Ellis is Two (plus seven weeks)

My baby, my babiest baby, turned two on May 13th. In so many ways, he still seems tiny, but he's growing more quickly than I dare to admit.

With each passing day, he's able to hang with the big kids a little more. He can build a block tower. He draws and colors. He pushes his baby in his little pink stroller. He takes his turn in every performance. He tries to follow along the games they make up. His favorite thing in the world is making his brothers and sister laugh.

Ellis is quite the goof. He loves to dance and "sing" and make a spectacle. If he thinks something is funny, he'll do it thirty times in a row.

He is fiercely independent. He already puts on his own socks and shoes, and sometimes his own whole outfits. He gets his own snacks out of the pantry, wants to climb stairs on his own, and scales playgrounds like a boss.

He terrorizes the dogs. Poor Cooper is too sweet to run from him, but terrified when Ellis picks him up and tries to carry him.

He loves to read. His favorites are Little Blue Truck Leads the Way and an owl book with five owls of varying colors which he has named after our family members. Every night he asks for "one more time," and I think he would read those two books on never-ending repeat.

He doesn't love talking, but he's beginning to see its advantages. His favorite means of communication is simply moving me or Andrew to where he wants us to go. He pulls me by the dress to show me something. He physically turns our heads to look the way he wants. His words may be few, but he always tells us what he wants.

He looks so long in the bathtub. As the water drains, he always lies on his belly. He takes up most of the tub now.

He hates feeling left out. If he thinks the big kids are doing something without him, it breaks his heart. Putting him to bed earlier than the rest is getting more and more difficult.

He gives the very best hugs. He wraps you up tight and squeezes for several seconds. He loves to say "hug." He also loves to kiss inanimate objects (books, toys, windows).

He is the golden-haired love of my life. He is the sweetest bookend to our family, and we all adore him. We still call him Baby Ellis, and I have a feeling that may never change. We are so grateful that God sent him to us, and I cannot wait to continue watching him change and learn and grow.