Harper at 2

My sweet girl,

You are 2!  And you like to tell people that.  I love you SOOOOO much little Squirrel and here's a few things that I want to remember about you just after your 2nd birthday.

- You are busy, busy, busy.  Whether you're moving furniture, rearranging your babies, reading books, dancing or playing on the iPad, you seem to constantly be doing something.  You aren't wild, just a busy little bee.  There are times you want a playmate and insist that Daddy or I come into your room but other times, you are perfectly content to sit and play in your room all on your own.

- You love gymnastics.  We started you in gymnastics class this summer and you practice all of the time.  We'll be in the middle of something (anything!) and you'll look up and exclaim, "Nastics!" and start doing your tricks - forward rolls (with a little help from Mommy or Daddy), handstands (again with a little help), leg lifts, spins, jumps, kicks.  While you might not be the most coordinated kid in the class, you love following directions and you talk about Coach Aubrey every time we pass your gymnastics building.

- You are a little fish.  You could spend hours in the pool pouring water from cups.

- Books are still a huge part of your day.  We probably read 5-10 books a day.  You like to sit in my lap and just read over and over again.  You gravitate towards the same books for a month or two but then your favorites seem to change. 

- Music is also a big part of each day.  You like to request your favorite songs ("Yummy, Yummy" and "Slippery Fish") and will repeat the names of a song over and over and over and over and over until it is played for your listening enjoyment.

- Your little brain amazes me daily.  You are a sponge and your ability to remember details sometimes leaves me with my mouth open.  You are very curious and our day is filled with constant commentary and question answering.  You are very into letters, numbers and phonics these days.

- You love your babies and stufties (mainly Douglas, Ralph, Bruce, Bill, Dolly, Beautiful Baby Brooke, Baby Hatcher, Baby Ella and Baby Betty) but you could play for hours with your dinosaurs and your construction equipment, cars and planes.  You still just love all means of transportation. 

- You've just discovered that your little brother is a full time audience and you believe he was brought to your house for your pleasure.  You love to hug and kiss on him (sometimes with a little too much enthusiasm) and you like to check that he is watching you.  You're also a great help when it comes to helping Mommy with Cito.  Rooney is your best bud and you've recently discovered that you can boss him around.  Wow, if that's practice for Harris one day, he's in big trouble!

- I love that we can have "conversations" now.  You've also started referring to me as Brooke and to Daddy as Jared.  You just talk, talk, talk while we're at home or in the car.  But when we get into a group situation or play date, your shyness definitely comes out and you like to stick close to Mom.  If we're with a group for more than an hour or two, you loosen up and become your giggly self.  But you are funny!  You love to make us laugh and do so on a daily basis.

- Two has meant testing out your limits.  You have become familiar with time out and know what will land you smack dab in the middle of a chair for two minutes but occasionally, you like to make sure the rules haven't changed.  Don't worry, they haven't and they won't.  We love you but you should realize early on that Mommy and Daddy will ALWAYS win!

- At two, you weigh 25 pounds and are 35 1/2 inches tall.  

- And lastly, you have become very opinionated about your appearance.  You like to pick out your own clothes in the morning and accessories are your thing.  You like to switch hats, bracelets, necklaces, eye wear (glasses and goggles included), socks, shoes and hair bows throughout the day.  You are just starting to sprout some hair so the hair bows are typically hanging on for dear life!

You are such a joy and a delight and I love you so much Harper Meabon!

Happy two years old!

Mommy