TWO

I cannot believe that today my little boy turned 2! The day came and went, and flew by much like the past 2 years did...I feel like just yesterday I cam home with this little guy...and now he is this handsome, precious, hysterical, opinionated BOY. What happened to my baby??Will and I both played hooky from school today. We had birthday plans. We baked this morning (pink and blue cupcakes for a very important announcement he was going to make later...), then made a trip to Academy for some new shoes, met Daddy for lunch at Chick-fil-A and even got to ride the Hot Dog Truck (Galleria-we can't go without riding it!).Later our families came over for a birthday dinner with Will where Will had his very own giant cupcake again this year and he was allowed to dig in! We lit the candles and when we were finished singing, he knew exactly what to do-he started blowing which was the funniest thing you have ever seen! Spit was flying and he was trying so hard his face turned red...but he blew both candles out by himself!

Right now....
-the child is obsessed with trains or in Will language, Choo Choos. He talks about them all the time, usually has one (or three) in his hands, sings the theme song to Choo Choo soul, if TV is on he wants to be watching Chuggington...hence the reason for the choo choo birthday party :)
-he is still attached to his paci. This is my fault. I said we were taking them away at Christmas and just couldn't do it. He is such a GREAT sleeper. I worry that it may mess him up somehow, especially his naps. I don't know why I am such a scaredy cat...I've just got to break down and do it!!
-he says all kinds of words. More than I could sit down and take the time to make a list. He is still not Mr. Conversation, but he gets his point across and is communicating with us much better which makes day to day life much easier! His favorite words are no, uh-oh, choo choo, koko (train from chuggington), tatoo (airplane....no clue where that came from), and nilk (milk).
-He loves books and loves to be read to...Right now a few of his favorites are The Gobble Gobble Mooooo Tractor book, Hop on Pop, Dooby Dooby Moo, and Polar Bear Polar Bear What do you Hear?
-Baths have become much more fun since Santa left color tablets and bubbles in Will's stocking! When he hears the bath water running, he comes running, get the tables and bubbles out of the cabinet and anxiously awaits for the time when he can drop them in. If you give him a choice, he will request "blue wa-wa" most every time!!
-His favorite foods are pasta, grilled cheese, cheese, pb&j, hot dog, chicken nuggets, fruit snacks, crackers, blueberry waffles, bacon, applesauce, bananas, strawberries, and most any vegetable. This is pretty much all he eats...we are working on introducing new things but these are our go to foods when we know he just needs to eat!
-He loves to color/draw/paint!!! One wall in our den has fallen victim to his Picasso-esque talents :) It wasn't a lot thank goodness, but it is blue and pretty easy to notice!
-He loves Bentley (or as he says Bay-ey)...he just doesn't understand why Bentley doesn't seem to reciprocate the love. Poor Bent is more annoyed with Will than anything, but is super patient with him.

I really can't remember what life was like before Will. He is so funny and keeps us thoroughly entertained each and every day! I am sure I was much more rested pre-kids, but life with Will is way more fun.

This is why we are super excited that baby #2 is a BOY!!!! We found out today, on Will's birthday. I was a little worried about stealing Will's thunder, but how fun was it to give Will the gift of a little brother on his birthday!
We had our family all choose a pink or blue cupcake...My mom and Stephanie both chose pink...the rest chose blue.
John of course is beside himself with this little Vakakes clan of boys we are breeding :) I am super excited too. I kind of felt all along it was a boy just because things have been pretty much the same as my first pregnancy. However, the closer time gets, the more you second guess yourself! I woke up at 1:17 A.M. and could not go back to sleep until about 4:30 and then Will was up at 6:30, so I haven't had much sleep. I was so anxious today! I am thrilled that Will is going to have a playmate and a buddy for life. John has already thought of all the ways this is perfect: in a few years they can share a room and have bunk beds, they will get to play varsity sports with each other for at least one year, they could room together at Auburn....his list goes on and on. The little stinker seems to already be stubborn though-it took a good long while for the ultrasound tech to figure out he was indeed a he. His legs and ankles were crossed until the very end of the ultrasound. When I saw that at the beginning, I immediately thought it was a girl and she was just being modest :) Baby boy was not as cooperative as Will was at his ultrasound.....he didn't seem to want to sit still long enough to get a decent profile picture. I wonder what that says about my future of trying to get pictures with 2 little boys :) I am SO outnumbered!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILL!!!!
I have been in love since the moment I laid eyes on you...