Two

This little sweetheart gets to celebrate her birthday today. Which means...we have officially made it past the potential 'two under two' stage!

And as a blizzard just passed through, we're all rather glad her baby sister decided to stay put.

For now, we're enjoying our last moments as a family of three. Lots of hugs and "I hold you"s and maybe a few "no mommy"s as we stay snuggled warm inside. But hey, I'll take two out of three.

Practice Makes Perfect

Successfully took two toddlers to the zoo and back in time for synchronized naps. I feel like a rock star. (Though, the question arises: Why am I not napping myself?)

We managed to sit next to each other for a few rides before the kicking and pulling began.

And then we played like the lionesses. Pat, pat.

No, no. Over there!

One tiger was in the walkway above us. Between the three parents and our charges, there were many toddler near-collisions from staring upwards.

Much to our delight, he paced back and forth numerous times. Trying to figure out which snack to eat first and how to get down to us, perhaps?

And then we watched the otters play. Sadly our little bug was not as interested in her once nicknamesake as she was the tigers.

Possibly because I said she couldn't go in the water.

Because the next thing you know, we took a break to clean the benches of leaves while our buddy watched their swimming antics.

And finally, "Ih po". Mama's and apparently my little squish's favorite. That or she was melting down from exhaustion and hunger. Either we, we watched them laze about underwater for a Toddler Eternity. (aka five minutes)

Tantrum Progressions

Our little tyrant is mastering the fine art of tantrums.

Step 1: Lie face down. Cry. Kick one foot against the floor.

Step 2: Calm down enough to crawl to Mama. Do so on your belly for added effect.

Step 3: Flop onto Mama's lap and continue to cry and/or sniffle. Continue to kick foot if necessary.

In the case that Bunny is nearby, skip to Step 3 and replace Mama with Bunny.  This ensures that Mama knows that Bunny is far more effective at soothing your soul than she ever will.

Finally, should any thing be in your way, do not make any effort to lie around it. Portray the image that even the pain of a Lego in the shin is nothing compared to the grief in your soul. Nothing.

Doing Fashion

The Squish has become enamored with the idea of getting herself dressed. Any article of clothing (dishtowels, electric cords, and bras included) found within reach is bound to end up tentatively attached to her person. Man and I tease her when she stares us down with a supercilious look.

"Don't judge, Mom. I'm doing fashion."

Most things wind up around her shoulders like a scarf.

Socks and shoes, are a special treat though. While she hasn't yet figured out how to actually get her foot into them, she does at least know they belong on feet. Daddy's shoes are extra special as both feet can share one.

 

She's discovered how to get her arms in and out of sleeves. She couldn't care less about getting the top right-side-up, however. After all, if you ignore the hood hanging over your bum, the bottom of a jacket makes for an interesting cowl affect.

Hats and sunglasses still get ripped off with exceptional speed. I'm getting faster though. I managed to take some photos in the miliseconds that these items last on her head.

But thankfully, she's still a little young to recognize potentially embarrassing moments.

Also, I didn't really mean for this post to be a walking advertisement for a certain red bulls-eyed store, but apparently there is a bit of unintended product placement. Which is really just a sad mix of it being too cold to play outside and a lack of tidying the house frequently enough to keep the clutter (and unpacked shopping bags) at bay.