Totally Two

Adrienne,

Since I took you to your 2 year well-child visit today, this seems the right time to summarize you at this stage. You are totally two. Your behaviors say (actually scream) "two", your skills say "two", your desire for independence says "two", and so on. At your check-up today you stood on the scale like a big kid (no more strip down to a dry diaper while you lay on the table baby business for you) and politely ate your snack on my lap while I answered questions and talked with Dr. V. Dr. V was impressed by how cooperative you were and how incredibly polite you were during the exam. Those kinds of things make a mom proud, you know. You now weigh 28.35 lbs (73%) and are exactly 3 feet tall (92%). Your head is in the 93% percentile. We grow 'em big and strong in our family, and you are no exception. As I expected, you did not care for your immunization (Hep A) today. You willingly lay on the table for the nurse, then she broke your heart with a big ole poke in the leg. I scooped you up to comfort you, and through your sobs you just kept shouting "Mommy wipe my nose!" Your nose was perfectly dry, but your eyes were overflowing with crocodile tears. We got you all fixed up and soon you were happy to pick out your stickers and head out to lunch (Pi pizza) with me before we picked Jillian up from camp.

If I had to summarize you in one word right now it would be this: goofball. You are a total goofball, and you love to make everyone laugh. Knock-knock jokes are your specialty. When we ask "Who's there?" you almost always say, "Noodle face!". We aren't sure where you heard that, but we think it's a pretty funny punch line for a two-year-old. You like to make up silly songs and shake your little tush around as you dance. Last week, you put Jillian's butterfly crown on your head and walked around singing, "I've got butterflies on my head. Doodle-doodle-doo!", and you walk around singing "I'm an alien! I'm an alien!". You also think that 'Old MacDonald' and Beyonce must be friends, because if we sing "Old MacDonald" to you, instead of 'e'-i-e-i-o', you sing "Oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh" just like Beyonce does in "All The Single Ladies". Daddy thinks it's pretty funny that you like that song. I'm not really sure how your love of it started (I think he played the version from the Chipmunks "All The Single Babies" for you once and it stuck), but you can really rock out to some Beyonce. I'm choosing my battles carefully these days. Last night at dinner you refused to eat, and instead just made silly faces at everyone. This included tricks like stretching your mouth with your fingers and sticking your tongue out. It's times like these I think you are like your Aunt Meggie used to be as a kid--she was always kind of ornery and doing silly stuff at mealtimes.  I think you really understand when things are funny because you appropriately tell me that "Daddy's silly" or "Jillian's funny" after they have done something along those lines. You bring a whole new kind of spontaneous humor to our little family and we absolutely love it.

You are passionate about oral hygiene, and I have to keep the baby gate up at all times because at any moment you might shout "I want to brush mine teeth!" and start to head upstairs. You probably brush about 5 times a day right now, which I hope will cover you for a bit when you decide someday that you never want to brush them. One recent evening I caught you brushing before bath as I was setting out pajamas, and I think these might be my favorite pictures of you ever so far.

Pigtails AND a bare baby bum??? I'm totally done for.

Milk is your drug of choice, and I have to monitor your intake. If I'd let you, you'd carry a sippy cup of it around at all times. You have a pretty impressive and loud argument when I politely decline your request, and I admit that I sometimes give in. I am more tired the second time around. Currently you think that cheese, yogurt, milk, grapes, and bananas are all one needs to survive, in addition to some mac and cheese from time to time. I'd sure love it if you'd go back to eating vegetables as you so passionately did as an infant, but it's not looking good. We will keep trying.

You still like to play some bedtime games and really fight your sleep. I've been told I did, too, as a wee one so I guess it serves me right. You like to talk to your babies, read (or tear up) books, and play in your chair. Today I walked in to reprimand you to get back in bed, and you said, "Oh, we are on the airplane!". You were sitting in your chair with a blanket on your lap and your animals in front of you, and it really was a pretty good pretend play scenario you had going on. Probably the most-elaborate for you to date.
Despite the duct tape on the diaper, you still sometimes manage to stick your hand down the back of your diaper and hand me a nasty surprise when I check on you. Your timing for that is impeccable, too. BUT! You are really motivated to "get potty treats" these days, which is code for "I need to go poop". In fact today, you went 4 times (probably the consequence of your new found love of grapes), which meant you had 8 Skittles today. I'd say I am only changing a dirty diaper about twice a week right now, which is pretty awesome (and of course opposite to how your sister trained. You girls aren't letting me capitalize on anything I learned the first time around, now are you??). You don't really care if you wet your underwear when we do some diaper-free trials, so I hope I haven't missed my window with you. I need to get my big girl panties on, so to speak, and just engage in this battle and get it over with. Think if I paid Jillian in ice cream she'd potty train you? I bet we could work a deal.

I'd like to think you are a pretty smart cookie. You can sing your ABC's, many other songs, count to 15, seem to understand emotions (i.e. crying infers sadness, laughing infers happiness), have a great memory, and verbal skills well beyond your age. You tell me what you want, and do not mince words. You can answer questions and tell me when something hurts. I think you might know a few colors and shapes, but I'm way more relaxed about that this time around, so I honestly can't tell you which are your best. Guess this is a common second time mom phenomenon...or at least I hope it is.

You are really a mama's girl for the most part. If you are hurt or cranky or tired you want me, and really no one else will do. You have a way of whining my name that often has me proclaiming I'm going to change it, but truly, I'd have it no other way. You were born a snuggler and I'm so glad that seems to just be part of who you are. I cannot resist your charm, and neither can anyone else in this house. Yes, even your sister....but don't tell her I told you.

Love you, A xoxo Your Mama.

Just try to resist this grin. I'm telling you, it's impossible.