{2.4 years old}



Drew,

At age almost two and a half, you certainly keep me busy.

You are into everything and constantly question the world around you. "I don't know" is NOT an acceptable answer to questions in your world.

You are a little chatterbox and refuse to be ignored. If I am not paying as close of attention as I could be and respond to you with a generic, "uh- huh," you notice and usually come back with "No you say uh-huh."

You are the happiest little guy most of the time, but get really upset when something is not going the way you think it should be going. Saying you have a bit of a temper is a major, major understatement.

You love cars, trucks, trains, and tractors. You point out every interesting vehicle we see as we drive. You want to know the names for each and every construction truck you are lucky enough to spy out your van window. I have become much more educated on backhoes, concrete mixers, skid steer loaders, and excavators in the past year or so.

You love to be read to. You are also beginning to enjoy looking at books independently when you see Gracie and Luke reading after school. You have too many favorites to list. Last week you cried when I returned a stack of books to the library. You are always asking for one more book, and I can almost never refuse.

You are definitely not the most adventurous eater, but I take comfort in the fact that most of your favorite foods are pretty healthy. You would survive on yogurt, fruit, beans, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and PBJ's if I would let you. You love juice more than anyone I know, but we have to limit how much we let you have because it upsets your stomach. You actually only have about 2 servings of juice each day, but we dillute yours with so much water that you think you get about five tippy cups of juice each day.

You are not a TV watcher, but lately I have been able to get you to watch an entire 20 minute Dora episode. I think this will probably come in handy this summer when your little sister arrives.

You are very literal. If I ask you to bring me your "shoes," you are quick to correct me and call them "crocs." If I try to had you a "cup," you correct me by calling it a "tippy."

You love going to Little Gym class and adore your teacher, Miss Pamela. I wish you had the same enthusiasm for going to Mother's Morning Out each week.

You have many, many fears right now. Stranger anxiety has jumped back into our lives with a vengeance. This morning you began crying and clinging to my leg in the check-out line at Target because the clerk scared you. I have no idea why, other than maybe his white hair or his tattoo. You are fearful of imaginary spiders, strange noises, and the dark.

You want strangers to talk to you, but only on your terms. You frequently ask me what some one's name is, even if the someone is just a person we happen to be sharing the aisle with at the grocery store. We had a cable guy at our house at the beginning of the week and you kept asking me, 'What is that man's name?" so many times that finally we had to ask him. I was tickled when the man answered and then asked you your name. You responded with "Andrew Henry Hedenberg........ please to meet you."  (We play a silly "Pleased to meet you." game with your stuffed animals sometimes, but I've never heard you say it to a person before.)

You seem to kind of understand that you will be a big brother soon. You like to talk to my belly button, kiss my belly, and share your things with baby "Tatie." I keep wondering if you will be jealous once she arrives.

You have a great little giggle and a good sense of humor. You give me this certain look when you are being funny and I just can't help but laugh along- even when you are being a stinker.

You want to be bigger than you are. You seem a little insulted sometimes when you are not given the same freedoms and privileges as your older brother and sister. You hate your car seat and constantly try to strap yourself into Luke's car seat instead.

You have begun to have preferences as to what clothes you wear. You prefer "not tight pants" (sweatpants to the rest of us) and either Luke's old Superman Tshirt or the concrete mixer shirt that Nini got you for Christmas. You only tolerate anything else.

You like your big boy bed, but have very specific bedtime and naptime rituals that must be followed to keep the peace. You require two stuffed animals, "Puppy" and "Polka Puppy," as well as your polka-dotted pillow and your elephant quilt. We must read at least three books and cuddle for a couple of minutes.

You phrase things in a way that is just so "Drew" that I can't help but smile. One of your favorite phrases right now is "I just askin' you....." as a preface to any question. Your daddy and I frequently say that you have a very proper way of speaking, almost like someone who has learned English as a second language. People often comment on how verbal you are.

I love you so much, my sweet, funny, spirited, talkative little guy!

XOXO

Mama