I cannot believe we've gone from this...
to this...
to this...
And my baby is two years old.
I think I was always one of those people that just didn't quite understand when people said "it goes soooo fast!" Duh. Life goes fast. But when you have kids you watch time happen in a different way. And now that I'm holding a new sweet little bambino, thinking back to when my now big girl was that tiny, it really quite literally feels like yesterday. So many clichés, but they are all so very... accurate.
In some ways, it feels like Emberly has been TWO for awhile. She talks in complete sentences, communicates her every need, says please and thank you without prompting, and far surpasses her true age in my (not so humble mommy) opinion.
I wish I could just bottle up "now" and whip it back out when I realize next time how quickly it has gone... but since I can't, I will write down a few little things that just sum up "Emmy" at age "just-turning-two." (And now if you are not a grandma or grandpa, this is probably where I'll lose you... or maybe I already have... and that's ok. She's my heart, not yours...)
1. She slept in a crib up until a week before she turned two. She sleeps 12-14 hours a night. Hardly ever waking up in the night and needing something, but occasionally will call out for a "rock rock" or a hug. Now she sleeps in a big girl bed, just as well and just as long. She has only tried to get out of bed once, but for the most part loves her bed.
2. When she's feeling a little tired or insecure or emotional she'll ask to sleep. She never actually sleeps, but occasionally will just take some time to rest in her bed. It's pretty adorable.
3. When we put her to bed at night or at nap we read one or two books, rock for a minute, and then lay her down and cover her up. She asks to "bounce" (we just gently bounce the mattress for a minute) and sing her Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam, Rock-a-Bye Baby, or some other requested song. Then we leave and my sweet, special child bounces her head up and down on the mattress until she falls asleep. :) People who have seen this think it is a little crazy... and maybe it is. But it works!
4. She almost always talks or sings herself to sleep.
5. She loves to play with her toy kitchen set and make "dessert" or "tacos" or "cookies."
6. She loves to give "Dady Pepper" kisses. And all of her babies are named Baby Piper too.
7. A phrase we hear a lot is "Emmy too!"
8. She loves music and can carry a tune pretty well!
9. She has strong opinions about most things.
10. She asks to "play two minutes?" when she wakes up in the morning... even though we tell her that she can play for MORE than two minutes! :)
11. She is absolutely driven to buckle everything she sees with a buckle. Car seats, high chairs, Piper's swing, backpack straps... ... ...
12. She still signs occasionally, but mostly uses words. Yesterday she told Grandma Go-Go, "Emmy's head stuck in bed! Mommy pushed me out. Owie! No no no."
(She did in fact get her head stuck in the bars of her headboard... you can read about that here.)
13. She uses please and thank you without needing to be reminded. And often times she'll also add in a "welcome!" after her "thank you" if you forget.
14. She climbs up on the window sill in our living room and looks at me and says "get down!" just like I would.
15. Anyone that walks in our door will be subjected to a game of "Chase me!" The more wild the better.
16. She parrots everything you say. All. Day. Long. Just practicing her words. As I'm typing this I can hear her in her room (she is supposed to be napping) saying "hips up!" I also just heard a string of just about everyone she knows... and then "boys! are you??"
17. She LOVES to go to the lake and go on a boat ride with Grandpa Juice. She talks about the sand toys, lake, four-wheeler, grasshoppers, and walks often.
18. Every time she picks up a toy phone she calls Papa Mike or Papa Juice. Without fail.
19. She wants to help with everything I am doing at home. She especially loves to "dump" and "stir" when I am cooking.
20. She is a bundle of movement and noise. Always moving and always singing or talking or telling a story. She repeats everything over and over until you understand and acknowledge.
And that is only the beginning. I love her with my whole heart and cannot believe she is TWO. Happy Birthday, Sweet Emberly.
No comments:
Post a Comment