Happy 2nd Birthday, Rosemary! You are two now, and as much as I want to be sad about you growing up, you are just so fun right now! Every day you learn something new, and you’re really starting to understand what we are saying and asking you to do (even if you don’t always do it…). I’m a couple days late writing this because we’ve been so busy celebrating you these past couple of days! We went to the aquarium on your actual birthday. Then, dad and I stayed up late decorating for your birthday party so you could be surprised by it the next morning. Your birthday party the next day was a blast and we were all pooped afterwards!
You’re starting to speak in simple sentences. On your actual birthday, you said “Love you, dada”, and it was so precious! Since then, you’ll say “love you ____” when prompted. I can’t wait until you say it unprompted! Speaking of which, you’ve been saying “thank you, mama” unprompted. I’m so proud of you learning some manners! Most sentences, though, start with “this is.” Sometimes it makes sense (e.g. “this is yucky”), while others don’t (e.g. “this is this.”). You use it to mean that you want something a lot of the time (e.g. “this is cookie”), and while you ask, you usually nod along, seemingly trying to convince us it was a good idea. It can be pretty hard to say no to something so adorable. I could go on and on about how verbal you are getting, but I can’t even keep track of all the new words you are saying! I love hearing your happy little voice, though.
Since Reid was born, you’ve become a lot cuddlier! For a while, it seemed like you were a little jealous of him (especially when I fed him), but lately, you’re happy to cuddle without getting upset beforehand. We even had a couple movie nights this month where you sat between dad and I for most of the movie (Coco, which you are now obsessed with). We love when you snuggle up with us. If Reid is on our lap, you’ll lean in and give him a hug and kiss.
Unfortunately, the flip side of your cuddliness is your hatred of naps right now. For a couple weeks, you’d cry for a while every time we’d put you in your crib. Now, you might cry for a minute but mostly just stand in your crib waiting for us to return. It breaks my heart! We watch you on the video monitor to make sure you are okay, but you are so much happier if you get a nap (or at least the quiet time), so we are still putting you down. I hope your good naps return soon!
We’ve been going on walks lately and you love spending the time outside. You pick up lots of rocks and sweet gum balls, which makes the walks pretty slow, but when you speed up, your run is so adorably bouncy. Your curls bounce and your hands flap. It’s pretty hilarious, actually.
We also have been spending more time in our backyard now that the weather is getting warmer. You love blowing bubbles, coloring with chalk, and playing on your plastic slide. If you have a dress with pockets or a purse, you’re finding things to fill them.
It’s amazing to us to remember you as a tiny sleepy baby and to think what your mind is doing now. Today, while you were playing with play-doh, you said “this is cheese”, cut off a chunk, pretended to eat it, and then exclaimed “yummy!” (Have I mentioned that everything is either yummy or “yuh-ee”?). What will you be doing next week? Next month? Next year?
You’ve also started to learn your colors and numbers this month. We worked to teach you to say “two” and hold up two fingers (on separate hands, ha!), when asked how hold you are turning. We’ve also been asking you what color everything is. You love to say “yellow,” but typically correct yourself afterwards. I think you are so smart, but always try to encourage you to work through things that are tough for you so you learn that you can do things when you try hard. But we will always be here if you need us!
We love you so much! This past year has brought a lot of change, but you continue to roll with it. You are so kind and patient. Your love of your family stops me in my tracks sometimes. We get little glimpses of ourselves in you (you mimic the faces we make and the noises we make), but you’re your own person now. More and more each day. You’re this little piece of sunshine in our lives and we feel so blessed to have been given you. Happy birthday, sweet girl!
