Tate Lately \\ 2 Years Old

I can't believe it but my little Tatie Tot is 2 years old today!!!  TWO!!  He's gone from this...

.... to this in the blink of an eye.

A little bit about my sweet boy:

• He loves fruit.  When he eats raspberries he puts his pointer finger in their hole before plunking them into his cute little mouth.  Blueberries, bananas, raspberries and oranges are his favorites but I have yet to find a fruit he'll turn down.
• Tate is a great big brother to Tenley!  All the kisses he gives her, each and every one melts my heart.  He is (mostly) gentle with her.
• Tate LOVES his big brothers!  Aiden is more like a buddy to him - Aiden fawns over Tate, gives him anything he wants and is totally smitten with him.  Brennan is definitely his brother - they fight then make up and wrestle and laugh and have fun together again.  All 3 play basketball in Tate's bedroom with his Little Tykes basketball hoop, it's their special time together.
• He is very good at putting together cut-out puzzles.  You know, the kind where each piece has their own precut spot to fit back into and they have a little peg/handle sticking out of the top of them.  He does them over and over and over again.
• Give Tate his shoes and he'll put them on and take them off again, over and over.  Last week he did this for half an hour, no joke!
• This little boy is NOT a picky eater.  He is 100% a carnivore - he loves steak, chicken and pork and always ask for more.  He eats his veggies like a champ, too.  Pizza, chili, casseroles -- anything I feed him he will eat!  He even likes pickles!  And recently he has started liking to dip things in ketchup.
• He is talking more and more every day.  He asks "what's that" five hundred times a day, at least, which is helping to increase his vocabulary.  I wrote down all of the words he knew a couple weeks ago but have lost track because he is learning so many new words every day.  He's stringing 2, 3 sometimes 4 words together in sentences now, too.  
• Tate is quite chatty - at home - but get him out in public and he clams up.
• He is a wild man!  He runs, he jumps, he crawls, he does silly things - he's wild!  
• Tate is a book worm!  He pulls out tons of books every day, sits and reads them out loud to himself, brings them to me or Andy to read to him, shows them to Tenley, takes one or two to bed to read as he's falling asleep - he just loves books!
• One of Tate's very favorites things to do is play in the basement with the big boys.  They got a mini pool table for Christmas and Tate thinks it's pretty cool to hold the pool cue and push the balls into the pockets.
• He likes Daniel Tiger, Thomas the Train and Curious George, although he doesn't sit and actually watch these shows for more than 5 minutes. But if I turn the channel before the show is over, oh no!
• He loves playing outside!  The sandbox is his favorite place to play while out there.
• Tate is an independent player, meaning he can play by himself very well.  We are working on sharing when other little kids are around.  
• He is the baby hog!  Any time the big boys try to have time with Tenley he barrels in on their fun and gets between the boys and Tenley so she can only see him.  I can't help but laugh every time!  It totally irritates the big boys, though. :)
• Tate shares his most prized possession with Tenley - his snuggle blankie!!!  He doesn't share Snuggle with anyone, yet when he sees Tenley uncovered he grabs his snuggle and tucks her in tight.  That's true love!

We had Tate's well child check on Monday.  His doctor checked him all over and he's healthy as a horse!  He's lost both of his tubes now, but both are still dangling in his ears.  The right one has been doing that since November!  Fingers crossed for no more ear infections.  

Weight:33lbs, 96%

Height: 37 1/2 ", 98%

We love you, love you, LOVE YOU Tate!