Goodbye Two

This one is just about to turn three. I have to say, I am not normally very sentimental about birthdays, and I am usually one to embrace getting older and gaining independence, but there is something about this one turning three, getting older and moving from toddler to preschooler that is feeling very hard for me. Two has been far from easy with this one, but it has also been oh-so-sweet. I will miss her two-ness a lot I think. I see it slipping away already. I see the end of her toddlerhood coming fast and sometimes in her face I see the beautiful confident young lady she will one day be.

She came into the world sure of what she wanted, willing to take risks and wanting to love others. Her first year was tough and she gained basically every skill and developmental milestone early, aside from impulse control. That one she is still working on! She has been talking in sentences since nearly her first birthday and walking since she was 10 months old so in someways she seems older than she is. But I am so not ready for her to be three.

Two is one of my favorites. I just love her little voice and strong opinion. I love watching her learn new things and explore so many things for the first time. I love her squishy toddler self. I just am not ready for her to grow tall and lanky and lose more of her baby squish.

She loves babies and princesses, wants to be just like her sister but also wants to make up her own mind. She loves her brother dearly and wants to care for him and love him, sometimes too much. She is bold and brave but also sometimes cautious. She wants to try new things, but wants it to be her idea and only her idea, and if she feels like it isn't her idea, she will strongly resist. She has the biggest heart and is always looking out for those who need a hug or extra care. She willingly shares her toys, food and love almost to a fault. She lights up when she gets to create artwork and loves to dig in the dirt and sand. Every single day she asks if she can go to the playground, it is her one 'question' she asks me every night before bed. She loves books and can recite many of our favorites after just one or two reads. When she is angry or frustrated or sad she wants to be alone and sometimes makes herself feel better by making up a song about her feelings. She absolutely loves helping me in the kitchen and usually gets to make part of our dinner every night. She is sometimes cautious about going to nursery at church but always ends up having lots of fun and can usually tell us about the bible story they learned that morning.