Look who's 2!

Today, February 28th, Lucas turned 2 years old!!! In some ways it seems like he just came home and how can he already be 2? And in other ways it feels like he's been here forever. We realized last week, though I forgot to mention it in the post about his dedication, that we received his referral on February 20, 2009. We didn't have a name or a photo, but just that there was a little boy waiting for us to go meet him at the end of March. Little did we know that almost to the day a year later that little boy would be dedicated, and his birth joyously celebrated a few days later.

It's truly astounding the changes a child goes through in such a relatively small amount of time. Lucas is speaking in sentences now a majority of the time and remembers and repeats all these phrases: "Elmo, it's so good to see you!" (on seeing Elmo first thing in the morning), "I said no, no" (upon opening the freezer and starting to pull out all the contents and usually my cue that he's doing something he shouldn't), "Lucas turned on the machine and Papa turned it off" (in telling everyone he meets about the evil wet/dry vacuum that has kept him from wanting to go into the basement for the past month). He also is extremely curious and wants to get on top/under, turn everything on/off (see the above picture playing in the bathroom sink) and explore all those different buttons on the you-name-it. Spring can't get here fast enough.

Lucas has a huge appetite lately, usually far outeating his brother at most meals and is sleepy soundly every night. Yup, another growth spurt is ongoing. Not that he's been lacking in that area...currently close to 30 lbs. He is also SO much more expressive emotionally...on the whole spectrum! He's always been a happy little guy, but lately he seems to laugh hysterically at the silliest little thing and we find him sometimes cracking himself up in his crib or the other night at the dinner table. On the other end though, until a couple weeks ago, I would have said that Lucas doesn't get upset or demanding. Ha! There's a new high-pitched sound in our house these days and we're actively trying to turn it down :).

And as mentioned previously, the fears are still cropping up. We went into a small store this past week and the mere sight of the proprietor sent Lucas into tears. I can't imagine what brought it on...he was in my arms the entire time and I've never come close to handing Lucas over to a stranger. He is apprehensive now about strangers and uncomfortable situations...evidenced by this new humming sound he makes and saying 'hi' repeatedly and nervously. We also had a hard separation at school on Friday...a place he usually is jumping out of his carseat to get to. He's keeping me on a short leash these days and although we're encouraging his independence we're also recognizing that something is going on right now and giving him all the snuggles and comfort that he needs.

Back to the birthday. We had a small family celebration today; just the immediate family, grandma's Yaya and Kalima, and Lucas' ever present buddies these days...Elmo and Ernie. We brought out the Elmo party supplies that we used for Alexander's 2nd birthday (runs in the family) and had fun blowing up balloons, hanging streamers, singing and wearing silly hats. Lucas wasn't quite sure what to make of the fuss, especially when the lighted candle came in front of him ('but Mama, I thought I had to stay away from fire?!?'). But the ice cream was a big hit with Lucas while Alexander was quite thrilled we also had cake. Lucas bday gift from us was a beautiful adjustable chair that he can easily get in and out of now and that he can also use as he gets older. A couple board books and a silly monster bowling game from Kalima and he was a happy camper.

Although this was a joyous day, at present in our minds was the news we received early yesterday morning that Paul's grandmother, Nanny, was hospitalized in NC and not expected to make it through the weekend. Paul spoke to her on the phone, telling her that we loved her and thought of her often. We then decided Paul should try to see her and scrambled to get him on a flight that afternoon. However this was not to be. After waiting in the airport for 4 hours through multiple reschedules Paul returned home and ultimately decided a trip wasn't practical for many reasons. Through the day we often thought of Nanny and wished she could have met this newest light in our family. So far today no news is good news from NC and holding on to hope for a different outcome.

Happy Birthday Lucas Dmitry...you are so very loved and cherished and looking forward to this coming year of endless experiences with you.