Terrible 2's, Here We Come!

Since family would be in town for Aaron's blessing, we celebrated Aiyana's 2nd birthday a week early. Following the splash pad and naps, we jumped right into dinner and an Elmo-themed party! I didn't get too crazy with the Elmo gear, but there was enough that Aiya was excited about it-- that and the easy access to food and candy!

Dinner: Grilled chicken, a few (and apparently not enough!) jalapeno-cheddar hot dogs, bow-tie pasta and spinach salad, and garlic bread.

During dinner, the adults were able to enjoy dinner by sticking the younger ones in the playroom with an Elmo dvd, one entitled "Birthdays, Games and Parties" that Aiyana had been watching all week, preparing her for her very own celebration.

Game: "Pin the Nose on Elmo"
The little ones thought the blind-fold was fun for two seconds, then realized it was ridiculous to try and put a sticker on Elmo's face when you can't see! They each promptly took it off to accurately place Elmo's nose in the right place. = ) The older kids played a more traditional version!

Presents: They say too many people and presents can overwhelm a toddler, especially at the age of 2 when they are first realizing the party and attention is on them. . . Not MY toddler. Aiyana loved the attention and had no problem accepting generous gifts one after the other. It was cute how her older cousins excitedly helped distribute each gift and help her open them.

The one toy she did get possessive over was her new baby doll and stroller. (The five dollar black-Friday deal for Christmas took quite the beating, both doll and stroller -- the cheap plastic stroller had been hot glued together half a dozen times, and the naked baby doll missing a leg resembled that scary doll from Toy Story!)

Cake:  Aiyana waited with quiet anticipation while everyone sang Happy Birthday to her. And then, to Dan's and my surprise, she immediately blew out the candle as if she'd done it before and knew exactly what she was doing! "No biggie!" Elmo really does teach her a lot.

Aiyana Highlights

• Favorite food: "Nuggies!" (Chicken nuggets, and you better not forget the "bip!" Translation -- "dip", which is Ketchup or Ranch) and Oatmeal for breakfast almost every day at her request.
• Favorite book: "I Love You, Stinky Face" and "Pajama Time!"
• Favorite show: You all know by know it's ELMO ("Ammo!")
• Shoe obsession: She loves to wear shoes any chance she gets. She absolutely loves shoe shopping, which is a pain for Mom when we're at Payless and she's walking around, pulling all the shoes off the rack (both toddler AND adult platforms. She has great taste but leaves a tornado of shoes behind her as she clip-clops up and down the  aisles)
• Favorite activities: Helping Daddy outside in the yard, especially watering the trees, followed by another favorite -- "rowering" with Daddy. Dan often rolls his eyes  with a sigh at her insistence to shower with him, but he admits all the time how much he loves it as a way to spend time with her. She also loves the splash pad. Appparently, this girl is all about water!
• Best distractions: Chapstick, with the cap taken off. She just loves to hold it, partly to dig her nails into the chapstick, but mostly she just loves anything that has a "wad" ("LID").
• Still truly loves her brother, especially long kisses smooshing his face. It's also not surprising to find her colorful bracelts wrapped around his tiny ankles, or other dolls and toys of Aiyana's lying next to (or on top of) him.        
• Best confused word-concept: When I give her something and prompt, "What do you say?" She responds quickly, "Thank-you-welcome, Mommy!" I laugh every time I remember how, recently, she opened the kitchen cupboard and slowly pulled out a pot as she eyed me watching her. In this funny low voice, she said to me with a hum, "Welcommme" as she walked off with the pot. I can't really describe her tone, but it was expressed as though she was doing ME a favor!  
• Independent lady: She will hold my hand for all of two seconds at my request, before letting it go to walk on her own. At night, she will "nuggle" when asked, but is not super snuggly unless she's really tired or not feeling well. She can be so sweet to us, but the moments move as fast as she does!
• Obsessed with the song "Trouble" by Taylor Swift: I was in the store one day pushing Aiyana when "Trouble" came on the radio. I couldn't believe it when I heard her sing parts of the song. "Trouble, trouble. . . " and other small words. I'm not a particularly huge fan of the song so I don't know how she picked up on it, but once I showed her the music video, it was all over. Requests for "Trouble!!" happen every day now, with Aiya waggling her finger back and forth during that line.

I truly disliked 19 months through 22 months. Maybe it was third-trimester pregnancy hormones plus the first month or so of having a toddler and a newborn; or maybe it was in combination with that horrible period where Aiyana understood a lot but couldn't communicate her wants and needs very clearly, in conjunction with having little reasoning skills to answer me when I'd yell, "WHY are you doing that??" She didn't know. She would just do, with little forethought of consequences. It's what toddlers do best. At any rate, difficult time for us.

These days, since Aaron turned 2 months and Aiyana was just weeks away from 2 years, I have found myself happier and not facing that abnormal rage I was experiencing too often for my comfort-level! I am so relieved. I think getting more sleep definitely has something to do with it. Way to go, Aaron, for getting a hang of a decent sleep schedule and saving my sanity.

Anyway, Happy 2nd Birthday to my beautiful Aiza-Paiza. Who else could often lead me to pulling out my hair while making me laugh at the same time? Or at least, a minute or so later.

Aiyana,
Tantrums aside, I will forever remember the healing grace your birth brought to our family. The stitches of my broken heart became smoother still when I held you in my arms two years ago. I am thrilled to see you grow and for us as parents to witness so many "firsts" for a life-time, and to watch your lively personality develop. While often intense with your emotions, happiness truly sparkles in your wide, blue eyes, and you are such a big teaser! You are vivacious, determined, playful, ACTIVE and so smart and eager to learn. 

We love you!