Almost Two!

Hannah is at an amazing stage. It's hard for me to believe that she's going to get cuter, but that's what a friend of mine who has a 3 year old says.

She's like a little person now, able to express herself with words, and if you keep it simple, converse. She gets shy around people she doesn't know, but generally, she's got the gift of gab--talking up a storm, learning new words and phrases all the time, singing, and even bossing us around.

She has a few favorite phrases these days. One is "not yet." She says this frequently when we ask her to do something she might not be inclined to do, primarily sleep. It's mostly whiny, and often accompanied by some fake crying. Another of her favorites is to yell out a command, and after a pause, follow it with a "please." "Mommy SIT DOWN...please."

I think I've mentioned before how young kids learn to manipulate their parents--even non-verbally. Hannah is at her best when she's working us to not go to sleep, either for a nap, or at night. First, she'll ask for her water. I picked up on that pretty quickly, and bring it upstairs with us after dinner. Then, she wants the music on. Sometimes lullabies, sometimes Phish, sometimes Steve Wonder. I figure this is OK too, since it doesn't really keep her up. She might also ask to read--Cat in the Hat, Curious George, or one of her other books. I typically oblige here as well.

The kicker is "Daddy, Hold Me" or "Daddy, Hold You." For a while, I was resisting this, because this was just pure manipulation. But at some point, I realized that even though she was trying to stay up as late as she can, she wouldn't be little enough to ask or want me to hold her forever. So no matter how tired I am, or how hungry I am, our nightly routine now includes a few minutes of cuddling time on her rocking chair. Sometimes I'll just rock her, but others, we'll play games that involve me kissing her and making her giggle, or pointing out each other's nose, ears, eyes, etc. Whatever it is, I'm going to cherish every minute of it. I never imagined how much love I would feel for my daughter. It's an amazing feeling.