Saturday, November 22, 2008

Living with a 2 Year Old

"I like Peanuts." "Daddy Fart. Mommy Fart. Sophie Fart." "I like animals. Elephants! Giraffe's! Elephants!" and one that we are so happy to hear more and more often, "Potty!"

The lack of photos I have to accompany this post is evidence of her interest in the camera. It's nearly impossible these days to get a good picture that really captures the moment, but there are a few.
These last two weeks have seen a surge in Sophie's language development. Her Please and Thank You's come fast and furious, and she uses the "I" instead of "Sophie" now. The other day we were coming home after visiting a friend. It was after dark and we were enjoying the first real snow of the season and the beginning of Christmas lights. "I happy" we heard from the back seat.

She is also most definitely in the "NO" stage. When she doesn't want to go to school or wear her pants or eat her dinner, we hear it loud and clear. We're learning different ways to deal with this sudden burst of independence and it's getting better as we become better communicators.

I'm also learning the value of "No" and the importance of saying it to her (under reasonable circumstances.) Her tantrums have decreased and while she may whine for a minute, she's easily distracted. This has been a very, very important lesson for me.

She eats nearly everything, something I'm grateful for during this time of inflating grocery bills.

She loves her My Little Ponies and they seem to always be taking naps in various places around the house. She hates having her hair brushed and loves having her back scratched. She loves to climb into our laps and snuggle in deep. She takes our arms and wraps them around herself, pulls a blanket over her, and gives a sigh and shudder as she cuddles.

Clothes have become somewhat of an issue, so she has started picking out her own outfits. I don't argue unless it's 30 degrees and she chooses her lightest sun dress. I guess that means it's time to weed her closet a little bit.

We went to Light up Shelbyville a couple of weekends ago. Riley's school choir sang, and we went up for the event. Sophie would not sit still after they lit the trees. She just walked from tree to tree. This is a poor quality picture, taken with Roy's iPhone, but I love it.
So we're learning together how to be better parents, how to be better communicators, and what kind of limits are important to set. Roy and I are remembering the importance of getting a sitter for the night and going out for dinner and a movie. She's an amazing little girl and I can't wait to see what's next.

7 comments:

kclblogs said...

what a lucky little girl!

beinmyOWNself said...

LOL! what a sweet pea!

Claire said...

That last pic looks like YOU!!!

Isn't this age the best?!?!

Sara said...

I have several pictures of you that look like Sophie. You are cloned!

Leigh said...

AWWW, what a great post! She sounds like Anne and I when we were little. We hated having our hair brushed, and LOVED our My Little Ponies. She is such an adorable little girl!

AnnaMarie said...

I love you all so very much.

Claire, I am so glad I get to share this wonderful experience with you and Leigh, I would be so happy if Sophie turned out like you girls!

Melissa said...

There is nothing better than hearing a child say "I happy". So innocent but extremely powerful.

She is just adorable - I love hearing Sophie stories!