2 Years Old!

 So what is Benjamin like as a two-year old?

His strength is problem solving and verbal. He talks very well and we get a lot of comments on his vocabulary and language. Of course, a lot of it is only intelligible to us, or in context, but tats common for kids his age. I am not even good at giving examples of how well he talks because its every minute of every day. Some anecdotes from the past month.

Here is one that was facebook worthy: 
Ben: The moon! Me found the moon!
Me: Yeah the moon is out! Did you find it?
Ben: Yeah! Full Moon
Me: Do you know what a full moon is? What makes a moon full?
Ben:  Circle Moon!!
Me: Good job! Thats impressive!
Ben: Silly Moon (laughing/silly voice)
Me: Why is it silly? Because its out in the morning?
Ben: Yeah. Silly moon out in morning. 

There is also the time he told my ILs - "Thats a semi truck pulling a trailer" (this boy knows his vehicles...). Or the time Grandpa Y asked him what a picture in his book was and got the answer "Alaskan Brown Bear"

When DH's car was in the shop - 
Ben: "Dada's car broken?"
Me: Yes, we took it to the shop to get it fixed"
Ben: "Fix it with Hammer?" 
Me: "well, no, I don't think they fix cars with hammers, maybe a wrench? Hammers are used on things like houses."
Ben "me fix house with hammer" (repeat this last phrase incessantly)

Common expressions heard ALL of the time: 
"I need help" 
 "That my ____" (Mama, Dada, Dog, Cat, truck)
"I no like ___" (Monday, Daycare, baths, eating)
"close the door" 
"Clean up, clean up" (they might have a cleanup at daycare"
"where's my ___" (billy beats, big yellow truck, orange car, cup)
"I ride in ____" (mommy or daddy's car)
"The ___ on the bus" (seriously this kid thing EVERYTHING rides on the bus and he breaks into this song at random all the time)
 
And the ones to melt your heart - 
"Ben sit by mama and dada"
 "I love Mama, Dada, Grandma, Grandpa, TWO grandma grandpa, ..." (and he goes on to list aunts and uncles in whatever order he think of them)

Benjamin is getting really good at puzzles. He has a 24 piece floor puzzle that he got in mid-December (an early Christmas gift) which he can do mostly on his own now. I think he could do it entirely on his own, but he likes us to help him and he wants us to "play" with him. We certainly trying to encourage him to work on it on his own. 

It seems like he knows where we are when we are in the car. He will ask "Me go in tunnel?" before we get to the tunnels on the highway, or that we are going over a bridge before we get to it. 

He is able to sit and entertain himself with a book, puzzle, or toys for quite some time. Other parents have commented on "how nicely he sits and eats" and "how he focuses on one activity".

He can count... well, how high depend son his mood. Always to Four... sometimes up to ten with some prodding. 

If you tell him you don't have something you need, like a paper towel to clean up a mess, or other similar things, he will problem solve and figure out how or where to get one. 

For a long time we have been giving him "Two minute warnings" before transitioning to a new activity, and now he bargains back - if we try to switch activities too fast he will ask for two minutes. 

This evening when I asked DH "what Day is it?" (referring to an event), Benjamin answered "Monday!"

What are his weaknesses? Well, he still doesn't jump or climb like his friends. He does a sorta hop/skip thing, and he loves to dance these days. He does a rousing version of Ring Around the Rosie or Wheels on the Bus, or dances to Billy Beats, but he doesn't actually jump and shows only limited interest in climbing. He is a total klutz. He has what will be a permanent scar on his forehead from running into a corner, and last week he ran into another wall, getting an epic bruise and scrape on his right cheek.

He is already a know-it-all like his mama and we got the note from daycare that he knows his colors really well! So well he answers when it is other kids turns. 

Interests: Anything and everything vehicles (we have so many different toys and books about these and he loves them all, I think Good Night Construction Site has been read every night since we got home from our Holiday travels.), Books, puzzles, "home" (he frequently says he wants to "go home" when he means "stay home"), swimming lessons, singing and dancing, dogs and cats, my parents new puppy Sherpa, Thomas the Train videos, brushing his teeth

What he will eat changes day to day, but these are always favorites it seems: Olives, tomatoes, oranges, pizza (with olives, sausage, and pineapple is his favorite), fish sticks, cinnamon rolls/cinnamon toast, cheerios, candy (preferably chocolate).

As for terrible twos? Yes he is more demanding now then he used to be. He will start to freak out over many things a day (not having presents to open, not being able to start a rowdy activity shortly before bedtime, being told no to a food he wants or an activity he wants in general), but usually these do not escalate. Usually they can be controlled with a bit of reasoning, soothing, or distraction. Sometimes they are comical (the presents one kinda made us both laugh) We will see if that lasts. 

He seems resistant to potty training, so we have not pushed it much. 

He has gotten pretty decent at sharing. Sharing is a KEYWORD. You can ask him to give someone something six times and he will say no, then say "can you SHARE it with him?" and he smiles and hands it over. At the Children's Museum last weekend a boy took his train, he started to squawk, but as soon as DH or I would say "Ben, you need to share" he would calm down. Not that he is always nice, because he is NOT. Over Christmas he hit a 6 day old baby in the head with a toy, and has hit some other kids in a similar manner. At the Children's museum he also walked up to another toddler and stuffed a stick of plastic celery in her face. Not so nice. We also have trouble at the end of mealtimes at home (despite being told he eats nice by other parents), where he decides to start throwing food, or pouring his sippy cup out onto his plate. 

He has one VERY good friend at daycare (Dino), and it just makes us all laugh every time they see each other, because they both get so excited. Ben immediately starts dancing or skipping around, and they laugh and run off. Ben will say "Dino very funny" and laugh his head off. 

That is Benjamin at two years! I might come back later and add some thoughts... but I think I hit on most everything.