Rafferty Turns 2!

Excited as he realizes it's HIS special day because just seconds before he wasn't too happy being "forced" to sit down.

SO anxious to blow out his candles that he actually made contact with the blue candle (look at his face)!

Ouch! Now becoming cautious of candle #2.

He successfully blows them both out without help or prompting!

Still thinking about that pesky blue candle.

Now ready for "Cake!" , which he exclaimed over and over.

Yum! (a taste from sister)

Can't wait to get his hands on an actual piece of cake and having a hard time restraining himself.

Wait!

Imogen reinforcing patience.

Eating with a fork! Again, what a difference a year makes.

LOVING it! -clearly

Loving his gifts, especially the football and Rex dinosaur flashlight from Grandma & Paka.

Oh, what a difference a year makes! I think the pictures speak for themselves, too. Let's see... We don't have stats yet and his appointment is next week but Raf weighs a little over 31 pounds, I think. This kid just cracks us up all the time! We all love him to bits and he's starting to come to terms with that, meaning he doesn't always slap his sisters or push them away when they want to give him a kiss or hug, like he used to and, since everyone wants to love on him so often, he'll sometimes tolerate such generous acts. He's like a cat, if I had to describe him. He still loves balls (which he's lately begun to call "baush" and I have no idea why his first word is now mispronounced, but it's pretty darn funny. He loves dinosaurs and especially roaring like a dinosaur (loudly) and books (incredibly refreshing since Imogen wasn't particularly interested in this activity and I've missed my reading time with Tate and Hadley). He also loves all animals and knows many animal sounds and likes to make us laugh as he belt's them out. He's incredibly independent (or thinks he is) and wants instant results. Meaning, now! He ends most requests with "please" though, so at least he has that going for him. He has a temper and is more than quite the stereotype when it comes tantrums + 2. Oh, Rafferty! We actually had our very first conversation today and I am just super amazed how quickly his language skills are developing, especially this past week. Our conversation went like this:

Raf: Yawns. "I'm tired."
Me: "You're tired?"
Raf: "Uh huh. I'm tired."

LOVE it!!! This kid went from muttering (never met a kid that mumbles more) to making sentences I'm understanding. His vocabulary is exploding right now, too. So very exciting for me. Just today he stopped saying "No!" to every question and actually answered appropriately! He said "yes" AND "uh huh" on several occasions! I was beyond amazed since that's been his favorite word for over a month now.

So yes, Rafferty is certainly growing up quickly and we are enjoying every single minute of it. He's so very funny, even though he's dead serious about most things. Tatumn makes him laugh more than anyone and she's constantly teaching him new things and loving the results, too, especially when she can have him perform and show new skills off. It's so sweet. Imogen and Hadley can't stop trying to hug him and Eric and I are lucky enough to still be able to hold and cuddle him as he transitions from baby to little boy. We love you Rafferty and look forward to seeing you grow and even though it's going a little too fast for me, I wouldn't have it any other way. You are our sunshine!