It looks like independent play, like dolls, kitchens, and princesses, make believing everything, all the time. It looks like long legs and growing out of early summer's sandals. It looks like three is just around the river bend. It sounds like complete sentences and made up words (Minda!), like long, complicated stories, like there might be a little lisp now that she's finally able to say "S." It feels a little stressful as she insists she doesn't need help or a nap anymore, it feels a little exciting as she keeps herself entertained for an hour or more at a time, it feels a little bittersweet because she's not a baby, nor will she ever be, anymore. It feels like love.
One thing that's especially fun about this age is how Grace is starting to like other people, and I'm enjoying watching her create relationships independent of me. She's got some really nice big cousins (Mya!!!) who include Grace in all of their big girl games and she loooooves it. She's also got her little buddy Nico who she enjoys bossing around (say please Nico!), imagining what it must be like to have a baby brother.
Summer is always a busy time for our family and we've enjoyed backyard cook outs, a few trips to Madison, to Papa's house, a wedding, an overnight in Door County, and had a great week at our annual family reunion. Grace keeps up with it all, dancing at weddings, enjoying zoos, pools, shopping with Mimi, and running around with the big kids. One thing I find remarkable about her is even though she's cautious, she's incredibly confident in her abilities and willing to try just about anything.
Like going down the giant slip and slide her dad and cousins put together.
These two. Partners in crime.
Another thing I love about this age is watching and listening to her process the world, forming independent thoughts and ideas. For example, a few weeks ago we were driving and she told me, "Mommy! I think we should have a new baby in your tummy! Twins! A boy and a girl! I'm hungry!" Her little sister was not even five months old, by the way. I also so enjoy the little idiosyncrasies of her language, like when she plays restaurant and she tells me, "I'm the chef, you're the human." Or when we were out for a walk (after a nap time from hell, and I do mean hell, my desperate attempt to have her doze off. Or at least BE QUIET for a few minutes. She's very chatty.) and she noticed, "There's no humans out this afternoon! Where are all the humans? No boy humans. No girl humans! Oh, there's a human. And a dog!" (No nap, either.) Tonight as I was putting her to bed she was all snuggled up next to me, a little sweaty and she said, "Mom, it's like yoga sleeping. Whew, I'm so sweaty! It's like an exercise nap." It just simply cannot get better than that. Stick a fork in me I. am. done.
It's funny, watching kids grow, because I don't think we can help but to push them, just a little, to achieve more, to learn more, to do more. Grace had many letters and all of her numbers DOWN PAT a few months ago, and recently they've been confusing her. I was wondering why that is, and thinking maybe I wasn't doing a good enough job helping her practice. Then I saw her balancing a block tower really high, being extremely patient and calculating, and then she made list of all the people she loved and it was a loooong list, and I realized that she's learning SO much, everyday, the kind of behind the scenes learning that can't be performed on cue. Firstborns, sheesh. So much good attention. So many ridiculous expectations. Sorry Grace, you're just naturally so great, that's why your parents have such high expectations. Feel free to just be a kid, ok?
But allow me to brag just a smidge about her first human drawing:
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| No help or instruction at all on this one! |
She loves listing things on her fingers, doing gymnastics, she's obsessed with Disney princesses (GUYS. I think they are sort of dangerous for raising feminists. Help!), she loves babies and if her collection of dolls is any indication I think I will be a very busy grandma someday. The girl still loves dancing, and she recently learned she can watch herself in the reflection of the oven if she dances in our kitchen (Beyexa, play New Yowk by Taylor Fwift!). Lately, every time she crosses from our dinette to our living room she jumps over the floor from the rug to the carpet, and if she forgets, she goes back to do it again. I can only imagine why, what kind of story she's crafted in that busy little brain...I'll ask her tomorrow and I just wish you could hear her tell it. So animated, so lively, so earnest and innocent. She enjoys mac and cheese and lemonade more than anything else, and I would describe her diet as Atkins-friendly. Lots of meat. Her dad is proud. Speaking of her dad, they are thick as thieves these days, tackling, tickling, jumping, playing. Just about every night they have a little bedtime routine which involves jumping on her bed to songs like Jumpman and Panda, throwing her stuffed pal Susie around the room, giggling and causing mischief and making my heart melt.
Many people have been asking me lately if Grace is going to be starting some sort of school this year. GUYS, I JUST GOT HER, OK? NO. SHE'S MINE FOR AWHILE LONGER. We have this cute little repartee where I tell her to "stop growing so fast!" to which she replies, "I'm going to get bigger and bigger and bigger, as big as mommy!" And I say, "No way! You can't and you're not allowed to turn three!" And every time her face falls as she says, "Please mom! Please can I turn three?! Please pretty please!" And then I relent but make her promise that she'll still be my girl, and she says "O-Tay mommy. O-Tay I'll be your durl."
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| She's learned to take selfies and to send picture messages to my mom. All by herself. On Saturday she told me she wants her own phone. SHE'S TWO. Heaven help me. |
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