28 Months, Verbal Skills EXPLOSION, And Other Fun Things.....

I am going to give Braden some love in this post. :) Just a warning.....this might be a long one b.c he is 28 months now, and I have not written any updates on him since he turned two. So here goes...hee hee! :)

Here is an "almost" 2 1/2 year update on our little man:

1) Anything that has to do with letters, words, spelling, etc are still a huge deal to Braden. I think letters might be his favorite thing. He is still in love with the show "Super Why" where they spell, and it is so cute to watch him talk to it. He often asks you how to spell things. He will say "Mom, how do you spell X"? I will tell him and then he will just start spelling it with letters, blocks, flashcards, whatever. He does this A LOT!! I love spelling with him! :) Another cute thing he does is you can say something like "Braden, what does K-I-S-S spell?" and he will say "Kiss!!" He is so proud of himself! Another one of his favorites is S-T-O-P. Too bad he does not listen when I tell him to do that! HA! He also loves to teach Brant. :)

2) I do think b.c he is so good with letters and putting them together (from left to right, etc) that is why his verbal skills have completely exploded even more. When we are driving down the road he will point out all of the letters in different signs as we drive. I absolutely love talking to him and having a conversation. It is so fun! :)

3) He has fun with his numbers too, and likes to learn that a 1 and a 3 together make a 13, etc. Love to watch those wheels turn! :)

4) He is learning how to say "Yes Ma'am" and "Yes Sir". If you list off the names of males and females that he knows, he will tell you which one to use. HA! :)

5) Braden is very into matching things right now. We have quite a few matching games and he is really into playing them with you. He has a great memory so he usually does really well. :)

6) He has been wanting to fold things lately like washcloths and hand towels, etc. Works for me....bring on the laundry son! :)

7) He is good at taking off his clothes, so that is helpful when he needs to run to the bathroom, or I am hurrying to get both boys into the bathtub.

8) Braden is doing excellent with being fully potty trained. It was like he potty trained at Thanksgiving and never looked back. He rarely has an accident, and he wears his little undies all of the time. He goes when he needs to go, and that is just that. :) He has also taught himself how to stand up vs sit, and he is proud of that. :) A lot of times we will start to follow him to the bathroom and then he will turn around and say, "No, don't come with me. I will do it myself". Ok buddy!! :) We still have him in a pull up at night only b.c we have not transitioned him to a toddler bed yet. I know that is coming soon.

9) He likes to call us by our first and middle names. :)

10) He likes to use big words now like "difficult", "uncomfortable", and "dangerous". :)

11) He can tell you all of the kids in his class that have a name that starts with each letter of the alphabet. He will say "Who starts with a M? Oh..Maddox starts with an M". LOVE IT!! :)

12) He is very into singing songs...any type. He busted out in song A LOT over Christmas!! You would be in the car and he would just start singing "Rudolph" or "Jingle Bell Rock". We loved to sing along with him. :)

13) Braden is loving all kinds of different foods right now..and it is awesome! He loves to have a salad and he can grub up on some shrimp and salmon...among other fun things. :) And he LOVES all sauces (spicy, sweet, or savory). :) He was eating steak sauce the other night...LOL! :)

14) He is learning his left from his right. We have been practicing. :)

15) Braden knows who our house keeper is and he likes her. It is hilarious b.c if Chris and I happen to clean up the house while the kids are taking a nap he will wake up and say "Miss Gloria came?" Makes me laugh out loud! She also brings two ladies with her when she comes to clean. When they are here he will say "Three Miss Glorias!!" Too cute! :)

16) He has this incredible memory and he can remember things from months and months ago. It is so neat to ask him about something that happened last summer, and hear what he has to say. He will just start chatting about it. :)

17) Braden loves Costco. Really loves it!! He loves to go into the "cold room" where all of the fruits and veggies are, and gets very excited to go in there. He loves to try all of the food samples ,and often asks if we are going to go.

18) One cute thing he has been doing over the past few months is making sure we know that he knows everyone's parents. We will pull up to his school and he will say "There is so and so's car", and then we will walk into the school and he will say "There is so and so's mom or dad". It makes me smile. :)

19) If we tell him something he will often say "Oh that's good!" :)

20) Braden asks a lot of questions about other people's siblings, things in their life, etc....and he wants to know how they relate to him. Such a curious little boy. :)

21) He has really been enjoying Sunday School, and the other day he said "I saw Jesus today!!" Melt my heart! :)

22) He is still at about 33 lbs (has not really gained any weight since his 2 year well check). Wish I could do that! HA! And he has got to be at least 38-39 inches.....AT LEAST. The little guy is TALL! :) He can even wear some 4T shirts very well now due to his height. :) Stop growing up so fast Braden!

So those are the top 22 reasons that I am loving this stage with Braden right now. It has been such an incredible journey, and I cannot believe he is about to be 2 1/2. I could not be more proud of him, and the precious little boy he has become! :) Thank you Lord for blessing us with him!