Abby will be two years old in less than 2 weeks. She will be able to eat two gummy vitamins, instead of just one. This sticks in my head as a big milestone. I can finally rid myself of all the yellow ones, since Rory only eats the orange and red ones, and they add up if Abby only eats one yellow at a time...
Ok, ok, yes there are other important updates too. She is working on her last 4 baby teeth; all molars. And she is just as miserable as all the others were. For months before they pop, she is a sad, whiny, mommycentric, cuddly, particular little creature. Its like PMSing for toddlers. And it comes and goes for weeks at a time. Thank God for baby medicine (Orajel, Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen - Sometimes all at the same time so she can sleep).
As for her personality, she is the sweetest, most even-tempered, easy-going kid I have ever seen. She goes with the flow (as much as you can expect a two year old to) and shares, gives and apologizes freely. She definitely is a peacemaker and just wants everyone to be happy. She often says she is sorry when I am trying to get her sister to apologize to her! She is a total daredevil and very sure of her physical abilities. She enunciates uh-HUH in the cutest way ever. She eats everything in sight and guzzles drinks like its nobody's business. (While Rory is eating more regular amounts, she still needs to be reminded to drink). And even still, she is the same height as Rory was at 2.
Both her and her sister have taken a liking to their blankets. They have soft blankets they keep in the car, and often insist on bringing them to daycare. Abby has a different one she sleeps with and is quite attached to as well. Rory is more attached (for sleeping) to her pink monkey Suessa. Since she still has that oral fixation, she chews on his tail. Not sure how long that tail is going to last. During the day I tell her to let me know if she wants to chew on something and I'll give her gum but sometimes she just doesn't think about it. That girl needs something to be in her mouth at all times. The rubber bands when I'm doing her hair. Necklace if she has one. (She is not allowed to borrow mine anymore - she chewed right through one of my silver chains). Her hair is getting really long, almost to her waist. She wants to grow it "like Rapunzel". She is exhibiting great signs of independence. I'm teaching her (and by association and imitation, her sister) how to put her shoes away when she gets home, taking off her own clothes and putting them in the laundry, putting on her own clothes, etc. She's doing a great job. The other day I asked her to do something that was out of reach, and realized she couldn't, and started to come get it for her, and she said, "no mom, that's ok, I'll get the stepstool." YES! One step closer to them being able to HELP with my workload, instead of ADDING to it!
She still has these super dramatic emotional meltdowns. And she often replies to requests with a frustrated whine. I have found that telling her that is not a very nice way to respond, and asking her to please say it again in a nicer way works pretty well. And when she gets in a full out tizzy, it takes a long time to calm herself down but she doesn't hold a grudge. She is incredibly caring and sensitive, and I try to give her positive reinforcement for all the good behaviors she displays. We are working on her reaction to being disappointed (which easily turns into a tantrum) about stuff that can't be changed. Yes, I would love to read you another bedtime story, but its already past your bedtime so you need to go to sleep. No you cant have another yogurt, we ran out and wont have more until we go to the store. No you can't have a sleepover at Grammy Cracker's house, its a weekday and she has to work too. We are trying to teach her that it does no good to flip out about stuff you can't change. It's ok to be sad about it but it won't change anything. I guess we all could work on that one a little more.
The bedtime routine takes forever nowadays. We start at 7:30 with bedtime snack, then go get changed into pjs, and brush teeth. Then bedtime stories and bed. Sounds like an easy quick process, but they need to be kept on track every second of the routine, and often get sidetracked, distracted, riled up, etc. Rory gets back up to go pee. Abby needs medicine for her teething and wants you to lay with her for a few minutes. Someone needs a drink of water. And its normally not until 8:30 or 9 before they are both truly down for the night. We actually love it on nights that we stay up (like movie night) or have events, because we just change them into pjs there, and then wait for them to pass out and put them to bed!
Whats so nice is that I feel like we are a family now, working together, experiencing things together (sometimes frustrating, but often wonderful), going out and doing stuff together. Its past the "survival" stage of infancy, and now we are on to experiencing life and creating memories that us and the girls can fondly look back on. I love it and have never been happier.
It really is so great to see them turn into actual little people, who are independent and much more capable of taking care of themselves! I still can't believe Abby is almost two! Time is just flying!!
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