A Girl and Her Elephant--23 Months

She's almost TWO! I can't get over it.  This might not be the best time to write about her because she's been a barrel of fun the last few weeks, but if I don't do it now, it won't get done before the holidays so here it goes.  

Samantha still gets smarter and smarter everyday.  She now says her full name "Samanta" which she hasn't done up until now.  

She can sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Baa, Baa, Black Sheep all by herself (although she prefers to sing Baa, Baa, White Sheep...thank you Raffi!).  It's amazing to me because when she sings these songs, or her ABC's, you can actually tell what she's singing!  The tune is right and the words are all there (most of the time).  I'm sure I might be saying this because I understand her toddler speak, so maybe not all people could understand her when she sings, but it helps having the tune there so you can pick up when she misses words!

She's been having fun learning about Christmas this year.  She knows all about Christmas Trees, Lights, Stockings, Nutcrackers, and of course Santa Claus.  She does get Santa Claus and Jesus mixed up (who can blame her, right?  They both have beards and ask all the little children to come sit on their laps...I can see how it would be confusing! :-)) She loves looking at my Nativity and pointing to baby Jesus.  The funniest thing about Christmas this year, though, is the fact that we have some of her presents in plain sight (not wrapped) in the basement, and she seriously has not even noticed yet.  That's pretty nice because I'm sure it won't be long before we're going to have to do the present hiding so her whole Christmas isn't spoiled!

I'm constantly amazed at Sam's memory.  She loves reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" before bed each night and just a couple nights ago, I thought I'd stop reading every once in awhile to see if she could finish the sentences.  She did it every. single. time.  I've never done anything like that before and it was so amazing to see my little girl learning and applying.  Proud mommy moment!

I'm pretty sure her smarts are also what is causing some of these tantrums she's been having.  I have a feeling that she knows very well what's going to be happening in the next 10 weeks.  She sees that I'm a little more tired which means I have less time to really spend attending to her.  She sees me when I watch a 6 month old baby on Thursday mornings and she's aware that her life will be like that every day when the new baby comes.  I know she's understanding more and more.  And because of that, she's desperately seeking some control, and the tantrums erupt.  She's also just a very spirited, opinionated, stubborn little girl to begin with.  So all of those things combined, and we've got some major attention-seeking behavior.  I know it'll pass at some point, but I definitely have TONS more respect for anyone who has EVER raised a two year old.  I'm sure I'll say the same thing when she turns 3, and 4, and 5, and so on.  Parenting is never easy, but somehow, you still love your kids more than anything in the world.  I wonder how that works! :-)

I'm also definitely seeing Sam seeking her own independence.  Everything is "self!"  Even when she isn't technically doing it herself, if she thinks she is, it makes everyone's life better! 

"Decorating" cookies at dad's work party.

Everyone needs something good to read in the bathroom!

Reading with grandpa!

Reading in her crib!

This is when she had a really bad fever and didn't sleep well the night before.  Can you see the dark circles under her eyes?  Poor girl!

Best picture I could get of this adorable outfit.

I promise, she really likes Christmas!

I realized after uploading these pictures that a lot have to do with reading!  She's a lover of books, that's for sure!  I love that she loves to read.  It makes my teacher heart and my mommy heart extremely happy!