Joaquin is 2.5!

...or just over :)

Here's what our little boy is like at 2.5...

He is obsessed with Dora the Explorer, Season 3-yes, only season 3. We don't have cable and so he can only get Dora on netflix. Netflix only goes to season 3 and that is apparently the season where they changed their intro. So it is "swinging from the vines Dora" all the time at our house.

His obsession with Dora has provided him with all kinds of Spanish. Spoken regularly at our house now are "Hop on-Subon!", "Por Favor", "De Nada", "Buenos Dias!", "Oh si, mucho gusto!"

His memory is incredible...he told me all the houses in the neighborhood that were decorated last year and he was only 1.5 last year. Sure enough, when decorations went up, he was right on. His vocabulary is also incredible, at a much higher level than most 2 year olds. He corrects his own grammar, speaks in full sentences, uses complicated words, and plays pretend with full conversations between his trains.

He's also decided he does not need to sleep anymore, regularly staying up with Daddy after Mommy goes to bed. Two nights ago he didn't go to sleep until 1 am and even then he woke up at 7 asking, "Is nap time over?" He's also a bit shy and very hesitant around big groups, especially those that are noisy, which can be quite a challenge with Gideon's family :). We had a party the other day and with one friend he was all happy and smiles saying, "We're having a party!" With 4 friends it turned into, "I'm scared of our friends."

This year is our first year really celebrating a traditional Christmas with him. He has gifts under the tree and got a message from Santa Claus that he watched 10 times in a row. Merry Christmas anyone out there that reads this-I hope you and your family have as much love and joy as ours does!