Monday, September 01, 2008

Happy 2nd Birthday!

And here it is, the Spud's second birthday. Last year it was a lovely day and our plan for a picnic in the park went off without a hitch.

This year however it poured with rain and our little picnic of yesterday ended up being a massive mudfest. Inside our house. One should never give a mob of 2-year olds unrestrained access to a garden in a rain storm.

And here he is, my spud at 24 months old - or, now that he is officially a little boy - 2 years... which no doubt will soon be 'two and a quarter', 'two and a half' and so on until all those quarters go out the window and one starts lying about the actual year. It does seem to be protocol however that one's age is measured in months until one is two, however I did hear one Mum in the playground the other day announcing that her little pudding was '27 months' and you could see the rest of the Mums mentally wrangling those fractions around until we worked it out.

It's not being the mother of a 2 year old that's so surprising, it's remembering that I did actually have a baby, once. It just seems so unlikely now that he's here, all three feet plus of him, cloaked in his personality like a river of light flashing around the flat; so unlikely that he was ever tiny and helpless.

So, what to write about my new two-year-old that will do him justice? Clearly, I as a mad woman lost in the thrall of Motherhood have absolutely no sense of scale when it comes to my son so anything I write here is completely suspect so... what do I say? The facts? The fiction? How about a simple blurt...

At two, the spud has friends he gets so excited to see that he gasps and can't breathe for a second. He's really trying to be potty trained and now he's also really trying to speak. He can recognise a letter or two of the alphabet and the number one and he loves his trains, although he loves the computer more. He gets very put out if I refuse to read him at least three books at bedtime and last night after only two, my little exhausted bean fell asleep murmering 'booh... booh... booh' under his breath. He has nightmares and sometimes has to come in to sleep with us - we find him sitting in the corner of his cot, pointing at something outside. We don't know what it is yet, but until I can banish it he will sleep with us and be immediately happy. He loves to laugh and a fart joke will get him going every time. He loves to dance and to play 'ringa ringa rosie' and to spin around until he's dizzy and fall down. He loves to cuddle and snuggle and likes to climb under the duvet and put his head on the pillow, close his eyes and snore loudly and fakely until he makes himself laugh. He loves to watch me cook and will eat anything if he's seen it in the pan first. He loves to run and to climb and to swing and he loves to sit in his room surrounded by books, pointing seriously at things and muttering to himself. He looks like the spitting image of his Dad and he ignores me about the same amount as well... seeing the two of them together is heart-attack inducingly sweet and fattening.

Two years on from this and I can't remember a damn thing about life before my little spudlet. Happy birthday, baby boy, and many more to come.

21 comments:

Elsie Button said...

arrr lovely! And a big happy birthday! the spud is a little star.

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday, spud!

Sparx said...

Elsie and Raz - thank you ladies! I'll give him your best.

Anonymous said...

Two is the funnest year -- Enjoy!!!

The Good Woman said...

Congratulations to you both! Happy birthday dear spu-ud, Happy Birthday to you!

Jen said...

Oh, I'm so glad I caught this one! I remember reading the one for his first birthday - man, how time flies when you are having fun...and exhausted. I know what you mean, it IS hard to remember life before them. What did we do with our time? Sorry it rained, but boys do love a mud party!

Anonymous said...

As always, a beautiful tribute both to C. and to motherhood. Happy Birthday to your little man and Happy Birthing Day to you - you have done an amazing job!

And boy did I think my own children grow fast - I can still remember reading the story of C.'s birth for the first time!

Cara said...

Happy birthday Spud!

we just celebrated our 2nd birthday too, and really (again) all the things that your spud is doing are all the same things that mine is up to as well. all except he needs to have 5 stories instead of your 3....

Sukhaloka said...

Hey Happy Birthday Spud! And Happy 2nd birthday to you as a Mom too :)

DJ Kirkby said...

...'cloaked in his personality like a river of light flashing around the flat'...Oh you write so exquisitley! Happy 2nd birthday to the Spudders, long may he continue to be cloaked in a personaility formed from a river of light.

D-HOR said...

Sparx - You continue to give me hope when you write posts like this. I am SO very much on the same boat as you - BEFORE cutie-pie-Spud. And my husband wants babies so very badly. And gawd help me I'm so insane for him that I think he might actually make me insane enough to ovulate. Your blog is a godsend for people like me, to watch you transform from pre-spud to 2yr so-much-in-love-with-him.

Congrats all over again and Happy Birthday :)

Lisa @ Boondock Ramblings said...

Congrats little Spud, from someone who has been following your little life for awhile now.

No. Not a stalker. Just a mother too.

What? I swear!

:-)

Really, Sparx, congrats on the little one turning 2! Only two more months and mine will be 2 ...too!

Michelle said...

Sparx, you always say it so well. Happy Birthday to Spud! Thank you for sharing these pieces of his life with me. It makes my own journey through motherhood that much sweeter.

Anonymous said...

To a new 24 month old, from a new 360 month old: Happy Birthday kid. Now, go get naked and pee on something to celebrate!

Love the new 'do, by the way!

Rebecca said...

The Star
(1)

Twinkle, twinkle, little star!

How I wonder what you are,

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

(2)

When the blazing sun is gone,

When he nothing shines upon,

Then you show your little light,

Twinkle, twinkle all the night.
(3)

The dark blue sky you keep

And often thro' my curtains peep,

For you never shut your eye

Till the sun is in the sky.

(4)

'Tis your bright and tiny spark

Lights the traveler in the dark;

Though I know not what you are
Twinkle, twinkle, little star!

-----by aoc power

leveling



 

Frog in the Field said...

That's a fantastic post Sparx!
Children are just awesomely fabuscrumptious!!
(I see you've had the poetry thing done to you too..I had 7 - now deleted)

Unknown said...

That is so funny. I was just reading your original post from the day he was born (to feature on my birthing stories post) about how he shot out in no time. At home. In a birthing pool. And now he's two. That's some fast growing up!

D-HOR said...

Fucking ahole AOC gold got me too. Like 10 posts. jerkoff.

cactus petunia said...

Happy Birthday, little Spud...
I look forward to reading about many more!
(my oldest is turning 28 in a couple of weeks...that's years, not months!)

Sparx said...

Helen - you mean, it gets funner? No way! Yay!

The Good Woman - thank you so much! I'll give him a squeeze.

Jen - thanks hon! Isn't Dylan coming up for the same age soon?

Fishsticks - I know, it's crazy how fast it's going - and watching other people's kids growing up from a distance makes it seem even faster too.

Cara - Oh, happy birthday to Max as well!


Suki - thanks hon!

DJ - Aw,thanks on both counts hon - long may he be, indeed.

D-Hor - you make me laugh - you're always protesting that you don't want a baby but then you go and visit all the Mummy blogs!! 'fess up, come on...

Jonny's Mommy - Can't wait to see the pics from Jonathan's birthday! None of ours came out in the end...

Michelle - that's so kind, it's good to know we're all in this together!

Jennie - oh pants, did I miss your birthday? going to pop over and wish you well!

AOC gold - very sweet FOR A SPAM BOT!

Frog - they are indeed, are they not? 7 times, my dear you always seem to have so much more of everything!

Tara - oops, going to have to pop by again to have a look! I love a good birth story too!

D-hor - clearly I'm only worth the one...

Cactus - 28??? 28??? Gulps.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Charlie! We anxiously await a photo or two of you now that you're TWO.

:)