Chase is TWO!!!

Wow! I can't believe that I am writing this. The time has just flown by. I woke up at 6:15 AM and I started thinking about what was going on two years ago at that time. We were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little boy. He was born at 6:45 AM. Our quiet, tiny, precious baby has done a lot of growing since then. He came into this world so quiet and mellow. He was 6 pounds 6 ounces and measured 19.25 inches. What a difference 730 days has made. Now at 30 pounds and almost 3 feet tall, he has changed our lives for the better in so many ways. We bless God for His gift to us. Here is a little update on our little man's development.

He is super talkative, and is constantly communicating with us. About 2 months ago he started talking in sentences. He is very capable of communicating his needs to us. This can be helpful and sometimes somewhat annoying. I would describe Chase as determined and persistent (if kept in check are good character traits that I hope he keeps as an adult); however, when it comes to getting what he wants he can become a broken record and makes the same request over and over again. For example, if he wants a certain CD on in the car he will ask until we put it on. Often times we are forced to say "shhhh" and be patient. Those are common phrases in our household.

He has an incredible memory. He doesn't let us forget any promises. This actually quite helpful. I will often times ask him to remind me about something and he will. He is able to find toys that he is hidden. He tells "stories" about incidents that have happend in the past. He loves music and can repeat lyrics. A funny little story. One of Chase's favorite songs is "Bob That Head" by Rascal Flatts. One time Abe asked me if I wanted to listen to some Rascal Flatts. Chase chimes in "Bob That Head, Daddy. Every Friday night." He connected that Rascal Flatts sings "Bob That Head" and then proceeded to repeat one of the lines (every friday night). Anyway, we were blown away that he pays that much attention to what he is listening to. He is currently "singing" Twinkle Twinkle, the ABCs, and Happy Birthday.

Chase is quite the ham and loves to make us laugh. He knows the things that make us and our family laugh and does them to get a rise out of us. His new phrases are "watch this, mommy, watch this"(or whoever he is showing off for) or "look at me." It is pretty obvious that he is the center of our attention. We like it, but at the same time we try to keep a handle on that. That could be interesting when he is 30. :)

Chase is super active. He loves to be on the move. When we are out running errands, Chase typically has some sort of ball in his hand. He LOVES balls. Anything round is a ball. He can catch and throw. He can also bat a ball out of the air. One our activities consists of us tossing the ball and Chase hitting it with his bat. He loves to try to throw balls in basketball hoops. He is learning how to kick and dribble the soccer ball. He loves to ride scooters. As his mother, I had thought that we would encourage Chase to be interested in many different types of activities such as music, reading, athletics, etc. Chase's interest in sports was innate. We didn't encourage this area of interest more than another. It is amazing to see a little one with so much passion. I love it. Hopefully, with some guidance Chase will have diverse interests and be a well-rounded individual.

As far as his physical development, he seems like he is pretty average in size. We will find out more on Tuesday when we go to the Dr. People usually comment that he is big, but I honestly can't tell. His Uncle Johnny says he has a "big dome." Not sure if his head is above average, but I do know that it is much harder than the average head. Yikes! Stay away from the head butts. They will make you cry! He loves to run and is quite agile. Because of his constant movement he gets lots of bumps and bruises. Thankfully, the Lord has spared us from many major injuries. The biggest injury we have had was his burn. Thankfully, that has healed beautifully with minimal scarring. The Lord has also blessed him with an incredible pain tolerance. He rarely crys due to his injuries. If he does cry, we know it is bad. This was observed when he was 1 day old by the nurses at the hospital. When the nurses and Abe took him to get "snipped," he didn't make a peep. The nurse came back and told us that he was "the tiniest, but the bravest." That has remained with him.

It has been wonderful to have Chase in Sunday School. He likes to go, and is learning a lot. We review the handouts that get sent home with him, and it is amazing the stuff that he retains. Chase loves to pray at meals and before bed at night. He makes the list of people he wants to pray for. Our prayer is the seeds that are being planted at such a young age will not return void. We hope that our little man will become a mighty man of God. We are working on being kind and not hitting. We are also working on sharing. "Mine" is one of Chase's favorite words. Not good. These are the big issues at the moment.

Some of my favorite moments with Chase are before naps and at bedtime. We read books, snuggle, and talk about our day. A sweet reward after tough moments with a toddler.

I have written a lot, and I could probably write more. It is good for me to write this stuff out because I forget so much. If you have gotten this far you deserve a reward.

Happy Birthday, precious boy!