Ahh, two-and-a-half year old Max. Such a busy, challenging time. And yet such a fun, adorable little boy! We’ve definitely seen glimpses of Max’s “Terrible Twos,” however Eric and I can’t help but notice all the endearing things about this age. Max continues to be a Mama’s boy and he still twirls his hair while sucking his thumb for comfort. His crib has sat empty for months as he prefers to sleep with Ethan. Yes, a bunk bed is definitely in our future.

Words: The things out of his mouth…oh my goodness. Undeniably sweet. Take his new favorite phrases for instance….”I love you so, so much!” and “I so happy!” Oh my. My heart slightly melts when I hear these words in his adorable little voice, especially when we’re snuggling. (I know 10 years from now I would pay heaps of money to relive moments like this.) And of course, we cannot forget Max’s special name for Ethan…”Yeah Yeah.”  A few other favorite Max phrases: “Just a second!” “Are you watching?” “Play with me Mommy!” “A ready?” “Ober dere!” (Over there!) And Ethan’s favorite, “Ah westle!” (Wrestle time!) And lately when I get out of the shower with wet hair, Max says, “You look like a mermaid!” Too funny.

Music: Ethan and Max have also taken a liking to a few choice songs. Namely anything by Psy, Bruno Mars and Foo Fighters. It’s fun – well, until we go out in public and they both start singing, “Hey, sexy lady!” Shhhhh!!! Let’s sing a different song! Sigh. Why must they pick the most age inappropriate song to commit to memory and rehearse in the grocery line?

Temperament: As I mentioned before, there are plenty of challenging moments to balance out the sweet ones. Like when a 10 minute grocery trip becomes a 30 minute trip because every aisle includes a full-blown temper tantrum with blood curdling screams and throwing oneself to the floor. And when we finally get to the checkout line, Max proceeds to open up not just one, but two packages of Rolos and EAT THEM in seconds flat.

Food: Max loves cereal bars and fruit snacks (which he now calls “Bunnies” because they are typically Annie’s Bunnies). He’s still the pickiest eater under the sun. Yep, I’ve confirmed it. Pickiest. Eater. Ever. At least he drinks my green juice, otherwise he would never consume veggies.

Strange Habits: Max loves to wear Ethan’s clothes…underwear and all. When Max gets in trouble or is asked to eat something he doesn’t want to try he tells us his tummy hurts. He also likes to carry LEGO pieces with him everywhere…

Toys and Entertainment: Max LOVES LEGO. And we’re not talking Duplo. We’re talking big boy LEGO. He’s actually kind of obsessed with mini figures and YouTube videos about LEGO. They are everywhere. Max spends a lot of time with the Batman Castle, coloring with markers, NERF guns, MagnaTiles and Angry Birds. He’s started to sleep with his Gloworm at night and has named her Baby Seahorsey. His favorite past time is probably wrestling with his big brother.

Habits: Max cuddles like nobody else and still twirls his hair while sucking his thumb for comfort. He counts everything and counts to 13 without error when he thinks no one is listening, but Max refuses to count on demand. He’s mastered the slide at the park, but completely refuses using the potty chair. He has ZERO interest in potty training (both at home AND at school). He’ll tell you when he wants to be changed, so I’m hoping we’re not too far off. I tell myself that I won’t be sending the kid off to college in diapers so not to stress. Right?

My, how he’s growing up…so fast. More Taco Max adventures to come!