12 February, 2013

two

Dear Veda June,

You are 2! How did that happen?? You are so full of life and energy (seriously. boundless energy) and joy. You are a sponge, soaking up the world, with a never ending capacity to grow and learn. It is a wonder to behold a child stepping into the world..

Things you love:

Books.
My God, do you love books. We read a book to you and immediately, it's "again" over and over (and over) again, until it seeps into your brain. I have caught you "reading" some of your favorite books (The Giving Tree, Little Hoot/Owl, Richard Scary's Busy Town, any of the Moomin books, The Cat in The Hat) to yourself- and you have literally memorized entire passages. It's definitely your favorite thing to do by far..

Your baby dolls.
Sunny and Lala, as well as your stuffed animals. You love to diaper them (i.e. have me or your dad change their diapers), and get them dressed and undressed; feed them, and put them to sleep. Recently I caught you putting one of your babies to bed and you said the exact same things I say to you at night- word for word. It was so sweet.

Your cars.
You also love your cars. One of your favorite activities is to take the couch cushions off and lean them on their side and then "race" the cars down (then you slide down face first after them).

You also love playing in your kitchen (making "soup" is one of your specialties), as well with your farm and all the animals. You love music and singing songs and dancing. You have an imagination now and have started pretend playing. You have also really started to spend more time independently playing. The other day you spent the better part of an hour playing in and around a suitcase.

Things you say: your capacity for speech wows me each and every day. You are speaking in sentences and are capable of expressing yourself incredibly well. Some funny things you say: things are always "naked" - if there's no record on the record player, it is "naked"; a sweet potato fry without it's peel is  "naked" (your preference); Things are also always "taking a nap". You have learned the power of possession- things are often "mine" now. "I want it" is another favorite phrase ; )

You are still a tiny thing and mealtime can be a challenge, though I'm REALLY trying to relax and just trust that you will not starve, even if the only thing you eat for dinner is mustard (true story). You are strong and coordinated and love to climb and dance and jump. You are a good sleeper (knock on wood). I guess you'd have to be to replenish all that energy you use up during your waking hours!

It seems a 2 year old has perfected the art of living in the moment- and there are BIG emotions that go along with that- some of them more reasonable than others ; ) All in all, you are a joy and I am learning from you each and every day. You are still my baby- eagerly dishing out kisses and hugs and a cuddle on the couch. But you are also becoming more independent, and each day a little bit more of a "big girl".  I am so honored to be your mama Veda. Happy TWO!!

xoxo
mama






 (these pics are actually from over a month ago- think I need to take out the big camera more often...)