Zoe and Maia have been friends their whole lives, but only recently have we seen them grow into playing together, rather than just playing near each other. They love to jump and run around together, and it’s really fun to see them dance. Here is a video of the two of them goofing around in the living room.
This is old news by now, because I’m a lazy parent-blogger, but Zoe has (long-since) given up her crib and moved into a toddler bed. We bought her a very nice bed for her second birthday, and she loves sleeping in it.
Most nights, bedtime involves one parent (usually Annie) handling bath, teeth, and reading books, and then the other (usually myself) handling lights-out. I offer her an option every night to curl up in bed or have me hold her while she falls asleep, and it’s pretty much 50/50 which one she chooses. She’s happy to lie in her bed, listening to the Garden State soundtrack, but if I try to sneak out before she’s all the way asleep, she’ll call me back, saying “No, Papa NOT leave.”
She’s usually asleep within a half-hour, and then sleeps in her bed for anywhere from 2-6 hours, at which point she wakes up, and Annie brings her to bed with us. More and more, she tending to sleep through the night, but she’s only ever spent the entire night in her room once so far.
Since Zoe was very little, it’s been my job to clip her nails. The funny thing is, you would expect a small child to resist this, but Zoe has always been fascinated with the whole process. She sits calmly in my lap, and holds out her hands and feet. Once she got big enough, we had to strike a deal where she gets to carry around the clippers for a few minutes once I’m done. I’m not sure what the appeal is for her, other than OOH SHINY, but I’m glad she lets me do it.
The very first thing anyone ever said about our daughter was that “she’s got a mind of her own!” That was the ultrasound technician, back when Zoe was still in the womb, but it’s just as true today. No matter what we’re doing, she’ll find a way to put her own spin on it. Here she is at a friend’s birthday party. This being only the second or third cupcake she’s ever seen in her life, she was unsure how to approach it, and finally opted to grab it from the top, and eat the bottom first. A bit messy, but hey, to each her own.
Dear Zoe,
You are two years old, and it is absolutely crazy how much you have changed and grown lately. You’ve recently started going to Co-Op daycare, started jumping and doing somersaults, become fascinated with reading and writing, and singing and talking. You are always busy and high energy, and everyone thinks you’re adorable.