Orelia at Two Years Old

Two year olds are funny.  And crazy.  And difficult.  And wonderful.

They are just so much more.  Orelia at two is just so much more of a person than she was at one.  More energetic, more adorable, more capable, more fun, more exhausting.  More.

Once she has mastered something, it's almost impossible to remember a time when she couldn't do the task.  I can't imagine a time where she didn't understand everything we say or a time when she wasn't able to communicate what she wanted.  I can't imagine a time where she couldn't feed herself.  Or walk.  Or run.  Or simply play in a way that is meaningful.

She's the one that takes the lead on play and decides with whom to share her tea party, where they should sit, what they should eat, and how long it will last.  She builds her own Duplo towers now and takes great pride in them.

Her friendships are much more meaningful now, and the kids can communicate things with one another without a mommy translator all the time.  They understand how to take turns (when it is convenient for them) and genuinely crave the company of a few specific pals.

Orelia continues to show a passion for art, which we encourage in her.  About a month ago she was able to draw her first recognizable object (recognizable to both me and her), and she excitedly shouts "boon!" every time she draws a balloon.  Now she adds balloon strings to all drawings I draw for her.  So we have "elmo boon" and "turtle boon."  By far my favorite is the "hot boon boon" (hot air balloon balloon).

A common demand in our house is "play-doh now!"  She always wants to break out the play-doh and play with all her tools, make pizza, or simply "roll out."

We had a couple months where her interest in books waned a bit, but now they are back in fashion.  She loves books with Elmo and recently became obsessed with Fancy Nancy.  The Fancy Nancy stories were the first books where she began to really follow to plot of the story and comment and remember what happens.

She's a bit of a shoe aficionado, and loves to put on her special pairs (not the regular sneakers, of course), as well as the shoes anyone leaves around the house.  We inherited a pair of light-up butterfly flip flops that are always in high demand.

Jumping is a relatively new trick.  She can do it freestanding, but gets most of her practice lately in her bed or on her new trampoline.

Since she discovered she could climb out of a crib while in San Diego, we transitioned her to a toddler bed right after her birthday, and she absolutely loves it.  She's in a new "big girl" room now and sleeps downstairs while we sleep upstairs.  We are really proud of how well she's doing in there so far and frankly can't believe how much time she wants to play in her bed now that it isn't a cage.

We are so happy to spend our time with this silly little munchkin who is such a joy.  Life for us is more with her around.