Two and a half!

Dear sweet Goose,
You are TWO and a HALF! We sang "Happy half birthday to you" and put a candle in your toast to blow out. And now when anyone asks how old you are, you say "two and a half!" Your other big thing to share with everyone, all the time, is "I'm not a baby!"  I call you "baby" sometimes, as a term of endearment; you always correct me. Sometimes you wake up a few hours after you've gone to sleep and start crying and I'll come to you and murmur, "it's okay, baby, mama's here" and you will murmur back in your half sleep "I'm not a baby!" Today the train conductor said "hello, baby!" to you as you got off the train and you looked at him like he was dumb and said "I'm not a baby." So, you are consistent!

SO clearly not a baby! Nearly a grown up!

You have really started to assert your independence, clearly following your own agenda despite what Daddy, your babysitter and I are asking. Another frequent phrase we hear from you is "I listening now!" which is almost always in response to us depriving you of something you want because you haven't been listening. For example:
Me: Goose, please get down from the couch like that, we don't jump on the couch

You: jump jump jump

Me: Goose, I don't like that, you're not being safe with your body!

You: jump jump jump. I AM being safe

You: I want a cookie

Me: Goose, you may not have a cookie since you're not listening or being safe with your body

You: jump jump jump.....I listening now!

You don't like to be rushed and scolded me a LOT when I half pulled you across the street so we could get across in time with the light. You told me I was being super mean and hurt you (I really didn't hurt you at all!!) and did not like it!  I love that you assert yourself! But it scares the shit out of me that sometimes you don't feel like crossing the street in a timely manner

Also along with your dancing to your own drummer: you pick out your own clothes now. You have a favorite pink and white striped skirt that you wear almost every day.

You also are very particular about which shoes you're going to wear, which coat you want, how you want your hair done and what accessories you want to bring with you every time we leave the house. If it's completely up to you, you'd be completely laden with a backpack, a purse, a stroller, a wand, a baby (or two) and a phone. As you can see from the above pictures, we usually end up with one or two and that seems satisfactory.

You love hearing stories, love the library and love cuddling up with me and your sister and listening to what she's reading. Right now it's Little House on the Prairie, and while the narrative goes over your head, you ask often about Mary, Laura, baby Carrie, Ma and Pa. 

You also love signing and often sign to yourself as we're walking down the street or trying to fall asleep. The last rainy day we had, I was crabby about the weather and was grumpy to have to go outside to get where we were going. And you just started singing softly "Oh! It's a rainy day! Oh! Rain rain rain! Oh! I love to find puddles!" and instantly my mood brightened and the rain seemed more fun.

You continue to bring joy to all you meet. Keep listening to your own drummer, dear Goose. 

28 Months (almost!)

Dearest Little Goose,
Man oh man are you delicious these days! You are so verbal, we have complete conversations all the time now. Very occasionally Daddy and I don't understand what you're saying and your sister will translate, but most of the time you're fully able to communicate.

You count to 14 and know that numbers correspond to quantities of things. You will get two pieces of paper and say "Two papers, one for you and one for me" which I guess means you know math, too!  You like to count and will sometimes do it when you're measuring something like colors on the paper or steps you're taking. And sometimes you just count for fun.

You have some books memorized and will sometimes just start saying them when we're out and about. Mostly this is with the Knuffle Bunny books: you will look at me and say "One day, not so long ago..." and I'll pick up, "before she could even speak words, Trixie went on an errand with her Daddy." And then we go back and forth, reciting the story. You do it with Moo Baa La La La, too, which ends with "It's quiet now. What do YOU say?" and you always say "Again!" and so we read the book again.

We had a wonderful time visiting our family in Seattle and you LOVED all your time with your family.

First time eating jam. You're a fan! 

 Dress up in my old flower girl dress

 At Pike Place, watching the flying fish

 Holding hands with "uncle Kathy"

 Hiking with Daddy. You did GREAT!

 Considering sharing your veggie straws with Silly Uncle Davic

 Hoodie Buddies!

 Cousins! We love our Family By Choice

 Uncle Rossy read a LOT of stories to you both

 On a boat with Auntie Ellen!

 Suburban Backyard Sprinkler Dance Party

 Riding in style

 You have pretended to call "Linea" and her friend (and Kaden and Aunt Xan) many days since we've been back. You had a BLAST with them

Kirshenbaum boys are so much fun!

This round of dress up was started by you. As soon as we got to Uncle Mike and Aunt Xan's, you asked for dress up clothes. 

Seattle was wonderful and you loved everyone we spent time with, but it was a long trip and you were ready to go home by the end. The last few nights we were there, when you were overtired and needing to sleep, you would just cry "GO HOME!" And when we finally got home, you were so happy to see your toys and books. You instantly plopped down in front of your Legos and Magna Tiles and just built happily for hours.

You also LOVE coloring and making art. You have been making some fascinating collages with stickers, coloring and using scissors to make different types of fringe. You love to make art for specific people, mostly your sister and Maddie, but also me, Daddy and your dance teacher. 

You also are very into natural treasures. Sometimes when you're walking, you become fixated on "treasures" and need to collect them. "Ticks" (sticks), rocks and leaves are "beautiful!" and you try to fit as many as possible into my pockets. Before handing the treasures to me, you tell me "I love it!" and marvel at the beauty you see.

We had to bring all of this home. Plus about 6 acorns

AND....You started school!!! Well, preschool alternative Brooklyn Nature Days. You go one day a week from 9-12 and this week was the first time I dropped you off. You totally rocked it, telling me when you were ready for me to leave. When I came to pick you up, you looked close to tears when you saw me, but didn't cry and said you had so much fun. And since then, you've been playing "coco time" (circle time) and cleaning up the floor to make room for us to sit in a circle (well, a two person circle) and have tea. You already sing songs from school and talk about your teachers and how you like to hold their hands. I think it's still going to be an adjustment, but you're so proud to have your own thing to do and be a big kid.

And almost 2 and a half, you have no interest in potty training or weaning. We sleep in the same bed and you sleep well (most of the time) until early monring when you want to nurse and then you nurse/sleep for the rest of the night. On good days, you ask to nurse starting at 5:30ish and on bad nights it can be 4 or even 3:30. I try to keep dozing, with varying degrees of success, but you definitely fall asleep here and there. You walk for longer distances, often walking the whole way to the subway or bus stop. You love to climb and climb up whatever you can at the playground. 

You love to dance, and will often request ballet music and then dance around the house. You love to dress up and are often in some stage of costume whenever we are home. You sing all the time, often songs from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (on your first day of school, while we were walking from the train to class, you started signing "Grown Ups Come Back") but also the Annie soundtrack and Fight Song and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds ("my song!"). You adore your sister, missing her while she's at school, asking to play with her and hug her when you see her and counting the days until the weekend.  You love hot dogs and request them for dinner at least 3 times a week. You also ask for lollipops, which I give you most of the time you ask since you hardly ever finish them and mostly just take a few licks. You know you are "'lergic" to eggs and won't try to eat food that we tell you has eggs in it. You like to help cook and are big on doing things "gether" which means you put your hands on whatever I'm doing. 

You love to explore your surroundings and are overall just such a happy person. I feel like no matter how much time we have together it's never enough. I try to see the world through your eyes and be impressed by how beautiful everything is. I try to capture your wonder and enjoyment. I love you so so so so much

26 Months

Dearest Goose,
We are happily in the twos these days. You have a very specific agenda of what you what, how you want it and when you want it (often "in two minutes").

You are big into imaginative play these days. You love to put on fashion shows, talk on the phone, take care of your baby dolls,

talking to Daddy on your "phones"

 ready for a fashion show

 trying to balance a tiara on your head, to complete this outfit

Your motor skills are so strong. You jump, climb, scoot, jump into the pool, run, and hang. You love to be lifted up to turn lights on and off and to pull the cord on the fan/light in the bedrooms to turn on the fan or adjust the light. Your verbal skills are also amazing. We communicate so well, I can usually tell exactly what you're telling me. You tell me what you want, what you are doing, what you did with your babysitter, what book you want to read (you are loving Daniel Tiger these days, which you call "The Neighborhood"), if you pooped, what you want to wear, if you need help, etc etc. It's really fun. 

In addition to your favorite Daniel Tiger book at bedtime, you really love a lot of books. Other big faves these days are Everyone Poops, the Knuffle Bunny series ("bunny books"), My First Colors ("rainbow book"), Curious George and various board books. You are an engaged reader, saying "UH OH!" when Trixie loses Knuffle Bunny, signing along to songs in books, describing pictures and talking about characters. 

You recently starting says "I love xyz" and "I love you." It's the best, little Goose. We love you so much!

TWO!

Dearest little Goosey,
You are TWO! And there's so much two-ness going on. You are talking up a storm, playing pretend all the time, getting yourself dressed, taking off your own diaper, requesting specific food (GACAMOLE!!!), tickling people (particularly that one morning at 6 am where you told me you were going to wake your sister up by tickling her, then did it), and generally marching to the beat of your own drummer.

You are a daredevil and love to use the couch, the table and the top bunk as launching pads. When we ask you to get down, you ignore us. Flat out, total, completely unacknowledging that we're talking to you at all. It's amazing. And terrifying. Though you follow almost every scrape, tumble and scratch with an immediate "I ok!"

this is you showing off your first black eye-you got it running right into a table corner. At high speed. After being told several times NOT to run where we were. For the next week, all you would say about it was "eye better!"

 Dressed up and sitting on the arm of the couch

 Up on a "balance beam" walking to the playground

 Using the Citibike docks as a climbing structure

You have the classic adorable toddler speak, referring to yourself as "me" and making negatives as "no." For example, "Me no want that."

Today, you came inside with your boots on. "Mama HELP!" "Do you want help taking your boots off?" "Yeah....tank oo" "Hey, Goosey, can you put those boots by the door?" "No, I can't. Mama do it"

taking a selfie

This is 20 minutes past bedtime 

 You're very into your goggles

 Cutting your own toenails

 This is what you put on to take out the garbage

 you LOVE playing in water. 

 Monkey!

BUDDA. Easily in your top 10 favorite foods. You like to eat it with a knife

You sing all the time, humming while nursing, signing to me and everyone when you wake up, any time you drop something you start signing "clean up" and associate swimming with the songs we sing in the pool. 

You bring so much joy and laughter and fun and love to our house, little Goose. We are grateful every day that you chose us