Month 25

Val, it seems that I'm so busy answering your thousand questions all day that I haven't had time to blog about what you're up to this month. Good thing you're now 26 months. How is THAT possible?

Anyhoo, now that you're two (and a month, you like to tell people) you talk a mile a minute, full sentences and more. You run so fast, then stop to admire any and all shiny things that capture your attention. You do this so much that I think I'm about to sprain an ankle trying not to trip over you. You seem to need to do this every. single. time that you leave our living room and cross over the baby gate into the dining room, usually while we're on our way to the bathroom. You'd think I'd learn by now but no, every time, I am surprised that you'd stop there, at the gate.

Your gymnastics class now has 2 little girls who are younger than you. You're the showoff in the class now, doing all kinds of jumping and poses and more jumping, largely on command. I'm so proud of you when those other kids are sort of doing their own thing and you're busy following directions.

You've been at preschool for 2 months now. At first, it sucked, really sucked. You'd cry. A lot. I had all kinds of guilt about it, about seeing tears in your eyes when I went to pick you up. But one day, a little farm came to visit. You petted 1 pig (as you tell it), a goat and saw some chickens. I don't know what about the farm made school better for you but now you don't cry. You do seem to wet your pants at least once a week but I can live with that if you're not crying.

I say this every time and it's true. You just get more and more fun. Let's see what 26 months is like!

Two

=D
Originally uploaded by gadgetgrrl

This is what two looks like, my dear Val. Aside from that fact that it's unreal that you're two, here we are.

I'm thrilled to report that you're pretty much potty trained. This is just fantastic for us, it means no more diapers. Even though it means sometimes we have to pull the car over and find a bathroom, it also means no more diapers. The joy of that, I cannot stress enough.

Your language is just crazy. I think it's off the charts but if I actually looked up then saw that it was true, then I'd be bragging. And that seems wrong. But when you tell me 'I take a shower when my other mommy gets home,' I have to wonder how many other kids your age bust out with that kind of language.

Maybe they all do, I don't know. I just know you.

And you, my dear, are fantastically funny and smart.

You also love to 'fwim' and 'fwing' in any pool or puddle and on any swing that comes your way. We do our best to indulge your love of the water and the flying. Hell, we do our best to indulge you as much as possible.

Our next door neighbor claims that we're spoiling you by buying you Hello Kitty bandaids. If that's the definition, I can live with that. Because bandaids? They are small and not that expensive.

We are working hard with you on manners. You said please and thank you a lot, maybe more than seems necessary but I'd prefer it become something you do without thinking so we do it a lot.

You've also arrived in the terrible two's. So far, it's not all that bad, just some tantrums that we don't play into. You may finish them across the room, or wherever we send you to do this, then you can come back and talk about whatever it is that you wanted so badly you felt the need to scream bloody murder about.

I suspect that if we're consistent in this, it might pave the way for good behavior. But who knows, we may well have gotten it all wrong.

You've been in preschool for 4 weeks now and I wish I could say it was going well. But you cry when Andrea leaves you, and some days you have tears in your eyes when I pick you up at the end of the day.

I cannot tell you how much this breaks my heart. Please, please, start liking preschool soon so I can stop feeling like the worst parent in the world for having to send you there.

But other than that, you're doing so well. And we're still having a fabulous time being your moms.

Happy birthday, baby girl!

Month Twenty Three

Ice cream!
Originally uploaded by liz2d2

I've been remiss in posting this, I think because I'm totally in denial about the fact that at the end of this week, you'll be two.

It's so true, my little baby has vanished, leaving a very loud, very funny toddler in her place.

We are having SO much fun with you right now.

Your language is off the charts. You say so many things so clearly and more than once you've shocked us by saying the same thing using different words if we don't respond quickly enough.

You run and climb all the time, at least as much as we let you. We're working hard on getting you to understand that it's imperative that you hold our hands while in parking lots. I totally get it -- you'd rather be gallivanting around doing your own thing than hanging on to us but still, it gives us a bit of a heart attack every time you try to take off.

Speaking of things you're doing on your own... Next Monday you start preschool. It's near our house, it's sunny and bright and you seem to like it a lot. We like it, too, even if it means you're going to be on your own with a lot of other kids. At this very moment you're visiting preschool, eating your lunch with the other kids while Andrea waits outside for you. We've visited a few days already. This time, when Andrea went to leave the room, you asked 'going to work, Mommy?' then went on about the business of eating your lunch.

This weekend, this Friday, you'll be two. I cannot grasp that at all but yet here it is. We are having a big party for you, complete with a badass water feature at the park and a Zoe cake, per your request.

We are so in love with you, baby girl. Happy Birthday!

22 Months

I made this one.
Originally uploaded by torturedmommy

Oh Val, you are almost 2. You're really not 1 at all, even though on paper that might be true. But no, you are a Little Girl. Walking, running, talking, using the potty most of the time, running on tiptoes a fair bit and going down gigantic slides all by yourself.

I'm pretty sure if I blink, you'll be pulling out of our driveway to go to college. So I'm trying very hard not to blink because I don't want to miss a thing.

Your favorite two questions these days are "Why?" and "Doing, Mommy?" Even if I've just told you what I'm doing, and why, you still need more information. Or, I think, the same information again just to re-confirm that you've got my attention.

Please don't worry about that. You most certainly have our attention.

Other parents we know talk about how hard it is having a little one. I won't pretend that it's the easiest thing in the world when you're being stubborn, when you're totally underfoot and we're trying to get something done around the house, when you pretend like you don't hear me. But that's all part of what we signed up for, we knew this going in, that there would be times like these (they don't call them the terrible 2's for nothing). All of that frustration is forgotten when you come to us and say 'cuddle you, Mommy' or we catch you sleeping with your butt in the air.

We've already made plans for your 2nd birthday party. I've given up being astonished at how fast the time is going and am just doing my best to cherish every moment with you.

21 Months!

Fountain fun!
Originally uploaded by liz2d2

Oh Val, we weren't looking and somehow you're almost 2. 2! It is with great and extreme bewilderment that I contemplate what to do for your 2nd birthday.

Today I looked down at you in your crib, surrounded by your Backyard.igans dolls and I couldn't believe how much of the crib you now take up. How did you possibly get to be this big?

You weigh about 24 pounds now. I know this because we weighed you at Cheddah's house and we confirmed the weight on the produce scale at Safeway. Your carseat is still rear-facing because the more I read about it, the more I know it's the safest place for you. We're lucky in this because you don't seem to mind.

Your words are just out of control. At last count, you have somewhere around 300 of them and you are not afraid to use them. In fact, you're even stringing them into sentences when we least expect it.

You're also well on your way to being potty trained. This thrills me to no end because while it does mean running to the potty with you fairly often, it means fewer dirty diapers in our world. It also means a growing pile of ridiculously cute underpants in your drawer.

Speaking of drawers, you're outgrowing your dresser not because you have any more clothes than you used to but because those clothes are a lot bigger. We just figured this out. Yep, we're smart like that.

If I ask you who's in your family, you say 'me!' then 'mommy!' and then, 'mommy!' You also can say your whole name, saying your last name with an almost Southern twang.

Your favorite word these days is diffrent. No matter what we offer you, you'd like something 'diffrent!' I do get this but it does present a challenge for us -- how many times do we hold our ground and when do we give in? We're still figuring that out, I suspect it's a lifelong lesson for all of us.

Last weekend, you went ice skating for the first time. I was so proud, so happy. It was the moment I'd been waiting for since before you were born. You had a great time and we did too.

Being your mom is more fun every day. Keep up the good work!

A Big Day

Val, today is the longest you've gone without a potty accident. Last night, you woke up with a dry diaper, you went potty when you woke up and have been dry ALL DAY today. I am so proud of you!

Right now you're wearing ridiculously cute training pants with stars on them. Last night you wore Zoe underpants and were so proud of yourself. Keep up the good work, kid!!

20 Months

My Dear Val,
20 Months ago today you emerged from my womb, peed on your way out and took about 2 seconds too long to start breathing. But once you got going with the breathing program, you latched on to breastfeed like a pro, started growing and never looked back. Somehow, in the nanosecond since all that happened, you've hit this crazy milestone where your months now start with 2's.

2's. How in the world is that possible? Wasn't I just patting my belly with you tucked (rather firmly, as it turned out) inside? Weren't you just rolling around in there? Possibly but somehow you are now rapidly approaching your 2nd birthday.

Your language has continued to grow exponentially. You now have 2 and 3 word sentences (No! Want it! Play this! Step this! Bless you (when we sneeze. Because when you were first born, you sneezed all the time and I determined that each and every time you sneezed, I would say Bless you, so you knew that I loved you. In case you had any doubt.). You're continuing your steady progression towards potty training, now going whole afternoons with a dry diaper on. I can almost see a day in the not-too-distant future where you have no diapers at all.

You can see that day, too. It comes in the form of your beloved 'panties.' We have a small stash of training pants and regular super-cute underpants for you. Now and again, we get them out and talk about them, how girls who use the potty all the time can wear them. Thanks to your Auntie and your Grandma K, we have a good variety of these waiting for you -- Elmo and Tinkerbell, plus some cute training pants. You've started asking for them and the other day, you got to wear some of the Elmos.

If your little tushie in those Elmo underpants wasn't the cutest thing I've ever seen, well, I don't know how anything could be cuter.

Parents I know talk about how this age is so hard. And sure, it is. Because you're constantly asking why, you're constantly not following directions, but you're also getting funnier by the minute. And if I blink, I might miss one of those steps along the way. I'm sure as hell NOT going to do that if I can help it.

Every Friday, we go to gymnastics and every Friday you do more and more of what the teacher asks you. You do a dinosaur kick anytime the mood strikes you, be it in a store or a living room. (note: I tried to find a picture of you doing your dinosaur kick but found only this:

You also say 'hello toes' and 'goodbye toes' like we do during the stretches in class. Only you do it whenever the mood strikes you. I have to admit, I like this method a whole lot more.

You've figured out how to take off your pants and your diaper/undies. The shirt, you haven't quite mastered yet so at the very least when you decided to disrobe, you'll still have a shirt on. This does mean that at bathtime, instead of me having to fight you to get you undressed, you do it yourself, then run in, sometimes stopping to pee in the potty on the way.

Almost 2 weeks ago, we started a new bedtime routine for you. You lay in your crib and mommy or myself sits next to you, reading and holding your hand while you fall asleep. So far this has helped you sleep longer and be more enthusiastic about being in your room.

Grandma and Grandpa came for Christmas and holy crap are you in love with Grandma. Right off the bat you told her all about the bird and snowman on your shirt and from there on out it was love. You hung out with them for 2 of the days they were here, running in circles around their hotel room and showing them how damn funny you are.

I think you're about to grow because right now you're eating everything in sight. That's a good thing, because somehow you've turned into a very skinny little kid. The upside is that you get to be rear-facing in your carseat for a good long while yet.

I know I say this every month and every day, but it's true. Being your mom is absolutely as amazing as I'd ever dared to dream. Happy 20 months, kiddo.