TWO!

Our little girl is officially a two year old and she is taking on this new stage in life without hesitation. As her parents, each of our days are met with laughter, astonishment and frustration. She has an amazing sense of humor and the things she comes up with keeps us laughing. She continually astonishes us with the amount she has learned and the desire she has to keep learning. The toddler meltdowns run rampant and although we try to keep cool, at some point the frustration can't be held back.

We had her 2 year appointment yesterday and she has continued to increase on the scale - which is SUCH a relief.  She is now 23lbs (8%) and 32.5 in (15%).  We no longer have to supplement and just keep her eating the healthy fats in her meals.  Getting this girl to smile for a camera is near impossible, but here she is!

Here are some of the highlights:

- Her new favorite phrases are, "Maya like it" or "Maya no like it". This is used on all kinds of things, but mostly when presented with food or the outfit I picked out that morning.

- She is starting to verbalize her feelings, in particular when she is scared. We learned she is scared of the dark, but nothing a new princess nightlight wouldn't fix.  She is also scared of the dinosaurs at the zoo and apparently whales.  She didn't want to ride on the carousel hourses because they were too big.

- I know I have mentioned this before, but man does she talk. And now she has added singing to that. Quiet doesn't really exist unless she is super tired. She chatters away to herself (and us) constantly. And sings to herself all the time - her current favorite song is, It's Raining, It's Pouring.

- She has fully accepted that Laurel is a part of our family and always makes sure Laurel is included when we are singing songs that include our names or when we practice letters by writing our names. Before it was just Mommy, Daddy and Maya. She doesn't want to get her picture taken unless Baby Laurel is in it with her.

- She has such a big heart.  She gives out hugs and kisses to make you feel better.  Yesterday at the Doctor, she helped hold Laurel's hand when it was Laurel's turn for the shots and she got a little teary when Laurel cried.

- The biggest news of all, Maya is officially in a big girl bed! A little sooner than I planned, but once she got a taste of it, there was no way she wanted back in that crib. Luckily she has done really well with it. The first week or so was a little rough as she got used to it, there were some really early wake up calls, but now she is back to her regular sleep pattern.