SHE'S TWO.

Why on earth do people call these the "terrible twos?" They are absolutely amazing twos! I know you might be thinking "oh just you wait! She's only a few months into them", but I'm here to tell ya that I love it and wish she'd stay two forever. Let me also mention that this does not mean she doesn't have her meltdowns or that she isn't opinionated at all- HA. Oh boy. This girl, you guys- she has MAJOR SASS. She is one bossy chick and she knows what she wants and how to get it. What this does mean is that I love this age despite that- even sometimes because of it. She's a stinking crack up and Mitch and I joke for hours after she goes to bed about the things she says and does all day. She's literally 2 going on 20. "The Twos" are definitely what you make them, and all about how you approach them. And this is reason #49228 why I love what I study. I feel like it has helped me so much in dealing with that. But that's another post for another time.

This Julsie girl is sweeter than ever. I need to take a minute and write down my thoughts about her at this phase in life before it slips away from me. These details are too precious to forget:

Juliana-isms:

+ She will occasionally look at me or Mitch and focus in on our face, reach her little fingers up, grab one of our eyebrows and say "Hey. A eyebrown", and wiggle it. No one knows what the fascination is all about. But it always cracks us up.

+ When its time to do something, we will say something like, "Okay Julie, do you wanna hop in the car now?" (Not that it's really a question). And she will say, "Eh, no thanks!" really sweetly. HA. No, that wasn't really a question, child.

+ She almost has no baby words anymore, which makes me kind of sad because they are so cute. She is extremely verbal, talking in complete sentences now. But one of my favorite 'baby words' she would say was from a few months before she was two. She'd try to say, "Ah, stuck!" But instead she'd say, "Ah, ducks!" Ha ha- Mitch and I will still say it all the time and I think it's here to stay in our family vocab.

+ She loves to be a helper and a cheerleader. She will watch me work out in the morning (sometimes trying to join in) and she will frequently squat down in front of me like a mini coach, and clap and say, "Yeah! Go mommy! You can do it mommy! Keep tryin! Good try, mom! Good try!" Ha ha! It really is the cutest.

+ Perhaps the funniest and most perplexing of all is her new little motto, as we've labeled it. She will hold her hands up and make a triangle in between her fingers, and say, "Never scared. Never scared, mom." HAHA. What? She started doing it a few weeks ago and she does it randomly throughout the day. No one knows. 

+ When she's bored or trying to make conversation, she'll say "Hey mama, whatcha doin mama?" or "hey daddy, whatcha doin daddy?" And then we will tell her what we are doing, and she'll say in the sweetest voice with a smile, "Oh! Me too!" 

+ She has lately been labeling things as her "very favorite ever, ever."

+ And she's been telling me that I'm he "best friend ever, ever." She's also sporadically been saying, "Aww, I love you."

+ Anytime Mitch and I have been talking for "too long" according to her, she will start to get really needy and make up stuff to say or say she needs something. Like a spoon. Ha ha. She sometimes gets really jealous when we start talking too long without including her in the conversation. She legitimately thinks it's a three-way relationship.

+ When we give her kisses or loves, she will say "Awww," and cuddle up to us and then say, "Meow" and try to lick our face like a cat. HA

+ When she's serious about something she will gently grab my chin and look me in the eye and say, "Look a me. Look a me" (look at me), and get almost nose to nose to my face. 

+ Eeeevvvvvverything lately- everything- is "do it all by myself, mommy." When asked if she's sure she doesn't need help (she usually does), she'll say, "Nope. No thanks." Except it sounds like, "No dakes."

+ She's extremely complimentary and it's to die for. She will see me getting dressed or something and she'll say, "Oooh. You look beautiful mommy! So pretty!" and "Ooh, I like it mommy!" when I wear something noticeably new like a hat or glasses.

+ Anytime she gets hurt, the second we kiss it, it's better. No matter how bad she's hurt. Kisses really work, folks.

+ The way she calls her uncles, "unkies." 

+ When she goes potty she gets seriously sooo excited and clenches her little fists and exclaims, "I did it!!!" 

Things Juliana Loves:

+ Singing.

+ Tutus.

+ Balls, playing catch.

+ BABIES. All the babies. And she's sooo sweet to them (real and toys). 

+ Her tools. She has a toy toolbelt with play tools and she 'fixes' everything all day.

+ Gymnastics. Every Wednesday.

+ Kisses and affection.

+ Being scared or teased. She loves when Mitch jumps out and scares her. She has the cutest squeal.

+ The park. Anything outside. So, we are outside all day.

+ Duke. And more Duke. Her 3 year old best buddy slash idol. She calls him, "my Dukey".

+ My friend Reagan (Duke's mom). About 6 times a day she'll just randomly ask, "where's Weagan?" They are soul sisters.

+ Story time at the library. Every Monday.

+ Sand and the beach. A few times a week she'll ask to go back to the beach with her friends (from our spring break trip to Outer Banks, NC, a few weeks ago).

+ Airplanes, and airports. We drive by it every time we go to church and she always points and says "airport! I love it!" She looooves airplane rides, too.

+ A little toddler game called "Seek-a-Boo". Super cute matching game. She is super good and fast at it.

+ BOOKS. We literally probably read for at least 90 minutes a day. It's one of her favorite pastimes and one that is so fun to do together with her because she gets so excited about the stories. Right now her favorite one is about a cat and a mouse that live in a church. 

+ Nursery rhymes. We sing/say quite a few and she has most memorized. She loves them.

+ Painting and coloring

+ Playing pretend anything. Her imagination is wild.

+ Swimming

New Skills:

+ She has been fully potty trained with #2 for a few weeks now and we are just wrapping up with #1. I need to just buckle down and finish it off for good this week. She loves it so much that she basically has potty trained herself so far. 

+ Counting to 13. Most of the time:)

+ Speaking in full sentences.

+ Usually saying "please", "thank you", "no thanks", and "sorry" without prompting. Usually:)

+ Going to sleep without needing to be rocked to sleep (as of 3 months ago..... finally)

+ Putting her clothes on (and off..... in nursery.........) all by herself

Goals:

+ Pedaling her bike all by herself

+ Learning her ABC's

+ Not freaking out when we have to rinse her hair in the bath

It's hard to write down everything she loves and is learning. She is so enthusiastic about so much and has so much vigor for life. I hope she never loses that. 

Gosh we love this girl.