Train potty

Oh, my sweet girl. Today you are TWO years old! It truly seems like you've been two forever now and honestly you act like you are about fifteen sometimes. But still, today is your big day and I am so excited to celebrate knowing Cecelia for two whole years.



You are staying home from Lori's today with your brother, since GoGo and Memaw are here to spoil the heck out of you two. We might get wild and get some chocolate custard later, as is our birthday tradition with you kids, but I know you are still too young to really 'get' the concept of your birthday. In the past few weeks you will say, 'CC one,' and when I ask how old you will be on your birthday you quickly tell me, 'Two' and try to hold up the right amount of fingers (failing miserably). Ah, my girl. Soon enough you will realize that birthdays are important enough to span an entire week of celebrations! Your party is this weekend and although I have done nothing Pinterest-worthy like last year, it's going to be a fun time with good friends, family and food. Which is all we need anyway.

So what are you up to at the ripe old age of two?

This is going to be my last monthly letter to you, which is both appreciated and makes me kind of sad. So I will do my best to capture the essence of sweet CC in a post all about YOU.

You are currently obsessed with mallard ducks, fishies, chapstick, the Frozen soundtrack (specifically the first song dubbed 'Wa Wa Cuts'), and pretending to bake us cakes and mix us juice whenever you see fit. We have a lot of conversations about where the duckies are right now (since we occasionally see them in the nearby creek) and how they 'Lookie Me'. They look at you, and it makes you laugh. You also recapped a recent zoo trip by listing off all of the animals we saw and 'dey lookie me'. Yes, you certainly love animals and the great outdoors right now. Plus all of the chapstick in the world would not be enough for you and I have probably heard the 'Frozen Hearts' song nearly 1 million times by now. Thank you for the many (empty) cups of juice and HOT cake that you make us. Such a little caregiver already.

You also love pockets, shoving random toys into said pockets, and you are in heaven at a playground. You haven't met a slide you didn't love and you're already climbing up some of the more risky step-stools and difficult stairs that your brother didn't even attempt until age 3. Also: sandboxes are your bliss. You like to make cakes and juice in there, too;)







Every color you see is 'pink' to you, and when we ask you where you got a certain toy or outfit you always tell us 'GoGo.' Interesting. You are sleeping really well lately---you will request to take your nap around 11:30 or so and usually that lasts for about 2-3 hours. You're still loving your big girl bed in your shared bedroom and we will allow the pacifier in bed only. You'll go down for the night without much fuss around 7:30-8 and almost always sleep all night until 6:30am. You like to wake up slowly by playing in your bed, reading books, and sucking your pacifier alone for a bit. You'll tell me when you are ready to get down from your bed and I don't think you've ever climbed down without warning us first.

You are still a decent eater but you definitely have your picky days. Usually you just want to eat off my plate instead of your own but no matter what, you hate sitting down at the table for longer than about 5 minutes. Too much playing to be done!

Lol.


Maybe it's because I'm quite pregnant these days but it seems like you want to be held a lot more. By mommy only, and almost always when I'm in the kitchen trying to throw together some semblance of a meal. You also demand to be carried up and down our stairs all of a sudden and immediately upon arriving at Lori's after a work day, you want 'uppie' into my arms. Although I do love cuddling my non-cuddly girl it's getting a little ridiculous, CC.

Don't get me wrong, though---you are NOT a little baby anymore. In fact, you want to do nearly everything on your own. 'CC do it,' is a favorite phrase and that spans the tasks of getting yourself into and out of your car seat, getting yourself dressed and undressed, and picking out your own clothes. You aren't always successful with these feats and get very VERY frustrated when I try to help or when you relent and ask for it. That struggle to be independent while still needing me very much is a tough one for you to handle sometimes, Cecelia.



I think you will be our strong-willed, spunky child. I'm not going to say that your twos will be 'terrible' but you sure are spirited and I love a girl that knows what she wants. If we make it out of age two alive, I'm hoping we can enjoy a few low-key years together before your teenage girl drama begins. Be kind to us, sweet girl. We are learning as we go with you!

You are long and lean: you're wearing 2T clothes and size 5.5 shoes, but we will get your official stats once you have your two year doctor's appointment. I think you have really thinned out and shot straight up over the past few months. You're legs seem incredibly long now that you are wearing shorts again. Your hair is still red but it's lightening up and your eyes are the most beautiful blue I've ever seen.

We love you so much, Cecelia. Words just cannot express. Thank you for being you!

xoxo
Mommy

Your Two Year Slideshow;)

Cecelia is TWO! from Julia H. on Vimeo.

It is days like today that I am pretty grateful not to be a working mom.
Right now it is 11:21 and all I hear is quiet. Thank God.

You see just a mere 30 minutes ago I was coming in from moving the sprinkler (some day I am going to sell my soul for a sprinkler system) and tromp, tromp, tromp....down the stairs come my two little angels, "Mom, we STILL can't sleep."

This was trip NINE since their original bedtime at 8:15. I sort of wanted to cry. Or maybe beat my fists against the wall in a furious temper tantrum. Instead I sighed and replied, "You guys are going to be a mess tomorrow if you don't hurry up and get yourselves to bed. You have swimming lessons in the morning and if you don't get sleep you are going to fall apart after lunch. Then I am going to be cranky and start yelling (see my previous admission to engaging in tornado siren imitations) and then Daddy is going to come home and he is going to start yelling that everyone is yelling...so PLEASE, just GO.....TO.....BED!"

11 o'clock came and the blissful silence finally fell.

Earlier today my little Starman started cutting his second bottom front tooth and he was busy yelling all day to express his displeasure with this turn of events. This kid skipped all of his naps today. He basically sustained himself on two, thirty-minute cat naps. Finally, after yelling his head off for over three hours, he passed out in his swing at 10:05.

Now, if I was a working mom I would just now be starting to prepare lunches for everyone, getting the diaper bag packed, making lists of everything I would have to do in the morning to make sure everyone had what they needed for the day. Then tomorrow I would stumble out of bed in search of coffee and cursing my children for robbing me not just of sleep, but of personal time before having to put my nose to the grindstone for another day.

Instead, I can stay up and write this blog because I can doze through swimming lessons tomorrow, put on a movie, and assuming Starman sleeps at some point, I can lay down and rest for a while. This would be something I would not get to do if I was working a normal 40 hour a week job.

The physical demands of child care combined with the severe sleep deprivation that accompanies small children can sometimes push into borderline torture. And yet working moms get up and push through it day after day. I honor and applaud you for your dedication whether by necessity or by desire. While most days I wouldn't mind joining those ranks, today? Today I am happy just to be me.