Why I love Nicholas

Nicholas is just 2 months shy of turning 2. And lately, he's been showing symptoms of the terrible twos, The Terrible Twos Nicholas style. Here are some things that have given me a good laugh.

I caught Nicholas up on the counter eating cookies. I said, "Nicholas! What are you doing?" He looked at me, then at the cookie in his hand. Then he said, "Who wants cookies? I do!" And shoved the whole cookie in his mouth.

Nicholas speaks in what we refer to as "yoda". He says things like, "Try it, cereal" or "Ride it, car" or my favorite "Climb it, Sammy's bed".

No matter what you are eating, Nicholas will want a bite. Eating an apple? He'll come up and say "Eat it apple, Nicholas." And if you say no, he'll become demon Nicholas and say "EAT IT APPLE NICHOLAS NOW!" I know that we shouldn't give in at that point. But his giant eyes become even bigger, and his voice becomes deep and raspy, and his body becomes all tense. And it's just too funny to not give in.

At the grocery store, Nicholas always thanks the cashier. As soon as I get the receipt, Nicholas says "Thank you so much!"

The kid is addicted to gum. We never let Sam or Benjamin have gum until they were 3 or 4. Nicholas has been chewing gum for at least 6 months. The second he sees gum, he has to have it. And he chews it for 10 minutes tops, then puts it in the sink and looks for another piece. (he's the same with chocolate!)

He thinks getting mail is the best part of the day -- I blame Blue's Clues. Nicholas gets to open all the junk mail. My favorite part is that he sings the "We just got a letter" song as he opens the mail. And if there is no junk mail, Nicholas gets sad and asks "Where's the letter from my friends?"

Nicholas is very independent. He wants to do everything himself. All day long, I hear "No Nicholas do it!" He wants to read the stories at nap time, he wants to buckle his car seat himself, he wants to put the dishes away himself, he wants to brush his teeth himself. And if he doesn't get the chance to do it himself first, Demon Nicholas comes out.

And my favorite thing about Nicholas lately is that he loves Eliana. He is always finding her a binky, or sharing his. He gets her blankets. He sings to her. He brings her toys. And he gives her hugs. But the best part about him hugging her is he always closes his eyes -- like hugging his baby sister is the best thing in the world.