The Merrick Family has grown: 23 months

Today Luke is 23 months old...that last "4th of the month" we celebrate before the BIG 2!!! It's been awhile since I have given a monthly update and wanted to share some of the latest and greatest in the life of 23 month old Luke Michael Merrick! The past couple of months we feel Luke has really grown into a little boy rather than our baby. Which is quite fitting as we anticpate the arrival of a new little baby. Last night when I was putting him to bed I was holding him like a little baby and singing "rock a baby" and he shook his head "no". I asked him if he was my baby and he said "No, mama!". I then asked him if he was a big boy and he replied "yep"! We have greatly enjoyed watching Luke learn and develop so much, and in the same sentence I write that it is all bittersweet. We love watching him grow, mimic us, learn new things, etc, but yet I want him to stay little forever. Lately, our dinner time has become "Luke's comedy show"! We have decided that Luke will be the class clown because he loves to make people laugh, then he laughs harder, and so on and so forth. He is quite the story teller at the dinner table, using lots of hand gestures, followed by a knee slap. If you looked in on our family dinner time you would find all three of us sitting around the table laughing for no reason other than just to laugh. I can't think of a better way to start our evening together as a family. In years to come, I am hopeful that we can always find this time to sit down for dinner together as a family.
So here is what Luke is up to these days:
-wearing all 2T clothes
-size 7-8 shoe (he has big feet just like his Einck Uncles)
-goes to bed around 7:30-8:00 each night and wakes anytime between 6-7 a.m.
-completely gave up morning nap about a month ago, now napping from 12:30/1:00-3:00 p.m.
-Loves Pizza and Pancakes, his two favorite foods, any and all fruit
-has a sippy cup of milk each morning right when he wakes and watches an episode of Curious George or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, then he is ready to eat his pancakes and fruit
-loves going to Tumble Tots at our gym on Tuesday and Thursday mornings
-still goes to Ms. A's once a week and will start two days in September
-Expansive vocabulary including: Naun (aka daddy), Nunner or Nun (Gunner), milk, duce (juice, aka water because we don't give him juice), nack (snack), help, peas (Please), Bop (Grandpa), Nana, Pancake, melonmelon (Watermelon), nanana (banana), side (outside), boss (cow), duck, brmm, brmm (car), nigh nigh, B (Backyardigans), buck, baball (baseball) and the list goes on and on and on
-loves playing with ALL the neighbor kids of any ages
-wearing size 5 diapers and a night time diaper for major soaking (has gone on the big boy potty both potty and poop a few times)
-loves to crawl up on his sink to wash his hands and brush his teeth
-loves to watch Backyardigans before books and bedtime
-has recently enjoyed watching Toy Story 3, his first full movie watched on the iPad
-took his first plane ride to Seattle for Uncle Nate's wedding
-loves to play games on mommy & daddy's iPads
-would spend the entire day outside playing if we would let him
-loves Gunner more than we ever could have imagined
-has really started telling us "yep" & "no" when he does and does not want things
-is sitting better in time outs
-Luke will get a real sad look on his face and say sorry when he knows he hurt someones feelings or did something to get in trouble
-you are a very good helper around the house
-counts, 1-2-3
Luke, we loved you before you born and we love you more with each day. You bring so much joy and love to our lives. We love all your everyday surprises and laughter that fills our home. Love, mommy & daddy

Luke at 23 months

Today was the first mild days we have had in a long time, so as we were heading out the door at 7:30 to play outside you saw our camera and said "cheese". I asked you if you wanted your picture taken, you said "yep" then went and sat down by my flower pots!