Turning 2

If you ask Layne how old she is, she answers "good."  We laugh.  Then, we prod her again, and she might say "Laynie."  Or, she'll say "three."  We laugh again.  Then we hold up 2 fingers and say, "Two.  You are two."  She repeats, "I'n two."  We keep working on the questions to try to help her distinguish her name, how old she is and how she's doing.  But Landen knows, if you want a giggle, ask any of the above to see which answer she comes up with.  She always plays along with the multiple choice quiz, and she never fails to mix up the answers, to our amusement!

2 years ago

This silly toddler talks up a storm...she has a million words, speaks full sentences, and correctly uses all kinds of phrases coined by Landen and Abbey.  I get "alright Mom" "be right back" and "Mom, where are you?" 25 times a day.  

Her favorite song is "Twinkle Little Star."  She sings the first line pretty clearly, then starts getting mixed up.  She also started singing "Follow the Prophet."  I stared in amazement when I finally figured out what she was belting out in the middle of Target.  The tune was familiar, but the words were a little mumbled.  Then the aha moment...follow the prophet.  Wow.  

She still eats.  And eats.  She is a scavenger.  She unwraps a candy bar faster than Royal.  I usually don't see her in action.  I only see the chipmunk cheeks filled and chewing, so she might actually chew through the wrapper.  Her stats fit.  95% height...85% weight.  My first little chunk.  I love it.

She loves to sit and have Abbey read to her.  She loves to watch cartoons with Landen.  Her favorite is "Phineas and Ferb" which she can actually request by name.  At least we can understand her.  She still loves to snuggle up.  She loves that person to person contact.  A cuddle with dad.  Hanging on mom's leg.  Sitting on Abbey's lap.  Squishing into Landen's chair with him.

She is my buddy.  We drive carpool.  We talk in the car after dropping the big kids off.  We bake cookies together.  She loves to pour in the ingredients while standing on a chair next to the counter.  

We shop together, which is always a racket.  Last week in Target, her hot dog slid right out of the bun and landed on the main aisle.  Of course I didn't see it.  We turned into the cereal aisle when Layne started shouting, "Where my hot dog go?!  Where my hot dog go?!"  I started looking all around, and then had to laugh as her voice got louder and louder.  It was nowhere.  I backed out of the aisle just a little and saw it lying on the ground...in the middle of all the Target traffic.  I paused for a minute trying to figure out how to retrieve it without too much embarrassment, which was impossible with the screaming toddler.  I looked at her, and looked back up to see a floor cleaning crew wheeling away and the hot dog gone.  Whew.  The shouts didn't stop, so we headed over to the food counter for a new one.  It's always a racket.

She is the happiest little toddler.  She smiles, laughs and goes along for the ride.  I can't believe that 2 years have gone by.  And yet, I can't remember this house without her.  I know, it wasn't near as fun.  I'm so grateful for this little girl.  I'm so thrilled to be her mom.  I am a good one.  Just in case you were wondering after the Target incident.  There really is nothing wrong with Target hot dogs.  Layne will tell you.