Sweet Child of Mine: Hatcher

Hatcher turned 2.5 years old on March 24th. He has grown up so much since his birthday and learned so many new things. At his check-up he weighed 33 lbs and was 37 inches tall. Here's what he's been up to and some of his favorite things!

-He's a great eater and is a huge fan of cheese, yogurt, fruit, bread and some veggies. He's funny about texture so that keeps him from trying lots of new stuff sometimes. He's down to drinking only one cup of milk a day and that's usually before bed. Otherwise, it's water or very watered down juice.

-He's talking up a storm...finally! This mama had really been worried about his speech and his doctor kept telling me he was fine and once he turned two he'd really start communicating. Boy was he right! He says new words all the time and it is so much fun to hear. My favorite thing he says is, "I ok mama." Anytime I have to leave the room for a few minutes whether to do laundry, clean something up or change Shep's diaper, I'll call out and ask him if he's ok and he always replies "I ok mama. " He can name all of his close family members. My parents are GaGa and Tika...originally we called them Grammie and Poppy but Hatcher had other plans. Tika...that just cracks us up everytime and he often says it two or three times really fast! :) Johny's parents are Manny (pronounced Mah-nee) and Granddaddy. Manny was originally supposed to be Nana. My sister is Bit Bit...her name is Britney and we have always called her Brit Brit so that's where Bit Bit came from.

-The boy loves anything planes, trains, automobiles or heavy equipment. He gets it from his Daddy...runs in their blood! That's pretty much all he plays with all the time. He loves trash pick-up day to see the garbage truck come. He waits for them to wave at him! He loves going to Daddy's work and seeing all the big equipment and touching everything.

-He's all about the outdoors and could be outside all day long. He loved the beach when we went a few weeks back and loved what he calls the big boy watee...aka the ocean! He loves playing with the water hose and helping wash the cars.

-He still goes to Mother's Morning Out twice a week and he has the best time. He loves seeing his friends and even says he has a girlfriend there. I was not ready for girlfriends at the age of 2. Ahh!! His teachers are the best and have really helped him thrive there. He'll continue in this class for the summer session and then he starts 2K in the fall which is also at our church.

-His favorite shows are Paw Patrol, Curious George and Thomas. Paw Patrol could literally run on a loop all day every day and he would be the happiest person on the planet. Thankfully for our sanity it absolutely does not run on that loop all day! :)

-He's a great big brother and is definitely starting to really interact with Shep. If Shep cries, he tells him it's ok and tries to give him his papa (pacie). He loves making Shep laugh and holding him.

-Terrible two's is definitely a real thing and we are in it full force. We have our good days and bad days and we take them as they come. Recently, we started using an essential oil that helps with focus and calmness. We have been using it for 2 weeks and are seeing a positive change. He's still his fun, silly self but he is listening to our instruction so much better and isn't all over the place so much. We are so thankful to have found something that is all natural and works so well.

We continue to be amazed by our Hatch man every day and are so thankful God blessed our lives with him. He's one of a kind, loving, silly and 100% little boy! We love being his parents and can't wait to see how much more mature he gets by his third birthday!