Skyler’s Two-Year-Old Update

And just like that, we will have a TWO-YEAR-OLD at the end of this week!

What? I know, I can’t believe it either.

Life with Skyler as a toddler has been quite the adventure, and I love being able to document the highlights here on the blog. I haven’t created any type of physical baby book, so I hope you enjoy reading these updates as much as I like writing them. My plan is to throw in an update every six months or so, and it’s been so fun to do.

It’s wild how fast kids grow up. Everyone tells you about it, but seeing how much our baby boy changes on a weekly basis completely blows my mind. Scott travels often for work, and we always talk about how much he grows up while he’s gone. He went from uttering a few words to pairing several words together on his most recent trip that was almost two weeks long!

toddler retail store - skyler in ball pit

Our two-year-old is a chatty fellow who is genuinely a great kid. (And yes, it’s hard for me not to write baby there. Woof.) He has manners (for the most part — but he’s not perfect), he is considerate and shares toys with others, he’s a lover, and he is very go-with-the-flow.

He is a toddler, however, so please don’t read this update and think that we don’t struggle with tantrums and meltdowns, too. Everyone does! But we’re working on those and learning more every day all around.

Skyler’s Two Year Update

Since Skyler’s last update, he has fully morphed into the toddler that you see in these photos. It’s incredible! I was just looking at him in awe yesterday with his light wash jeans, hoodie, Converse shoes, and a backwards hat and thinking “Wow, he really grew up.”

My emotions are all over the place on this, as part of me yearns for those baby snuggles, and another part can’t wait for him to be able to play independently on a playground. Parenting is very tricky like that!

Speaking of growing up quickly, Skyler officially has his own bank account now. We wanted to start a college fund for him when he was born, and I’m happy to say that there is somewhere to finally put that type of savings. The push came from the exciting news that he has also been signed with a modeling agency here in New York City!

We had been toying with the idea of getting him into acting and modeling while we live a short train ride from Manhattan and opportunities are everywhere. But we’ve always had a lackadaisical outlook. The last thing we want to do is push the industry on him, but at the same time, we want to give him the chance to explore it if he likes it. We met with an agency on a whim, and they gave the paperwork to sign him before we left! It all happened really quickly.

So, after some thought and extensive contract scanning, our full blown toddler is now officially able to work in the state of New York! It’s crazy. He’s only been to one casting before, but we filmed a commercial in our home as a family, and that was pretty cool. I can tell that this line of work isn’t for every family, so we will move on if it doesn’t seem to be in our best interest. But it’s really fun for now!

I’ll be sure to update you on how everything is going as it unfolds.

He surprises us every day with new things, with the latest being repeating everything we say! As you can imagine, this is both a blessing and a curse. But it’s the cutest thing. Once he finds a phrase he likes, he will repeat it over and over until you acknowledge it back, like “Buzz and Woody” or “baby is crying” if we pass one. It’s really cool to see his words develop and his vocabulary expands every day!

Skyler has a TON of energy and wrestles with Scott every night. He runs around the apartment a lot, and I take him to Indoor Play Gym three times a week where he runs wild. More than one parent has watched him play and then look at me and say “he has a lot of energy,” so I don’t think I’m exaggerating. He is Scott’s child through and through, as he proves to be fearless in trying new things (like stunt falls – yowza), climbing and balancing on things, and just being a ball of energy who can’t sit still sometimes.

But I sure do love both of them for it!

Travels

Skyler has become well-traveled in his first two years! He’s already been to Florida (several times), Michigan (twice), Arkansas/Missouri (three times), Texas (three times), Vermont, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. We’ve got our airport and airplane with a toddler routine down pat, and I shared my tips for traveling with a toddler that also includes snippets of traveling with an infant, too.

He generally does great in transit, unless we’re driving through hilly roads. The poor guy has gotten sick several times on different trips. (He definitely got his motion sickness from me, which is why I prefer to skip roller coasters.) He’s such a trooper through it all, though, and it improved a lot on our last trip when we changed his carseat to forward facing.

He’s a big boy now, and we’ve been loving the popular vote in a local mom’s forum called the Cosco Scenera Next Convertible Carseat. We found ours from Walmart for $50! It’s super lightweight and very easy to travel with. It’s portability is what got my attention, and we may have gone with a more upgraded style if we had a car where a carseat base lived at all times, but ours proves to be more than sufficient for what we need, which is what a lot of other moms in the area mentioned as well.

He’s still our little explorer and loves to be on-the-go with us all day long, if we let him. Scott and I joke that since he’s from Brooklyn with a million things to do, it’s going to be interesting if/when he moves to another area and expects all cities to be saturated with walkable shops, restaurants, and big city things!

Likes & Dislikes

Coloring, arts, and crafts! We’re still working on leaving the glue for the paper and not eating it, but we’re making progress. My favorite mommy and me time with him is going to the play gym at our local YMCA, followed by Toddler Arts & Crafts before lunchtime on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Skyler loves being Mr. Independent. He’s on the ground with us on walks with Roadie now (minus the long miles through the park), and always asks to walk whenever possible. He says “go fast” and hurries his feet as fast as he can to keep up. He doesn’t always like to hold mommy or daddy’s hand while crossing the street, so we’re working on that.

This kid is absolutely obsessed with stickers!

I bought a $2 sticker book in hopes of keeping him entertained on a flight last week, and he sat there and played with them for a straight three hours. No nap, nothing. Since then, he asks to “play stickers” every day, at least a few times. We found a great selection at Walmart while traveling, and you find a ton on Amazon, too.

Skyler has grown to love baths, but actually prefers showers when we travel. He loves to sit on our laps, but doesn’t always love sitting in the stroller. He’s usually fine here if we have snacks though. The kid loves his snacks.

Eating

On any given day, he will eat a good breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and a little dessert. I’ve received a lot of interest to highlight what he’s eating, so I started a “Baby Eats” Highlight on my Instagram profile where you can reference the latest meals and wins. I recently shared a glimpse at what our typical day of eats looks like together with 15+ Easy Mommy & Me Meal Ideas, and that list of things is ever-growing.

He’s a toddler, however, and his tastebuds change at the drop of a hat! One day he will love certain fruits and vegetables, and wants nothing to do with them the next. I guess that’s just how the cookie crumbles.

His current favorite foods include whole milk, yogurt (he asks for this as soon as he wakes up), juice (that I mix with water), apples, oranges, french fries, applesauce, goldfish crackers, waffles, ice cream, and any type of berries. In that order. He eats and snacks with us a lot, and I try to offer healthier whole foods first. Just like us, however, there is room for treats and living his life, too.

We’re still loving the Ikea Antilop High Chair for the bargain price of $22, but we also added a Toogel Hook On High Chair to our dining room, and it’s a great combo. The Toogel breaks down really easily and is meant for travel, too!

Sleeping

We still have noise machines going during night time, one on the floor and his portable one across the room since his room is in the middle of the living room and our room. The pets continuously like to go through it to get to another room, and we end up quietly barging in and out until we go to sleep, too. (The struggle of a railroad layout apartment is real!)

We are down to taking one nap per day, and it’s either in late morning before lunch or preferably right after lunch if he can stay awake for it. I look for cues from him on when he’s ready and try to plan around them if possible. Certain days, however, we have planned activities that dictate nap time. For example, we went to the play gym yesterday and then did activities until about Noon. By then, he’s ready to eat lunch and nap or just go straight down for a nap when we get home!

He will usually sleep through the night, but he will occasionally wake up here and there. We are all still adjusting to the Spring Forward time change (why is this so hard?), so he’s been sleeping until 7 a.m. for the last two nights because of it. I’ll take it!

Postpartum Recovery/Gym Updates

This will be the last postpartum section I’ll add to these updates, as I feel like all is back to normal around here! You can see what I’ve been up to at the gym on my “Workouts” highlight on Instagram. Right now, I’m enjoying a blend of strength workouts at the gym, running on the treadmill and outside, barre and yoga here and there, and stretching as much as I can.

Orangetheory Fitness - Life In Leggings Heather

You can also subscribe to the LIL Newsletter to see upcoming workout plans for weeks ahead.

Skyler’s Current Favorites

Here is a narrowed down list of things that Skyler has been loving lately.

Toddler Sticker Books – he is obsessed with stickers, sticker books, and this sticker pad looks amazing
Safari Animal Toys – you can find these everywhere, and we’ve gotten a ton at Walmart. (I like that these are made with nontoxic and environmental protection PVC material)
Alphabet Puzzle Board – this is such a great learning tool!
Wooden Peg Puzzle Boards – animal boards are his fave
Lift-the-Flap Books
Board Books – he adores these and asks for them nightly
Climb and Crawl Activity Play Set – loves to roll and crawl around on these
Melissa & Doug, Let’s Play House! Pretend Play Set – enjoys cleaning like me!
Color & Shape Recognition Sorter Puzzle – he’s had a version of this for a while but just started really liking it
Mega Bloks – he’s been loving these since he turned one
Mess-Free Coloring Kits – these say ages 3 and up, but Sky does great with them and they make minimal messes (win!)
Little People Toys – all of them, but especially anything related to Toy Story

My Favorites For 24 Months

And here’s what we’ve been loving for him!

two year old toddler parent favorites copy

Velcro Sneakers (any brand really, but these are our go-to! Also, how cute are these, these, these, and these?)
Beautycounter Kids Shampoo & Body Wash (it smells so good, feels even better, and I wish I had started him on the Newborn line when he was a baby, too)
IKEA toddler flatware set – here’s the full table settings set
Pottery Barn My First Toddler Anywhere Chair
Ubbi Bath Toy Organizer Bath Caddy (amazing for playing in the tub and drying everything out afterwards)
Ubbi Mold Free Bath Toys – interchangeable and interactive
Outfits – my favorite finds are always at Gap (there’s a great sale right now), Old Navy & Walmart (adorable tees, sweatshirts, and joggers for $3-5!)
Boon Catch Plates & Bowls – great for catching food that drops in the usual space between plate and toddler mouth
Norwex Baby Microfiber Wipes – more natural and economical solution for frequent wiping of the skin
GB Pockit Stroller – perfect for solo city commutes
Toddler Bombas socks – Santa brought him a variety of calf socks and ankle socks with grippies for Christmas, and they’re the best
Echo Dot Smart Speaker with Alexa – makes playing music for toddlers so easy, not to mention help turning on/off lights when your hands are full!

***

I love this guy more than I could ever put into words, and I hope this post offered a few smiles and some insight, too. I feel extremely lucky to spend as much time as I do with him, especially now that I transitioned to be home as his main caregiver. It’s an opportunity that I do not take for granted, and I’m doing my best to adjust to wake up early enough to focus solely on him when he’s awake every day.