two years

Happy birthday, Chicken!  This second year has just flown by.  I think it's because of all the huge changes we've made.  They tend to keep a person busy.  It has been a great year for you, though.  I've told people that the first year is all about physical changes and the second is about cognitive ones.  It's been amazing to watch.

So what are you like at 731 days old?  You can walk, run, jump, walk backwards, climb stairs, dance, and march.  You have sadly weak abs (like Mommy) and are sometimes like a turtle when on your back.  You have gotten much taller and thinned out but we won't have official stats on this until next week when we have your doctor's appointment (but you're around 27 pounds).  Your hair is still blonde and is so long and you still have those great eye lashes.  You wear size 6 shoes or 7s with socks.  You have all but one of your teeth.  *Update: You are 34.5" tall (67th percentile) and 26 lb 14.4 oz (53rd percentile).*

You love accessories (bracelets!  neckos!  hats!  coats!  shoes!), your brother, the rest of your family, dogs, going on walks, reading, playing with blocks, puzzles, the iPad, water.  I love that you love books since I do and my mother did.  Your favorite ones right now are probably the 100 Words book, The Littlest Elf, and Mr. Brown's sounds book.  You also enjoy playing with your school friends and your cousin.  You are very outgoing, smart, funny, cute.  You pitch fits but Mommy's learning how to manage them a bit better.  Your favorite songs are "Old MacDonald" (by FAR), "Row Row Row Your Boat," and "Itsy Bitsy Spider."

You have been a big help with your brother.  You find his paci and give it to him when he's crying.  Lately, you've also taken to showing him things or explaining things to him.  You love to hug him or get down on the floor with him.  And he loves looking at you--he smiles and smiles.  But you're also a little jealous sometimes.  You seem to be a Mommy's girl right now.

At the beginning of the year you were a good eater but things have declined in that department.  You don't seem to eat as much and you're pickier.  You love cheese, cereal, raisins, bananas, popcorn, and gummies.  You want what you want when you want it.  That applies to pretty much everything, though.

We've introduced the potty.  You've had some successes but we're no where near being done potty training.  It's something I'm looking forward to us accomplishing this year, though.

You have gotten a little better at sleeping.  You only take one nap now, and you don't cry as much when we try to put you to bed.  You do wake up sometimes in the middle of the night, though. Sometimes you get back to sleep on your own and sometimes Daddy helps.  You're now in your toddler bed.  I thought it would be a more difficult transition but you did great.

The most exciting part of the year for me has been your language development.  It has exploded!  Just this morning I was talking to you and Daddy laughed.  He noticed that we were having an actual conversation.  Granted, it's not the most exciting content but, yes, you answer questions.  You know lots of colors, shapes, animals and the sounds they make, body parts (including ones like "chin" and "wrist").  You can count to 3 but sometimes it's "1, 3, 2."  You know that 2 > 1 but sometimes it means 2 and sometimes it means 100.  Anything >1 is "two."  You say "ABCDF now I know my A! B! Cs!" No "E."  Last night you brought me two bath toys and told me they were "2. S." and you were right.  You talk about Daisy eating the 2 balls of Play Dough and then getting sick (even though this happened months ago).  You've gone from calling me Mama to Mommy and on vacation you even tried Mom a few times. I told you I would not respond to that.

You bring joy.  To everyone.  People love you, Chicken.  Poor Granddad is wrapped around your little finger.  He calls you "Little Angel" and "Small Wonder."  The first one is accurate some of the time but the second one always is.  It has been an honor to be your Mommy.  I look at you sometimes now and see that you are, in fact, a small person.  That Daddy and I made.  And you live here.  With us.  It's hard to wrap my mind around but I'm so glad you're here.  So happy birthday, tiny dancer.  I hope year 3 is even better.