Maddi at Two

Disclaimer: This is one of those for-the-family-record posts. Feel free to skip it.  Unless, of course you think my kid is as awesome and interesting as I do.

I recently went back and read this post about Madison's 18 month mark.  Boy oh boy, how much she's changed in just 6 months!

For one, now she has some real, honest-to-goodness hair.

She's also gone from just labeling objects and people she knows to communicating in full-on sentences and understanding complex ideas.  She consistently says things like: "Mama eat cereal just like Maddi does," and "It's dark in there. Light on Maddi's room, please!"  and "Have nap first, then go outside play park!" (I have to be sure I mean to follow through when I promise her things, because she ALWAYS remembers.)

She's quickly grasping things like colors and letters and numbers; she can count to 14 (20 with prompting), and surprises me all the time by pointing out new letters and sounds I didn't know she's learned (largely in part to the PBS kids show, "Word World.")  She loves to line up all the magnetic letters on the fridge and tell me, "Let's build a word, Mom."

Madison is extremely sensitive to the emotions of others and very compassionate.  If I so much as frown or groan, she says, "Mama what's wrong? Mama need hug and feel all better!"  Through the (rather rough) first trimester of this pregnancy when I spent much of my time sick on the couch, Maddi would bring me her dolls and animals and blankets, read me stories and snuggle with me.  When other kids cry she gives them hugs and kisses.  Sometimes she's so sweet I just want to eat her up.

On the other hand (there's always another hand), she's discovered she has her own opinions and how much she likes to assert her independence.  She isn't one of those kids that screams "no," usually she just runs away or matter-of-factly says "mmm, nope" when she prefers not to obey.  Sometimes she'll grin and giggle and make a game out of the times we try to discipline- which irks me to no end- but all in all she isn't too bad.  What cracks me up is the fact that she hasn't quite figured out the phrase ""I don't want to," but she sure tries to use it.  Picture a two-year-old fighting and yelling, "I want to go bed! I WANT TO!"

Some things haven't changed much.  Like her love of singing. Loudly, unabashedly.  Only now instead of just gibberish, she usually sings about whatever she happens to be doing, to the tune of one of her favorite songs.  For example, the apple juice song, sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells:"

"Apples Juice! Apples juice! Maddi's juice in cup!..."

A few more things we love about Madison:

She is very well-rounded. The same day she will insist on wearing a tutu and jewelry and referring to herself as "Princess Maddi-rella," she will also beg me to play "football games" and want to "watch 'ports" with Daddy.

 

She has impeccable fashion sense.

She is pretty clean, as far as kids go.  She seems to have an innate desire for order and things being in their place.  If I don't make the bed by the time she wakes up, inevitably she tells me, "Mom's bed big big mess."  Kinda cute, until a friend of mine watched her for me one day and Maddi walked into their room exclaiming, "Bedroom messy. Clean it up!"  Sorry, Marcie.

Besides the fact that she would eat cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I let her, she's generally a really good eater.  She'll try just about anything, even if she's tried it before and not liked it. 

She is a little social butterfly.  She likes to wave at everyone, and is extremely good with names.  If she's met you once, she will forever refer to you as "Maddi's friends."  She often flirts and plays peek-a-boo with people in line at the grocery store, and will ask me about strangers: "Mama, what's hers name?" (usually so loudly and repeatedly that they finally answer her).

We sure do love everything about this kid.  Can't imagine life without her!