Giggles + The Grump: LC - Two Year Updates

LC is full of energy, new discoveries, lots of laughter and a fair amount of drama these days. We spend most of our time amazed at how well she is talking and understanding the world, while either laughing at something silly or taking deep breaths trying to remain calm when she is making us crazy.

A typical day in our household. Style by LC.

I can't even keep up with all of the words LC knows, I just assume she knows every word I say. She is speaking in full sentences most of the time, and she loves to narrate what is going on around her. 'Daddy go play tennis' 'LT eat sweet potatoes for dinner' It can get exhausting at times, but it is also so much fun to be able to have conversations with her. One of her favorite things to say, especially when she's being silly is "what is LC doing?!?" in a kind of sing-song voice. And then we'll ask in return, "what IS LC doing?" and she'll crack up and answer with whatever random thing she's doing (stomping, hanging, running, etc). When she doesn't know a word or understand something, she'll still say "da??" which is her version of "what" and then we have to explain it to her until she gets it. Her desire to learn everything is incredible. If we don't properly explain something new, she won't stop asking/pointing/waving the object in front of you. Surprising to both Trevor and I, LC has a bit of a Southern Belle accent when she talks. It's not Florida and it's not North Carolina; neither of us can figure out where it comes from. It tends to come out strongest when she says certain phrases, such as "one mo' time," or "Annabelle."

LC has always loved letters, but they have recently fallen out of favor as she is starting to understand numbers. She can count to 9 (hasn't mastered 10 yet), and she understands how many of something she has - two shoes, four pretzels. She is starting to use this understanding of numbers to enhance her negotiation skills. We used to be able to get away with just saying "one more time" but now she responds with "three more!" and she knows how many more books/treats/whatever is we're discussing she has left. She has known the meaning of "no" for a long time, but has recently discovered "yes." As a result, she tries to be a little more commanding by using it during her negotiations: "yes! three more!" It's made for some interesting discussions around the house.

Along with all of this talking and counting, she is developing strong opinions about many other things. She now has to have a say in what clothing, shoes, and pajamas she wears. Sometimes I can just get her dressed without a fuss, but other times, there is no reasoning with her, which has resulted in many Thomas the Train shirts and tutu combinations.

Although she was a huge fan of her new hooded owl towel

Speaking of Thomas, he and all of the other trains are still a big favorite around here. She loves playing with her train toys and reading her Thomas books. She just recently figured out that all trains aren't Thomas and now can recognize most of the other characters. "Tommy Choo Choo" is still the favorite, and she now sleeps with her Thomas pillow snuggled up next to her at night.

When it comes to videos, Thomas and Elmo are no longer on the map, she is obsessed with the "Wheels on the Bus". She would watch YouTube videos of that song all day if we let her. It is somewhat shocking how many renditions of that song exist online. She is just starting to really do the hand motions and try to sing along, and her little voice sounds so sweet when she's singing. Unfortunately, the majority of the time, she wants Trevor or I to sing the song. I hear "Mommy sing bus song!!" at least 100 times a day. I'm a sport and will start singing, but she interrupts the entire time letting you know which verse she wants next - wipers swishing! doors open and close! driver move back! And she loves having everything she can think of get a bus song verse - snack pouch on the bus says eat me now, Tommy on the bus says choo choo choo. She woke up from a nap today, rubbed her eyes, heard thunder, and sprung out of bed shouting "Thunder! Rain! Wipers swishing!" I am pretty sure she was dreaming about the wipers on the bus going swish swish swish. Obsessed. One of the greatest days of her life was when she realized that daddy's car had a wiper on the back and that it can go "swish, swish, swish" too. It's now a must-see stop every time we enter or leave the house.

Riding in her cardboard "Thomas" wearing one of a growing number of Thomas shirts

LC continues to be a pretty good sleeper, but spent a few weeks waking up at night with what we could only assume were night terrors. There were some long nights for us, but the combination of a new Thomas pillow and a sleep machine seem to have done the trick. On the nap front, we went through about a 2 month period where LC would not nap, which made for a very cranky little girl with a very early bed time. It's impossible to reason with a two year old; she doesn't seem to understand that a daytime nap will make everything better in the evening. In the last week, she seems to be cooperating a bit more and naps are back on...hopefully it will last for a while. She is a busy, busy girl and needs some rest during the day.

Another one of her favorite activities is playing basketball. It started when she saw Elmo play basketball on Sesame Street; she became very interested in throwing balls through anything that could be used as a hoop. I would like to think that some of the UNC basketball she watched this season rubbed off on her, but I'm pretty sure it was Elmo. So we went out and bought a mini basketball hoop, which is now proudly displayed in our living room. LC loves playing basketball. Trevor will 'play defense' and the two of them will have a little game going on. She can easily dunk and is getting pretty good at throwing the ball in the hoop. We can't leave in the car or go for a walk without her getting excited every time she sees a basketball hoop. There are a few in our neighborhood, so we have to take her little basketball on our walks so she can "throw ball through THAT hoop." Thankfully, most of our neighbors don't mind a two year old shooting hoops in their driveway. If only this game didn't end with a toddler shoe crushing my face as I lift her up so she can make a shot. This game works much better when she plays with Daddy.

Driving around town hasn't been exactly peaceful with LC in the car for a while, but these days she is paying attention to everything that we are passing. Two of her favorites are fountains and lakes, and we live in Florida, so these are plentiful. She knows when we are going to pass a fountain or a lake on most of the roads we take regularly, so she will start shouting "one mo' fountain" as we get close. Charming at first, many deep breaths necessary after a day of driving around.

The only time she's quiet in the car

After having pretty much no hair for the first year of her life, her little blond locks started to fill in over the past few months. She has been rocking the baby mullet, as the hair mostly grew in the back, but after one too many ripping-the-barrette-out-of-her-hair incidents, we decided it was time for a haircut. With her general suspicion of strangers and her tendency to have a screaming and crying fit for no apparent reason, we decided it would be best to trek to one of the kid friendly salons on the other side of town. When we walked in and there was a Thomas the Train engine she could ride on, I knew we had made the right choice. She did great while the back was getting cut, but started to cry quite a bit when she did the front. Snacking on her treasured pink and white pretzels relieved some of the trauma and she turned around rather quickly. While the cut isn't exactly the most even salon work I've seen, she looks absolutely adorable and way too grown up.

Started off well...

Didn't stay that way...

Came back around when the pretzels came out...

And we ended up with a super-cute haircut

LC is still somewhat suspicious of LT, but is becoming a much more acceptable and loving big sister. Now that he is starting to get a little more interactive, I think she is starting to see that he has the potential to be fun. She likes to help feed him, give him a bath and get him ready for bed, and gets concerned whenever he starts crying. She recently started telling him "It's OK LT," which she hears Mommy and Daddy say repeatedly. She still has fits from time-to-time when he accidentally touches her, or he's playing with a toy that she decides she wants, but I think she'll end up being a wonderful big sister for him.

A not-so-loving look from LC

Deciding that he is pretty fun and making him a cup of tea

Upset because LT was being too loud while she was in cardboard Thomas

Along with all of the fun new things LC is doing, we have definitely entered the typical two year old tantrums. It can be summed up with the image of LC throwing herself against the trash can trying to dig out an old band-aid that she had just demanded that we take off because she had to have THAT BAND-AID, not a new one or no band-aid at all (considering there was no actual boo boo), but THAT BAND-AID. She cried and banged on the trash can for at least 10 minutes before giving up. This same situation played out over a bowl of oatmeal that she has pushed away and said she was all done. She actually woke up crying about that same oatmeal in the middle of the night. It is hard being two.

Tantrums and dictator style demands aside, LC is growing in to an amazing little person who keeps us constantly entertained. She has started to give high fives to the family (including the dog) and has even learned how to give a good kiss. It's too cute when she runs up to us demanding hugs and kisses.