what we're watching

We take turns of who gets to choose what we watch on the TV.

Two nights ago Babs had her choice, and wasn't excited that we insisted that it was Daddy's turn to choose.

"Daddy wants to watch Caillou!" she announced hopefully.

why 2 is great

I find consistent joy with Babs. She is so incredibly strong willed and opinionated, but she is also two, and that can be a delightful age. She is incredibly articulate, and as such we always know what it going on in her head. Every day, she makes me laugh.

As she plays with the dollhouse, I often hear things like:
"No mama, I don't want to take a bath!"
"I come play with you soon."
"I don't want to use the potty!"
There is a lot of conflict in that dollhouse.

When my husband reaches out to touch my shoulder, or hold my hand in the car, she will yell from her seat in the back (well, middle, this is a minivan after all) "No touch! That my mama!" She will continue to yell until her prized possession (me) is left alone.

Today she was screaming for the joy of it. Her daddy told her to stop. She walked up to me with complete sincerity and asked "It okay if I scream for a little bit?" "No," I replied, "Daddy said no." "But I just want to scream a little bit," she countered. I can't remember how we resolved it, but she would not give in. (Luckily, her grandma and aunt called later, and she got her screams out with them.)

A lot of her play revolves around baby and grandma. This is true for her dolls in the dollhouse, and the puppets she loves.

The other night, my husband was watching some older kids (read: 8 and 4) so I could go visiting teaching with their mom. Babs got introduced to some adult themes that night, and so we hear her little voice saying "I kill you!" right now. This was horrifying the first time, but bothers me less and less as I realize that whatever it means to her is far cry from the actual meaning. I'm not sure how to get her to stop saying it though...

She loves to color, especially with "my markers" and loves stickers. She doesn't actually like to draw though. When there is drawing to be done, she makes me draw a "princess" and then "the daddy." She likes to refer to herself as a princess.

She used to hit and pull hair, mostly at Kiddo, but sometimes at my husband and me. While she is not completely cured, we've told her no enough times that she has actually changed her behavior. When she gets mad she will stand there screaming with frustration, but is no longer physical. I'm so proud of her for that.

When it is her turn to pick the song for our nightly family prayer, she always chooses "Temple!" ("I love to see the temple") and then sings along. It is one of her enormous repetoire.

My house is filled with small girls singing. Maybe the lady who held out the cart for me at the store, seeing I was packing a two year old was right. She said "I remember that time. I miss it." Maybe I will miss it. Tonight, it seems possible.

pink!