Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Two

Oh, sweet Natalie. Where do I begin? Or why, as you would ask. You've been asking "why?" nonstop for months now. You ask in context, because you want to know and I think that worries me more than if it were just a senseless habit. You want to know and you want to know now. Your vocabulary is large, truly far too much to document and you speak in full sentences most of the time. Daddy and I have talked about the fact that Wyatt was not this verbal at your age and it is really alarming. You pretty much never stop talking, including during the night. As I lay awake at 1:30 this morning, I was kind of amused to hear you shouting, "no Wyatt! It's mine, Wyatt! No!" Go ahead, girl, work out those issues in your sub-conscience.

Your facial expressions have ramped up in recent weeks and there are times I have to squint to make sure I'm looking at you, not your brother. I promise, you two give me the very same ornery glances. You think that boy hung the moon, too, until you're irritated with him for something and then you just haul off and hit him. No kidding. I've seen you whack him more times than I care to admit. We send you to timeout (and you go willingly, though you say, "no wanwy woom!" the whole way to the laundry room) and you sit in there for only a few seconds before saying, "'m'out, Mommy? m'out!" No, sweetie, you may not come out. But you serve your time, greet me with a sheepish smile and always know exactly why you're there when I ask. You don't miss much.

You still don't miss much at the table, either. You love food, my girl! We haven't found a lot that you won't eat, though macaroni (ro-roi) and blueberries are still the highest on your food hierarchy. You love trail mix, too, and that's just proof that you're the second child because there's now way I would've given that stuff to your brother at your age. You identify every McDonalds by saying, "cheeburber!" and have been known to ask for "teat ah nap?" which translates to "treats after nap?" You also end every dinner asking for "pipe-ow" (that's Wipeout, to the rest of us) on "veevee" after dinner - we often have family watching parties and you always insist Millie be invited up into someone's lap.

Your nighttime routine includes two books, usually Elmo and another rotating favorite, and as we're approaching the last page of each, you say, "one?" while holding up a finger. It's your way of asking for one more and half the time you get what you want. You also request "rock baby?" every night and at every nap, often wanting me to get Wyatt on one leg while you're on the other. It's really sweet, and I get to rock you as much now as I did when you were a baby. You usually sing along with me and that's my favorite part! But as with pretty much everything else, this has to be on your terms. If you're not in the mood, no amount of convincing will sway you.

What else? You take off your shoes and socks every time we're in the car and lately you've been throwing your socks on me while I'm driving. That cracks up your brother every single time. You only have one volume these days and that's LOUD! We're trying to remind you all the time that we use inside voices, and you'll often repeat whatever you said in a more appropriate tone, but then the next thing comes out amplified again. Maybe you'll always be a loud talker or, hopefully, it'll be one of those things that just disappears without us realizing it. You love your babies, your nanas, your brother, your dog, picking out your own clothes, sitting in mommy or daddy's chair, finishing a meal in the "wap" of an adult, drinking from open cups and anything with Mickey (that's mick-mick to you).

You're not a baby anymore, which is sad and fantastic all at the same time. As if to prove that fact, you have managed to fully potty train yourself (hey, I'm all about giving credit where it's due); think jumping is the coolest - with both feet leaving the ground or by standing on something and jumping off; think the best way to get from point A to point B is to run (often telling me before you go that you intend to "wun"); insist on walking in stores instead of riding in a cart; buckle yourself into your carseat; love riding your trike; rearrange our kitchen chairs and stepstools with alarming regularity often announcing they're heavy as you're carrying them across the room; are getting your last set of little girl molars right on time.

Nat, Daddy asked me last night what we were doing two years ago at that exact moment. I laughed and told him we were wondering when on earth our baby was going to make its grand appearance and were trying to find a boy name we could both agree on! You, of course, didn't need the name we couldn't pick and I can't imagine life any other way. You are a delight to my soul, sweet baby girl, and I can't wait to see what adventures you have in store for us this year. Happy birthday, Natalie!




6 comments:

Fisch Tales said...

Happy birthday Natalie!

Susan said...

Happy Birthday, Natalie! We're glad your mom anddad didn't need to agree ona boy name!

Mom said...

Happy birthday, sweet Natalie! I look at those pictures and think I'm caught in a time warp that wraps me back to 1977! I love both my look-alike girls. Mom/Grandma

Leslie said...

I loved reading all about the Divine Miss N. Happy Birthday Natalie!!!

SStites said...

Happy birthday, precious little girl! Thought your Mom was just about the cutest little girl I had ever seen, but you rank right up there with her! What a dolly! Love and a big hug from us!
P.S. Just noticed the word verification I must use is iments--wonder if those are what you chew while talking on an iphone!!!! Or maybe special iments (moments) spent on your iphone!! Who knows!

Darling's said...

Sweet post, Steph! Happy Birthday Natalie!