It’s official:  I have a toddler.  Yesterday my Little Man turned two.  Two.  TWO!!!  The other day I ran into a friend and her kids at the store:  she has a three or four year old and a month old infant.  Her older daughter looked at JJ, looked at me, and asked, “Do *you* have a baby?”  I looked at her, I looked at JJ, and said, “I guess not.”  He’s not a baby anymore, which is YAY in many ways, but in other ways it’s sad.  His feet will never again fit into those tiny infant socks that look too small for even a baby doll.  He won’t be entertained simply by gumming on my keys, but instead demands to have the keys, walks to the car, and puts the right key in the key hole to unlock the door (no, I haven’t shown him how to start the car yet, but somehow I don’t think that will stop him).  And sitting still in the grocery cart?  Ha.  Ha ha.  Heh.  Ah, it is to laugh.

But things can be fun with a toddler.  JJ is now learning to say the important words in life, like birdie.

His uncle Bubba is enabling and teaching him the skills necessary to make it in this world.

It’s “educational” (a.k.a. no Gravity Guns and Zombies from Hell . . . yet:  there are expansion packs).

He’s learning the joys of having a birthday:  free Coffee Cottage drinks (even if it was only sugar-free chocolate milk, it still goes down smooth).

Pigs are fun.

Animal stores are fun (and so is running away from the Old Man).

Big turtles are suspicious.

T-ball sets = good.

Fisher Price = good.

A big pan of fattie cookies = deeeeelightful.

Hands are unnecessary appendages and sometimes just get in the way of a boy and his chocolate chips.

Being two is good.  So far.  One day down, three hundred and sixty four to go.

JJ Jawings