12 Great, Terrific, Wonderful, and Interesting Things we Never Want to Forget about our Favorite Two-Year-Old

1. Everything ends in "Mama" or "Papa": I mean every single sentence. As in, "I'm eating, Mama" "I playing, Papa" "I can see the birdies, Papa" "I don't have my blanket, Mama"

2. He's got jokes: They include making up nonsense words and then repeating them with a twinkle in his eye; walking backwards with a goofy smile; imitating the way mama rocks and soothes the baby (it's hilarious!); dancing goofy dances; and pretending to offer his parents a bite of food only to eat it himself.

3. He knows an amazing amount about trucks: His knowledge ranges from airport fire trucks (oh yes, they are different from regular fire trucks) to delivery trucks to excavators. Every truck is interesting and worth discussing. He loves them all but has a particular love of garbage trucks and fire trucks. His deep love of modes of transportation is so apparent that police persons, fire truck drivers, and construction workers have all stopped what they are doing to flash their lights and impress him.

4. He likes to check on how everyone is feeling: As in, "How Doing Mama? I'm doing good." Then he says, (before I have a chance to answer) "You're doing good Mama" or "You're doing great, Mama", which always sounds more like an evaluation of my performance as a mother than it does an emotion. He also covers his own feelings pretty frequently and often says, "I'm sad." And we say, "Oh, you're sad" to which he responds "I'm happy now, Mama/Papa"

5. He loves to be sung to but only sings when he thinks no one is listening. Almost every night we read a book that is actually the piano music for classic children's songs and we are asked to sing song after song after song. But, he doesn't join in, even on songs he knows. But, he will sing when he thinks no one is listening. Overhead the other day was the song, "Lots and lots of cars and trucks and tractors, too." (See #3)

6. When he does something naughty, he always tells us about it again and again. He will say, "Callum dropped it" when he drops food off the table and onto the floor or "Callum ripped it" every time we come across a ripped page in a book. He will also tattle-tale on kids in daycare. The other day we found out that Sally got a time out because she hit Susan on the head. And Callum said, "no hitting."

7. He no longer wants to be known as Cal-Cal and corrects us when we say that with a heavy "Callum"

8. He is a stupendous big brother and show compassion in all kinds of ways. If Jude is crying he will rush and bring him a car/truck and say "for you, Baby Jood" and gives him gentle pats all the time. He also gives him Mama and Papa gentle pats on the head and even in one of our books that shows a sick person on a stretcher heading the hospital, he reaches out to pat the page every time we see it.

9. If he sees something really great, like a backhoe digger, he says, "I can't believe it", which is an exact imitation of his parents when they are showing enthusiasm for yet another car or truck.

10. If he wants someone and they aren't around he has started saying "Where are you?" but doesn't make any motions to go look for them. As in, "Papa, where are you?" while standing in place or "Nushy, where are you?". But it comes out more like 'whewe awe ywou?'

11. He has started getting very specific about plural and singular as well as using the negative. If he requests we sing Old MacDonald and wants it to be about the HORSEY on the farm and we sing HORSIES on the farm he says "No. HORSEY. Just one, Mama/Papa." And, he will say things about the negative like, "I don't have two blankets, just one." or "I don't have my teddy, Mama/Papa"

12. This might be painfully obvious, but life is narrated constantly. From the moment he wakes up to the moment he falls asleep he is talking through his day. It's a miracle he doesn't have a permanent sore throat.