Two

My beautiful Little Sweetie. This week, you turned TWO.

You're such a funny monkey. You climb everything, you're utterly fearless, and you're rarely sitting still. Watching you in a group of kids is a lot like watching a short tornado. A giggling one.

You're chatty. You've got more than 150 words to your credit and are adding them at the rate of 2 per day. Including the entire alphabet (though you often skip E and you pronounce Fa, Mimma, Nimma, See, and voW with your own creative stylings). You can count from 1-10 forwards and backwards (often ending with blast off - "Toff!").

And as of the last week or so, you're finally making simple 2 word sentences. "Bye bye wawee!"

You still love the wawee...I mean, water. Showers, baths, pools, spray grounds, water tables...you love to be surprised and splashed. And your laugh is probably my favorite sound in the whole world.

Your favorite toys all come in 2's - the Mickey & Minnie we bought you on our Disney Cruise (see below), the Hello Kitty and Choco Cat we got at Build-a-Bear (see above), the small hand sized green basketball and white baseball you got at your visit with Santa. And you make them go on all kinds of adventures. Although Mommy and Daddy are adamant that none of those friends join you in the tub.

When you give hugs, you say "Awwww" every time (because that's what we say.) And if someone leaves the pantry or fridge open even a crack, you pull out potato chips or hot dogs and declare it time to "Nack." I'm convinced that there's never been a toddler who can eat like you. You love chicken, grapes, sausage, PB&J, bratwurst, pretzels, broccoli, grilled cheese, and strawberry milk.

You're taller than most of the kids your age. Don't know where that comes from. You're just under 35 lbs and nearly 3 feet tall. Already wearing 3T clothes. Your favorite shirt has a monkey on it. "Mummies - Eeee Eeee Aaah Aaah."

You are obsessed with colors lately. All of them. So I don't know exactly what your favorite is right now. You love to recite them and tell us what colors you see. "Wyeet Pat Shed Gee Boo Yeddo Poople Peek Oge Brow..."

Your favorite book right now is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" or "Baabee baabee see." You know it by heart and when we get to the page with the teacher with the brown hair and glasses, you always call her Mama. And I'm secretly amused by that.

Your next year is going to bring some HUGE changes. We're going to start working on ditching the "pahshy" and using the "pobby." And the biggest change is that your status as center of the universe is about to shift ever so slightly. It's a good thing we've been working so hard on "share-bing."

Your brother will be here next week.

Betcha didn't see that coming.

We have tried to talk to you about babies. You know that they are little. That they cry. That they go "night night." That we expect you to be soft. What you don't yet know is that it's about to go from vague concept to everyday reality.

I think you'll adjust and ultimately enjoy big sisterhood. He's going to need someone to teach him how to climb over the furniture and throw balls and pull the cat's tail.

Ahem.

Anyway, your daddy and I are amazed by you. Amused by you. And you have us wrapped around your long and lovely little fingers.

You are my everyday sidekick, my nap buddy, my constant companion every minute of every day. You share my pillow, my iced tea, my nose. Your fingers are so often twirled in my hair.

I will always love you and be excited for the ways in which you're growing up and discovering the world.

You are our monkey. Our princess. Our two year old.

Two.