It’s really struck me this week how close Zachary is to two years old, and how big he’s gotten recently. Not only is he a tall boy in general, always maxing out the growth charts (and we think he just  had another growth spurt – he seems to have just shot up!), but he’s really growing up in his own head. He is less of a baby these days and becoming more and more Zachary the little kid.

In the past two or three weeks alone, his language capacity has just skyrocketed. He’s talking a whole lot more, both at home and in preschool, which is something I’m really pleased about. I know some kids are shy at school & don’t talk as much there, but Z’s teacher told me the other day how expressive he is in class. No real sentences yet, but so many more words, and he can really get his point across. It never takes me too long to figure out what he needs.

He’s always been an amazing listener and has an enormous capacity for receptive language (taking instructions, etc) and that capacity has just been growing in leaps & bounds. He understands everything now and can even identify pictures of items in a book that he has not specifically been taught. To me this is incredible, just to be able to watch a human brain grow, learn, and develop.

The wannabe anthropologist in me gets insanely excited over seeing my son process new information & interact with other kids in a social setting. I love arriving early to pick him up at school so I can watch him play with the other children. It makes me feel like a supermom to see him sharing & taking turns!

He’s also at an age now where he’s able to get really into the idea of cartoon characters and shows. He’s always had shows that he likes, but after watching Toy Story a couple times, he’s come to really enjoy Buzz Lightyear. Zachary’s two year molars are starting to bother his gums as they come up and he was not feeling so great last night. However, when I mentioned Buzz Lightyear, his head snapped around and he ran to the couch to sit down and watch the movie with me.

I’ve always been told that little boys are very helpful and Zachary definitely embodies that quality. He really tries to be helpful around the house, trying to assist with emptying the dishwasher, putting away laundry, sorting the recycling, and feeding the dog. Of course, some tasks are made easier with him helping and some are a bit harder to do with him around, but he always has a fun time being Mommy or Daddy’s little helper and it’s cute to see how happy and proud of himself he is when he finishes a task.

Zachary is such a fun, happy, wonderful little boy. He smiles and laughs all the time. He has a beautiful, vibrant personality that gets more fun as the days go by. I love everything about him being little, but at the same time, I’m excited for him to grow and grow so I can get to know the person he will become.

Here’s a photo of Zachary having a blast during our walk through Old Town St. Augustine on our recent mini-vacation this month:

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