Gwen: Two Years

I wrote this back on Gwen's birthday and keep not posting it because there's no way to really capture a 2-year-old in a blog post. I guess I'm going to try anyway. It will probably be long and sound like one big brag but I'm just trying to remember the awesome things she's doing right now because 1. some days are not awesome at all and 2. I can't remember anything by myself. 

Favorite phrases: 

"ah somesin in my toes" every 10 feet when we're walking outside

"too sunny" "too bright" "too cold" etc. Everything is "too" something. I finally taught her "just right" and she's trying to understand that there is a happy medium.

"Mama Pearl" "Daddy Edie" etc. She names adults according to their gender/kid, makes sense to me.

"What doin?" about every 30 seconds throughout the day. "I'm blowing on your food, Gwen." "I'm handing you your water, Gwen."

She calls herself "Nie" or "Nennie".

Favorite playing: 
Pretending. Mostly going places, talking on the phone, making cookies/pizzas, or taking care of her dolls/buddies.
Coloring, blocks, flipping, rolling, jumping, sliding, running, stomping, carrying her scooter around the park.



Favorite songs: 
Every nap/night it is "sunbeam", "God"(I am a Child of), and "Twinkle". Other favorites are "E-i-e-i-o", "issy bissy sider", and "Go" & "Snowman" (Let it Go).



Favorite places to go: 
Outside, park with friends, anywhere to get a cold treat, church/nursery.



Favorite color: pink (how is this so inevitable?)
Favorite show: Bo on the Go (do not look it up, it's the worst.)



Being a sibling: For the most part she is the greatest to Fred. She loves to mimic whatever we say/do to him. She runs to him immediately if he makes a peep and she loves to rub his back and sing to him, kiss him, etc. and she is excited every single time he wakes up from a nap. Sweetest. And then sometimes she hits him.



Remembering: How does she remember exactly which zippered container her Easter erasers are in when she put them there 2 weeks ago? Or what color sunglasses each kid had at the party yesterday? I love to quiz her at the end of the day about what we did together. Who we saw, what the weather was like, where we went, what we played and I am always surprised at which details she remembers.



A few more brags: she willingly walked all the way (1.3 miles) to the carousel by herself the other day, she knows her numbers/letters/colors, can recognize when we are on our block or close to our friends' houses, can mostly get herself dressed, and brushes her own teeth.



Been a pretty great 2 years with this one.

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Dishonorable mentions: the incessant request for snacks, the waking up at 6am, the refusal to let anyone go in the bathroom without her, the need to have everything she says validated by repeating it back to her, the diapers.