Two

Upon waking on the morning of his second birthday, Grady announced that he wanted to go to a museum. Most likely because he can only assume they would have a gift shop there. We asked what he wanted to see at the museum and he said rocket ships, obviously.

We spent the morning at the farmer's market and playground. Grady indulged in his Sunday morning ritual of mango agua fresca and a muffin. Then he tried to steal a scooter. By nap time, he had decided that he wanted to go see otters at the zoo.

He picked out his own birthday cupcake at the bakery. Chocolate with white frosting and sprinkles. Before he would eat it, I had to remove the sprinkles, which was not a surprise to me at all. Then he wanted the slab of frosting removed from the cupcake, so that he could concentrate on just a fistful of frosting, without the cake getting in the way. Can't argue with that.

In the afternoon we went to the zoo, but he didn't want to see the otters after all, because he is still a complete mystery. He enjoyed the chimps and the bears, which are not usually his favorites, and the goats, which are.

Then we went out for a dinner of burger-fries-milkshake, because that is Grady's favorite, because he is sensible like that. Except that he always chooses a strawberry milkshake, which isn't sensible at all.

He is nonstop energy -- a baffling bundle of hilarity and stubbornness. Still a lousy sleeper but an expert tester of every boundary. And the most amazing smile. At two, he seems like a very big boy, but he still sometimes sleeps with his buns in the air and part of me wishes he would never stop.

How much Grady weighs: 30.6 pounds (worth noting that this weight was taken during a rare and unprecedentedly enthusiastic multi-day feeding frenzy)
How tall Grady is: 35 1/4 inches

Size of Grady's clothes: 2T
Size of Grady's shoes: 7

Grady's hair color: blond, and people are always asking how in the world that is
Grady's eye color: brown

Number of trips Grady has made to the emergency room: 3

Grady's favorites: hats, his lizard jacket, leggings (preferably print or striped, because there can be no neutral in his wardrobe ever), The Lion King (well, a couple of scenes), stickers, his dump-truck, bananas, going to Jamba Juice, going to school, the orange cat who roams our neighborhood, swings and slides, orca whales, Jude (who lives across the street), Halloween decorations (skulls! cobwebs!), burgers and fries and strawberry milkshakes, sweeping, shopping ("Mommy pay for this."), trains

Grady's least favorites: elevators, loud noises, the beach, being told no, smoke, sometimes having to share, having to wait