Charlotte at 2

Oh my, sweet Charlotte, at 2 years old you are a mess! Just when I thought I had this parenting thing all figured out, you turned 2 and reminded me that I, in fact, do not have all the answers. You are sweet and sassy. You are full of energy and stubborness. When we went for your 2 year checkup, Dr. D even remarked to me "she's a pistol, isn't see." That's right.

But, at the same time, you are so fun. You have so much personality wrapped up into one small little person. You love your bubba and sissy. You try and do everything they do. And, generally, they are so patient with you. Lately, bubba has started to tuck you in at naptime. And, the crazy part is that you lay down and go right to sleep when he does this. You raise your head and yell "night night bubba" as we leave and then you are off to dreamland. You are still an amazing sleeper! I guess it takes a lot of sleep to keep your energy level so high. :) You take a paci at naptime/bedtime and you have to have your "night-night" (blankie") too. You rub your blankie on you face by the paci and drift off. Lately you have started calling your paci a "farfle" and I have no idea where that came from!

You copy everything we do and you can say almost anything now. Just a few weeks ago, I was worried that you weren't talking enough -- at your checkup on Feb. 1st you only said a couple of 2 word sentences and now you talk in sentences all the time! And, yes, you talk all the time! I bet you say "mommy" at least 500 times a day -- no kidding!

You are a climber! And, if you can't climb to get what you want, you'll find something to stand on to get you there. We recently found you sitting on the kitchen counter playing with my phone that was charging. That almost gave me a heart attack!

You are quite a girlie-girl. You don't like dirt/sand/grass. You love to wear high heels and necklaces and have discovered sunglasses. I often find you in my closet playing with my heels and purses. You loves purses. And your prissy walk when you are carrying a purse makes me laugh every time!

You are still a good eater. You like most everything we give you, except green beans. Your favorite foods are yogurt, cheese, applesauce, strawberries, blueberries, apples, oranges, turkey, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and carrots. You've started eating salad lately too. And, you have discovered ice cream -- no more days of us going out to get ice cream and not getting you some. You also love chips and queso and salsa. You are not a milk drinker and we've tried all different way to get you to like it -- but thankfully, you get plenty of dairy other ways. You've also discovered ice and I buy sonic ice and you nibble on it a lot -- I think you are getting your 2 year molars ( you keep saying "hurt mouth") and it helps your mouth feel better.

You love babies and have one special baby that goes with us everywhere. We are quite a sight when we get out now -- you always have your paci, night-night and baby with you. The baby that you love the most was Madeleine's baby and you love to rock and sing to it. I've even seen you with the wipes and a diaper "changing" baby. You are such a little mommy! It's fun to see you like this because Madeleine was never into babies a lot.

You like to get dressed every day. You've even started to have an opinion about what you wear. Yikes! And, you always wear shoes-- even when we are at home.

You like to read still. I can put you in your crib with some books and you will entertain yourself for 15 minutes by reading -- although you've started to tear books. When I ask what happened you tell me "me do it!" so proudly.

You have started to get a little more interested in TV lately and you like Dora and Elmo. You like the same 2 Dora episodes and will watch them over and over. You also will watch Praise Baby dvds.

You like bathtime. Harrison has an alligator in the tub that he plays with and the first thing you do when you get in the tub is throw that thing out! I've found it half way down the hall where you've tossed it. :) I don't blame you for not wanting to take a bath with it. You love to play with cups and spoons in the tub and make such a mess! You've learned to say "sorry" and it is so sweet. Melts my heart every time!

You had a pretty rough few weeks awhile back. You were into everything and were such a mess when we went anywhere. Thankfully, you are doing better and we are getting out more.

Some of my favorite things you say right now:

* You will tell me when your food it hot that "it cool off." One morning I was cautioning you to stay away from my hair straightener because it was hot and you kept telling me "it cool off."

*You will say in the car "roll call: sissy, Harrison, mommy, daddy, charlotte." Daddy does this sometimes and you've started to copy him. You do it over and over and over.

* You say " I love you mommy" at night.

*You have to know every day where everyone is -- Daddy at work, sissy at school, bubba at home.

*You call yourself Char-char and it's catching on. Madeleine calls you that a lot now.

You love Bible class, especially Mrs. Leslee that's been teaching your class a lot lately. You like to sing Jesus Loves Me and Bible Words. You laugh at me when I sing Jesus Loves the Little Children. :) You also like Oh Be Careful Little Eyes, Ears, Feet, etc. You will open your Bible and say "Jesus loves Char-Char."

You love markers, toothbrushes and the kids leapsters. You help me with the laundry and turn on the dryer. You are a phone swiper and can turn on the iPad and get into games. Grab and run is your favorite game -- especially with Harrison's toys. :) You love FaceTime on the iPad and will push everyone out of the way so you can be centerstage on there. You want to "go" all the time.

I love each day with you. You are such fun to watch as you grow and change. You have a family that just adores you and you have the confidence that comes with that. Our life is so wonderful because we have you!