When I dressed Mckayla up and took her to the park for pictures, I imagined them coming out like Gracie’s. What was I thinking? I love these, though. They’re so her. = ) And it’s one of the things I want to do for birthdays!
It’s time for the next installment of Gracie’s stages!! And it is a good one!
This stage was definitely my sister’s favorite ever. It got to the point where she would text me every morning saying, “Did she say it?” But I give too much away.
We love two-year old’s around here!! I think it’s my favorite age. You can read about why here. After that post, I started writing down all of Gracie’s fun two-year old stages. You can read about some of those here and here.
A little background before I dive in to the story of this stage. Gracie lost weight from the age of six to nine months (I really took that hard) and it was a while before she got back to where she needed to be.
But now?
She’s definitely making up for lost time.
Plainly stated… the child LOVES to eat. And I’m so thankful every time I look at her chubby little body.
At some point this fall, she realized that I pretty much knew what I was going to make for dinner that night; and that if she asked me I would share that information with her. (The other girls will frequently ask about the dinner plan at some point during the day)
Gracie began to ask me, “Mommy, whasfodinnuh?”
And I would reply with whatever the choice was for that night.
To which she would reply, “Oooo!!!!” with a very excited, happy look on her face.
It was great. But it got even greater.
That question became literally the first thing she said to me every morning! For at least a month, probably longer!
I’d walk into her room in the morning, “Good morning, Gracie! How are you?”
She’d stand up (always with the most hideous case of bedhead you’ve ever seen), rub her sleepy eyes and say in a soft, morning voice, “Mommy, whasfodinnuh?”
And I would reply, and she would say, “Oooo!!!!” with a very excited, happy look on her face.
Every. single. morning.
(See how I just. did. that.? It’s a very bloggy thing to do.)
Even though she had already asked first thing in the morning, she would still ask six or seven times during the day. Just randomly walk up to me and say, “Mommy, whasfodinnuh?”
And I would reply and she would say, “Oooo!!!!” with a very excited, happy look on her face.
Didn’t matter what it was. Spaghetti? Tilapia? Chicken and dumplins? Breakfast?
“Oooo!!!!” with a very excited, happy look on her face.
Of course, I would tell Laurie about this during our daily phone conversations; so she began texting me in the morning, “Did she say it?”
It was her idea for me to ask Gracie, “What do you want for dinner?” Awesome idea. “I’ll try it tomorrow!”
So the next morning after “Mommy, whasfodinnuh?” and my reply and “Oooo!!!!” with a very excited, happy look on her face; I asked:
“What do you want for dinner, Gracie”
“Chicken and dumplins!”
She said that for at least a week; but after she said it, I would tell her what we were actually having and she would say…
“Oooo!!!!” with a very excited, happy look on her face.
I love that girl.
Okay, maybe that’s stretching it a little too far, but I have decided (after three of them), that two is by far my favorite age.
I wouldn’t characterize any of our girls’ years as “terrible,” but I personally found three much more challenging than two.
So.
Bear with me while I tell you why I love two-year olds so much.
For starters, they are fun, cute, silly, amazing, ridiculous, endearing, and playful. (to use a few adjectives that came to mind) And if that doesn’t make my opinion clear, here are a few other thoughts.
A year of exploration.
All of my girls could all walk by the time they were two, but other physical abilities seemed to snowball. Jumping and running, turning things on and off… I know that these can cause hazards and stress, but it’s also so heart-melting to see the excitement on their little faces and hear them proudly proclaim, “I run!!!”
A year of awareness.
Let’s just say, the conversations start picking up. As they begin to observe the world around them and ask questions, you have the awesome opportunity to fill their little head with knowledge, ideas, and enthusiasm. If you tell them lightbulbs are amazing, they’ll think they’re amazing, too; if you tell them bugs are gross, they’ll think they’re gross, too; if you tell them that storms are exciting and interesting, they’ll probably believe you; if you tell them that the road is dangerous, they’ll probably adhere. What better time than then to start shaping the way they view their body, other people, history, education, science, art, music… it goes on.
Wow! I didn’t actually intend for this to be inspirational, but as I’m writing, it’s like… yeah! Two-year olds are amazing! What an opportunity!
And for my very favorite thing about two-year olds, it would definitely have to be…
The way they talk.
Oh my goodness. They start to learn more words and put them together coherently, and then they get so excited that they begin talking faster and faster, and before you know it, it’s back to babble. After they catch up with themselves and you can understand again, it’s amazing. I love watching their faces darken or light up following the path of their topic; many times the girls have gotten to nap time way later than scheduled because they were carrying on while going potty and I just couldn’t help but listen and listen and listen. (and maybe egg them on a little bit, too = ) Then, there’s those conversations that take a serious turn and you’re feeling Wow, this is so cool; that was a great question they just asked. This is so meaningful; they’re going to remember this forever! and then… they say, “Does Daddy have a belly button?”
Okay, I thought of one more super fun aspect of two-year olds (or at least ours):
A year of stages.
Not developmental stages, but the they’re-doing-this-one-really-funny-thing-over-and-over stages. I think those have brought us more laughter than anything. The repetition of little jokes and games that they learn is so hilarious, maybe even more so than than the individual events or outbursts.
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Well, this is all very opinionated indeed, but I just have to say that as I’ve watched Gracie during these past months (after I realized that my favorite age is two), I’ve tried super hard to cherish this time with her more than ever.
The thought has often crossed my mind, “Every house should have a two-year old.” They’re just so fun and entertaining and precious… but maybe that’s just me.
Do you have a favorite age/stage for babies and children? Has your two-year old experience been totally different from mine? Thank you so much to all my readers and followers for your looking, liking, and commenting; I love it! Because you all are so kind, I wish you a house full of two-year olds. = )
Never lose the wonder of technology.
small steps, big picture 