My beautiful baby boy is TWO years old! This past year with him has been filled with laughter, joy, fun, love…and sometimes frustration (on all sides!). In all seriousness, Harrison is a truly amazing little boy – smart, curious, sweet, thoughtful, playful and funny. Every day my heart grows with love for him and I find myself excited for all the little things. A few weeks ago, I woke up at 5am on a Saturday and couldn’t really fall back to sleep because I was so excited to take him to the park to see the turtles (his favorite). I’ve put together a little monthly recap from the past year to capture some sweet memories and show how he’s grown.
September 2020
Quick facts about Harrison at two years old:
Loves: Turtles, trains, ducks, his dad’s drone, tea, chapstick, anything to do with water (pool, water table, splash pad, bathtub), his sisters Stella and Peggy, being chased around the house, eating (current faves are eggs, sweet potatoes, watermelon, peaches, blueberries, rice and beans, soup, and CAKE), and sometimes watching his favorite show “Spirit” (about three girls and their horses).
Does not love: Waking up from naps most of the time (very fussy), leaving the pool or bathtub, not being able to figure something out, having his hands, arms, face dirty while eating or playing outside, and when Stella or Peggy get the toy during “tug of war” (yes, it’s as hilarious as it sounds).
September 2019
Harrison turned one, still wasn’t walking, and was definitely getting frustrated that he couldn’t walk. Nice weather meant lots of time outside with Valery and plenty of walks to the library.
October 2019
Still not walking but pulling up on everything. He really like his red Ford truck walker from the neighbors. He was my sidekick at a swap meet hosted by Fresh Harvest, and he had his FIRST airplane ride when we went up to Ohio at the end of the month for a last hurrah at my childhood home. Daniela got him the lion halloween costume and we partied it up in Grant Park with Greg and Krista. 
November 2019
Still not walking but OH SO CLOSE. First visit to Dan, Lindsey and Adeline’s place – and he was so loved by all of them. Adeline drug him around the house – literally, by holding his hand and pulling him while on his back – and Harrison was SO CHILL. Had no problem with it. It was hilarious and an awesome memory. He was amazing that entire weekend (my birthday weekend) as we took him all around Charlotte. We only really get snuggles when he’s sick, and he had a cold so loved snuggling his dad. Thanksgiving weekend we took him to the Black Friday craft market in a nearby neighborhood and he got his second picture with the Santa there. <3
December 2019
Walking!! Freedom! This skill absolutely opened up his world. And kept us on our toes as he wants to move constantly. His curiosity is so sweet to watch – all the new things he takes in and wants to learn about. We went to the ATL Botanical Gardens twice, along with the Chinese Lantern Festival of Lights downtown. He loved all of it – music, lights, people – he was mesmerized. Sean and Harrison’s matching sweaters were such a highlight – everyone loved them.
January 2020
The new year started in the Outer Banks with visits with Grandma and Grandpa Ron, and Aunt Kim and Uncle Tyler. He loved playing in the sand on the beach and exploring the aquarium. Another highlight of the month was a surprise visit for Sean by his best friend, Steve. He brought his daughter Amelia and she kept Harrison pretty entertained. I was completely obsessed with him in buffalo plaid and loved this onesie. Daniela went on vacation for two weeks – one of those weeks I was in New York for work so we had a babysitter. The other week Grandma came to stay! I also went to Miami for a long weekend for Krista’s bachelorette party. Really great start to 2020!
February 2020
Harrison’s personality kept developing with more humor, silliness and sass. He went with my mom and Daniela to the MLK, Jr. Memorial and loved playing with all the kids. He loves going to the playground and trying to get on the big kid parts, and then he’ll just stop and watch all the older kids play. “Show me your belly” continues. He started this back in late November/early December and it so cute. My office moved from Norcross to Midtown, and I liked being in town again. Sean went to Greg’s bachelor weekend at the end of the month, and Harrison had a fever that weekend. He slept a lot and then was really snuggly when he was awake. 
March 2020
I took a trip to Connecticut to visit Beth and JR for the first weekend of the month (this was my Christmas present from Sean). Harrison was starting to say a few more words – in addition to mama, dada and agua, he started saying “mas” and some iterations of “doggy.” COVID-19 hit in the US and everything shut down around us on March 19th. Harrison started painting, experimenting with the paints and the brushes. So fun!
April 2020
I think right around this time he really started to look more like a toddler and less like a baby. Could do more things for himself – feed himself with silverware much better, move his toys where he wanted them, express things to us a bit more clearly either with words or pointing. He also started being really aware of the difference between inside and outside – and loved being outside. Quite happy to pick up sticks or mow the grass.
May 2020
Nana got him his very own beanbag chair and he started to be a little more interested in looking at his book independently. His feet fit perfectly in little flip=flops I’d gotten months before at a yard sale and were just SO CUTE. We went to Savannah and got a big mansion near Forsyth Park with my mom and Ron, Kathy and John, and Pablo. We had a blast and Harrison was so good – he loved exploring the house and the park, and got his first popsicle!
June 2020
Officially summertime! By this point, we’d definitely stopped packing any kind of different food for him when we went out to eat. He’s still such a good eater – we can find something for him anywhere we go. Some things are still difficult for him to chew – steak, pork, certain tougher veggies, etc. but he tries them every time we offer so I can’t ask for more than that. He loves being in the kitchen with us. We re-arranged to put the island to the side, making a U-shape of the counter, and giving him a stool so he can watch. It has made him much less whiny around dinnertime while we cooking since he can now see us and what we are doing more clearly, and feel like he is in the action. Visited Lindsey, Dan, Adeline and Nya again and had more fun times. He just loves to go see new things and meet people. <3 I am still obsessed with his baby toes.
Harrison has also really started to mimic us and has learned a ton of new words quickly as a result. Being able to communicate more has been both fun and helpful. 
July 2020
Harrison was without me and Sean for 10 days while we went to Colorado for Sean’s 40th. Grandma came to stay and I know they had a great time. Harrison’s love of the drone solidified when we took it to Piedmont Park one Saturday. He also saw ducks in the pond and after seeing one in our yard with Grandma, they became one of his very favorite things. I started taking him to Piedmont Park every Saturday morning. We’d go to the Farmer’s Market and buy watermelons and peaches (which he can now say), then get a tea from Just Add Honey (an herbal flavor called “Farmer’s Market”). I’d bring an empty cup for him and we’d share it. Then we’d walk to the pond to see all the turtles, ducks and fishes. He’d call out “DRONE!” whenever we passed by a spot that he’d seen his dad fly it previously. This kid with the memory!! So smartcito. And yes, I still call him babycito many times per day.
He has an interest in the masks he sees us all wearing and is willing to put it on for a few moments. We went to the mall after dinner one day and it was so eery with everything closed up by 7pm. He loved running around, and had his first trip up and down an escalator.
August 2020
With his love of the pool, we tried to find ways to give him more time there. We thought we could have dinner there – he could swim, we’d eat, and he could swim some more. We learned he’s too young to really understand that. Eating at the pool was not successful, except for one instance when the food was a pudding Snack Pack. 😉 Harrison still makes “ojitos” but takes it further by trying to eat or walk around with his eyes closed. It’s so funny. He also scream-laughs whenever I whip my hair around. He says both dogs’ names clearly now, calls snacks “cocos” and will stand, whine and point at the cabinet when he wants some, and has named many of his toys which I think brings him a lot of comfort. He loves my grandma and when my mom told him “this is Mumu” (grandma in Finnish and what we called my great-grandma), he immediately repeated it to my sweet grandma’s delight. When we FacetTme with my mom, he asks for Mumu until my mom puts her on and then gets the biggest smile. I know it’s gives my 89-year old grandma such happiness to have this bond with him, and it is so special for us all to witness.
