJ is at work.  Reed is almost always the first awake, typically between 5:30-6:30.  He comes to our room and sometimes comes into bed with us but sometimes is wide awake and turning on lights, talking at full volume.  We get up to get ready and TJ and Reed usually start eating breakfast together while I'm getting ready for the day.  TJ leaves to work around 8 and I am in and out of the kitchen feeding Reed and Holland while I do my makeup and hair.  After we've finished breakfast we get dressed and head out the door, usually about 9:30, for some sort of morning adventure: the Bean Museum at BYU, story time at the library, grocery shopping, a trip to the zoo, a visit to Thanksgiving Point, just something to get out of the house.  We come back home around noon, sometimes eating lunch in the car on the way (me passing Reed pieces of bread, nuts, fruit, etc.) and get home in time for nap time.  I love that Reed still naps every day.  He goes down sometime between 12-1:30 and then sleeps 2-3 hours.  Holland usually falls asleep on our morning adventures and is ready for a full nap in the afternoon while Reed sleeps, so I run around and get as much done while they both nap.  Holland almost always wakes from her nap before Reed does.  Reed is typically up around 4:00, which is when TJ finishes work, so we get the house cleaned up and dinner going while TJ drives home.  We eat dinner together and then try to do something together before we start the bedtime routine: maybe go for a walk, go visit someone, run to the library, read books together, whatever.  At bedtime we read scriptures, brush teeth, and say prayer together before putting Reed to bed and then Holland down after - Reed goes down usually about 7:30..

• Reed is pretty insistent about saying the prayer anytime we pray.  When he does say the prayer he started "Henly Dadar, Tank you Nanny Poppy stool."  Then he waits for us to help him with the rest.  We have NO idea what "Nanny Poppy stool" means and have tried many means of interrogation to figure it out, but no luck.  :)  He ends each prayer with a simple "Christ amen."  Given that we'd like to rotate who says family prayer we've taken the angle of trying to say "Reed, you get to say the prayer with you're in your room."  So far it hasn't worked and he either prays over you while you're praying (clever boy) or screams until you give up and let him pray.  :)  Ha!
• Reed has a tender heart.  He notices when people are upset (he tells me when he hears babies crying or watches when someone is upset) and is genuinely concerned about them.  When I'm having a hard time and crying he gives me loves (sits on my lap and snuggles me) and says "What's wrong, Mommy?"  If I tell him I have an owie he kisses it better.  If I'm really upset and crying hard he'll tell me, "Deep bref, Mommy."  He is just so sweet and loving.

• I'm not sure what started it but at some point we started calling people that help "helper bees."  Reed loves to be a "helper bee" and we can usually say, "Reed, be a helper bee: go grab me this." and he'll gladly jump up and do it.  

 

• Reed takes the garbage very seriously and randomly empties all the garbage cans in the house into the kitchen garbage.  He asks me several times a week when the garbage truck is coming and loves running to the window (or outside) to watch them.  It makes his day when the garbage truck driver waves back.

• In fact, Reed loves workers of all kinds and calls out "There's a worker!" and "Hello, worker!"  We first started using the word "worker" to describe the little worker guys in his Duplo set and that has transferred to real life workers.  Bless all those sweet workers who wave and say hi, especially the ones driving past in fire trucks, dump trucks, ambulances, and diggers, who absolutely make his day every time.  One time a police man next to us at a stop light even noticed Reed staring at him and turned on his lights and waved and Reed: he talked about that for weeks.
• Probably Reed's favorite thing in all the land is to "scoop and dump," which is digging.  He will scoop and dump in our yard with shovels and buckets and dirt.  He will scoop and dump in the family room with kitchen utensils (spatulas, spoons, etc.) and pretend the carpet is dirt.  He will scoop leaves or dig up grass or scoop and dump his bath water.  We found a park that has dirt and water that the kids can play in and he calls it the "scooping dumping park."  Naturally he loves that place and asks if we can go all the time.

• TJ and Reed have started doing dates together.  Reed calls them "hot dates," haha.  Their first couple dates were to Costa Vida, which was so thrilling for Reed.  They have since gone to the scooping dumping park too.  It's so cute to get pictures from them.

• I call him Reed or Brother most of the time.  He also responds to Baby or Sweet Boy or, of course, Reed Morris.  If I call out, "Has anybody seen my sweet baby boy?  He's wearing yellow and he's handsome and he's two and I love him." He'll respond, "Reed Morris, right here!"  He is a momma's boy.
• While he's getting better at smiling for pictures he is worse than ever at actually looking at the camera.  We have gobs of photos with him smiling at something other than us.

Obviously I could go on and on and on - I should probably do posts like this every day or two given how much I have to say.  :)  

Reed is the person I talk to more than anyone else: we spend all day together and - unlike Holland so far - he can actually converse with me.  He makes me laugh and sometimes makes me cry but he fills my heart to overflowing with love.  I am incredibly grateful that he is my boy (as he says "Two babies: Hana and Reed.") and that I get to be with him every day.  

Love you forever, Brother.