Zero To Two In A Heartbeat
We blinked and 2 years somehow has raced by – the old adage that ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ certainly has been true for us these last 2 years!
As I type this special blog up and I listen to my little girl sing “Happy Birrrrrrthday dear Kailie-Bearrrrrrr” as she settles into bed, I just can’t help but feel overwhelmed with more happiness than I really thought was ever possible in a life time, never mind 2 very short years!
Here are just a few of my proud Mummy moments / milestones that have come with having a 2 year old . . . (and just to give fair warning, there is over the top Mummy bragging to come, but since it’s Kailie’s blog for her one day I’m not holding back!) ;-)
- First of all, the big 2 year stats! Kailie's doctor gave her a great report at her 2-year check-up despite the bloody murder that Kailie was screaming through most of the appointment!! Kailie breaks into a full out screaming fit as soon as we walk into the exam room (often before her dr. even comes in!) and it doesn't stop very quickly. And no, it's not because of the needles, by the time we get to those she has usually settled down and only has a quick small cry for the jab, it's just the overall weighing, measuring, poking, prodding etc. Even though Mummy is right there and holding her through most of it, Kailie has decided it's her worst nightmare!! Anyway - Kailie weighed in at a whopping 33.5 lbs and measured 36 inches, which puts her in about the 96th percentile for both!! We have a very proportionally big girl!!! She's really on the same path she's been since very soon after birth and we're so pleased about it:)- Kailie is just a little chatter box and every day we are more amazed at her speech and comprehension. She is often speaking in full sentences and doesn't miss a thing and surprises us with what she remembers. When I get home from work I'm first greeted with a very loud "MUMMY MUMMY MUMMY" which is then followed by many phrases such as: "Mummy went grocery shopping, what did she bring Kailie?" (when I've stopped at the supermarket on my way home) / "Mummy take your purse off" (so I can pick her up!) / "Hannah, give it to Kailie" (if Hannah is anywhere in sight with anything in her hands!) / "Andy, get inside" !! And one of her most favourites these days is "Daddy, that's a No-No"!!! I'm not sure where she picked that one up . . . . ?! Every day she is talking more and we could listen to her chatter all day long:
- The dreaded Potty Training with Kailie has turned out to be not-so-dreaded (and yes we know how very lucky we are)!! We had one weekend that we intentionally stayed in and this was a bit of a tough weekend for everyone as there was a lot of sitting around watching and waiting for Kailie to pee!! But after a few days of that Kailie seemed to get the hang of it and since then (beginning of October) we've only had 1 accident! For the first few days after our weekend-in I would put a pull-up on her whenever we went out and she always peed in it and then one of my friends from church with a little boy Kailie's age said just to take a leap of faith and go without and we've never looked back! Having said all that I will admit we still have some 'pooping-work' left to do (sorry if that's too much info for some!!), Kailie has never had an accident but she also very rarely actually does her poops in the potty - this is reserved for bed time when she still gets a diaper . . . . so not sure what to make of that but I think I'll just be patient and trust that she'll figure it out:)
- Just this week, Kailie finally turned in her bottles for a straw and a cup. As this happened with much more ease than Mummy anticipated I think I've decided it was me that didn't want to give up the bottles!! I love our cuddle time as she had her am and pm bottles and now with a straw she can put away 8 oz in a matter of seconds! (not exaggerating). I will still admit to warming her milk though, I have my limits on how much I'll make her 'endure'!!
- Kailie always has been and still is a super-star little sleeper:) While she picks the odd day here and there to completely forgo her nap (and while rare, these days are never fun!), she typically naps for about 2+ hours and still sleeps her 12+ hr nights, again yes, I know we are incredibly lucky!!! I think I'm going to give credit where credit is due though, Kailie's Poppa is the best sleeper I know so I think she has it in her genes!
- We are so proud of how well behaved Kailie always seems to be - now in fairness the main reason I am noting this is that I am bracing myself for the 'terrible two's' and I think I just want to be able to look back at 'how things used to be'!!! Up to now anyway we have enjoyed not having to institute time-outs (although admittedly there is the odd occasion that comes up that I wish we had it in our arsenal!), she is a total joy to take out as she is so polite and sweet to people we meet along the way. She loves to come grocery shopping with me and is quite happy just to walk alongside Mummy and say "Hi" to anyone that will say hi back to her! She always knows to hold our hand when we're anywhere outside near traffic and pays especially good attention if I have to get really strict and pull out the "Listen to Mummy" phrase!
- Finally, and probably my most favourite, is that Kailie is growing into such a happy, loving little girl! She is so very affectionate with us (hugs and kisses all the time), she loves her little friends, and she talks about her cousins all the time! She gets very excited when we Skype family at home and even though she gets all shy when she sees them, she talks about them for a long time after we hang up. One of her favorite books these days is called "I Love You So Much" and usually at bedtime she starts quoting it to us as she says goodnight: "I Love You So Much / How much is so? / Way Way More Than You'll Ever Know" . . . . it's just the sweetest words to hear and as I kiss my sweet angel goodnight I can't help but think that this is exactly how I feel about her:)
It's been another wonderful year full of memories, milestones and fun times - and we excitedly look forward at what is still to come!
Here are a few more pictures of all the birthday celebrating that's been happening at our place lately:)
Daddy made a great birthday-breakfast for Kailie on her birthday!
We did the 2-year photo shoot with the Teddy Bear (see side bar of blog for the updated picture) and Kailie didn't disappoint, it was the usual insanity to get a good pic!! Every time I said 'say cheese' she would go into fits of giggles while she tackled her bear!! I don't know if it was harder -when she was a few months old or 2-years old!!
Kailie, Hannah and Grace having some fun on the motor-bike (as Kailie refers to it)!
It is also Grace's birthday just a few days after Kailie's so we had the Masters and Grace in for some more celebrating:)
And, a bit over-shadowed, but still celebrated, was Daddy's birthday! Kailie especially enjoyed opening Daddy's pressies for him:)
