Happy New Year!

Dek, age 2

Happy 2013 everyone! I can hardly believe that 2012 is behind us, it seemed to go way to slow and fast at times. As for Dek he's literally taken off. In January, he was just barely walking short distances and now he's running ahead of me and saying "No Mommy, Derek do it!" I can barely believe it.

So on reflecting in the last year, our little guy continues to be an education in every way. The Terrible 2s seems to be hitting in fits and starts (e.g. he was sharing great until he started his preschool program and now he's grabbing toys from other children without returning them). We've also seen him go from talking in total gibberish sentences ("Ah mo ti. An ca cay! Ma ta ba ba.") to asserting himself more and figuring out the different languages that we've been speaking to him.

Dek did a fair amount of traveling stateside a bit and visiting friends and family in: Livingston, New Jersey; Pittsburgh, PA; Raleigh, NC, Orlando, FL and Chicago, IL all in the first half of the year. Things had slowed down while I was on my detail assignment, but he's got his passport and ready to go overseas. We're headed off to Asia in January with stops in Japan, Philippines and Malaysia. Dek will be able to see one of his ancestral homelands and visit with Mike's family who hasn't had the chance to meet him yet.

He continues to have a pretty good appetite, eating mostly everything but vegetables. He's gone from mostly having baby food/pureed food right at 12-months to eating everything under the sun. His favorites of course continue to be all things carbs: rice, pasta and cereal.  On the unprocessed side, he still likes sweet potatoes (well, he does again now), apples, tangerines, and pears. We're still avoiding dairy, peanuts and shellfish. Dairy is a confirmed allergy - so no ice cream, yogurt or cheese - but he's done amazingly well eating a palate of other foods, so we're glad he's gaining well and his hair is finally coming in.

With that, I'll wish everyone a very happy 2013. May the year be full of  happiness and joy, as well as tasty snacks for all.