Nicholas at 25 months

*Photo from Nicholas' 2 year photo shoot. I don't know how to flip it so just turn your head.

Weight: 32.5 lbs

Height: Approximately 33.5 inches

Clothing Size: He is in 3T to 4T tops and 2T bottoms

Big Events in the Past Month:

• Nicholas is a BIG BROTHER: A lot of people have asked how Nicholas is liking being a big brother. For the most part, Lexi has been pretty easy for Nicholas to ignore. When he remembers he has a sister, he is very nice and soft. He will lay down by her and say, "Hi Lexi! Hi Lexi! Hi Lexi! Hi Lexi." We have tried to have him hold her for pictures, but before we can snap one he will start standing up and say, "All done." His favorite part about Lexi is that he finds it funny that Lexi will burp after she eats. Sharing Mom is the hard part of being a big brother. When I have to feed Lexi, Nicholas will say in a super sad voice, "Mama back. Mama back." He also hates it when I use the nursing cover. The first time I used the nursing cover he forgot Lexi was behind it and he ran over and jumped on Mom. We all gasped and Lexi let out a cry. We didn't yell at him, but our startled reaction let him know that he had done something bad. His little tender heart was broken and he melted into tears. It took awhile to calm him down.
• Nicholas now sleeps in a big boy bed: Grandmother Muhlestein let Nicholas go to the store and we picked up new sheets for his bed and a waterproof mattress protector for his birthday. We then dug up a Dalmatian comforter that use to be Uncle Morgan's and that Joseph had stolen from his house. Nicholas loves his new "puppy" bed and went to sleep happily in it. The first night he didn't fall out. The second night he fell out three times. Since then, he hasn't fallen out. The bed is up on risers so it is quite the drop. He sometimes has problems falling asleep and will come out. Grandmother Muhlestein was smart and told him that he would lose his binkie if he kept coming out of his bed. He has been better to stay in it since then. Our next battle will be about giving up the binkie.
• Nicholas had his Grandparents visit: Nicholas LOVED having all his grandparents come. (Almost as much as I enjoyed it.) He was very friendly and loved going with them. He is thankfully past his SUPER clingy stage. Now he is smart enough to know that he will have more fun if he goes with his grandparents.

Favorite Foods:

• Hot Dogs (Nicholas ate more hot dogs with ketchup then I can count while his grandparents were here.)
• Applesauce
• Chocolate Pudding
• Ice Cream

Favorite Activities:

• Fuzzy Balls (A colors game where he has to sort the fuzzy balls by color.)
• Visiting Ozzie (Ozzie is the next door neighbors dog. The dog has a doggy door and can go in and out as he pleases. Nicholas will yell VERY loud and Ozzie will come out to the fence and lick Nicholas' hands. Nicholas will have long conversations with Ozzie about all sorts of things from telling him about his new baby sister to discussing what Ozzie likes to eat.)
• Dumping out things.
• Playing with Grandmother's and Grandfather's ipads
• Running "SUPER FAST" with airplane arms
• Playing in his sandbox
• Swinging
• Playing hide-and-seek
• Building forts
• Building tall towers, stairs, and airplanes with his blocks
• Coloring and drawing letters.

Skills:

• Nicholas can count to 10; however, he often says, "1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10. Yeah!!"
• He knows his letters and most of their sounds.
• He is still working on learning his colors. He knows blue, yellow, and orange pretty well.
• He is quite the talker!! He is putting together surprising long sentences now.

Nicholas getting his hair cut by Papa. It requires A LOT of M&Ms to get him to sit still and cooperate.

Nicholas frosted his first cookie at playgroup. He loved it almost as much as finger painting. He enjoyed covering the turkey in red frosting and dumping on sprinkles. He kept on saying, "I make messes. I make messes." He was also one of the few kids that actually ate their cookie and not just the frosting.

We bought some glow sticks and put one in a balloon. After the balloon popped, we played hide-and-seek with the glow stick. Nicholas loved waving it around and took it on the swing. After playing outside, he took it in the bath and had a bath with the lights off. He finished off the day by taking the glow stick to bed with him. Oh to be a two year old again and be happy with the simple things in life.

This is Nicholas' fuzzy ball game that Grandma made for the him.

This is Nicholas talking to Ozzie, the next door neighbor's dog.

Nicholas in his puppy bed on the first night. You can see his stuffed puppies, three blankets, and two binkies that he insists on sleeping with every night.