Mamazen

23 months

Dear Lucy, 

You are now 23 months old. Just a few short weeks and you will be TWO!  We aren't planning a party for your birthday this year (tho the week before your whole family will be in town so we might have a bbq) because we will be on an airplane headed to Maui on your birthday! Two weeks on the island will be party enough, I think. 

This month has seen more language explosion, and you're stringing more words together, more often. Your most recent phrases are "I go poop!" and "Other side!" (which means you are switching back and forth a lot nursing). Your vocabulary is SO HUGE, you easily have close to 300 words in your little brain, and it blows me away how many more you acquire on a daily basis.  It's truly amazing. 

This month you got to go on rides at Oaks Park for the first time. 

YOU LOVED IT (despite your face in this last picture, you were dazed and signing "more")

Your newest thing is asking "WHYYYYY?" Apparently it's completely developmentally appropriate to start doing this at almost 2, but your big sister didn't start with the WHY until just a few months ago so it kind of shocked me. Ruby usually asks with the intent of wanting a real answer and you just ask... over and over and over, especially when I have no idea how to answer you. It's beyond adorable, and fills me with pride at how you're developing and growing into your own amazing person. 

You LOVE getting your face painted every day. "NEE! NOSE!" is what you say when you want kitty whiskers and your nose painted. Sometimes I get fancy and make butterflies but it's usually just whiskers.

 

We took a trip to the zoo.

 

 

You made friends with a few goats. 

watched "OooBee" consult the map at every turn

You tried to turn upside down

You fed some Lorikeets

You hung out in a bear cave

And in an eagle's nest

And you were very, very adorable.

You're also really enjoying dressing up with Ruby on occasion. Sometimes you want nothing to do with it, but other times you're game to whatever she offers you.

 

You saw simple fireworks for the first time and much like the rollercoaster you were speechless, except to sign "more" after every one!

You LOVE riding your bike, and every time you see it (or hear someone say 'bike') you get super excited and shout "BEEEEK!!!! BEEEEEK!!!"

We went cherry picking. You were in love. And a complete mess. 

We also picked blueberries, tho you ate more than you put in the bucket.

We went on our annual Fambly Camp Mout, and this year it was in a cabin, not tents. It wasn't truly camping but it was fun!

You didn't pack light.

It was Grandpa's (Boppa)70th birthday and you showed him SO much love. 

You fed some fish

Drank some coffee (decaf, natch)

Threw some rocks in the lake

Hiked up to a castle to see many peaks with Daddy

And got lots of loves from mama.

You also were in LOVE with your Auntie Bug's dog Avery (AVEEE!) and your Auntie Keli's dog Tinkerbell (Tinkee). Any chance you got you would snuggle with them, pet them and on on walks with them (and another adult, obviously. Sometimes you would say "MON, Tinkee! mon!" trying to get her to follow you. I'm sure someday you will beg me for a dog and I will buy stock in benedryl. 

You also rode in a boat (paddle boat) for the first time and were NOT impressed. You were terrified (mostly from the life vest I think) and couldn't get out of there fast enough. Now when we talk about the boat you make this very specific face and scrunch your arms up and make your scared noise. It's adorable, and hopefully someday you'll be less afraid of being in a boat. 

 

My dear sweet Lucy Mae, your next letter you will be TWO years old. TWO!! it's only a few weeks away and already I'm surprised at how fast you are growing up. You are a fantastic little person, with personality, flair, a stubborn streak, a raging funny bone, and an amazing capacity for love and forgiveness.  You LOVE your friends, your family and anything that brings you joy. You go into most new adventures with excitement, anticipation and curiosity. You are also showing your ability to completely FREAK OUT if you don't get exactly what you want, but that's just part of being two, and learning how the world works, exerting your sense of self and testing your boundaries. I could not love you more, and yet every morning (and many some of those mornings are EARLY) there you are, crawling over my body pillow asking for "nanas" (to nurse) and I'm filled with the utmost love and joy for your very existence. Thank you for joining our family, and filling a very broken crack in my heart. 

All my love, Mama

22 months

My dear sweet Lucy,

You are now 22 months old. You had such a busy month! Lots of exciting adventures, and so much growth. 

 

We have determined that you LOVE pie. Just a mention of pie and you run for your stroller so we can walk to the Biparatisan cafe so you and Ruby can share a piece, or more often than not, you have your own. 

 

 

You and Ruby have found many interesting ways to entertain yourself inside, including turning an indoor wagon into a ride. 

 

 

 

 

You love pony tails! well, you love them for a few minutes, then you pull them out. 

 

we took a trip to the Oregon coast, you loved the sand

 

 

 

 

we went strawberry picking! You loved every berry you got your hands on!

 

 

We went to OMSI! You LOVED every thing we played with! Any mention of OMSI and you start shouting "OMEE OMEE!!!' I guess we'll be going back. 

You still love building with blocks and stack them as high you can reach.

 

We went to the rose festival, it was over priced and you could only ride one ride but you loved it all the same.

 

we got a slide for the back yard and you use it every moment you possibly can. 

And you love Ruby's therapy swing! with or without her help, you like to swing!

You have continued to grow and develop. You are SO good at using your words, and have a ridiculously large vocabulary. You have started stringing words together, slowly but surely. Things like "scoo me!" (excuse me) or "fra fri peees!" (french fries please). It's really amazing to watch you bloom and grow.  

You have also developed quite a SCREAM, and you use it often when Ruby is driving you up the wall, or taking the things you are playing with. It often makes mama and daddy's ears bleed, but it's very efficient at getting you some attention. 

You have gotten into dress up, mostly because everyone dresses up when the get to school. You also are starting to do pretend play, going to the little kitchen and making soup and offering it to everyone to try. When you come to the office with me, you rock the baby doll in the swing and offer her snacks. It's beyond adorable.

You are still nursing, even though there isn't much milk left, I'm happy to let you keep going, even though it's uncomfortable. You only nurse 2-3 times a day, and it's lovely to have our quite time before you sleep. 

You are such a sweet sweet kid. Always full of kisses and hugs, and always ready to share a laugh. You are quite a dreamy little person, funny and kind and smart. I love you so very much, with your big brown eyes and your squeezy little arms. Thank you for coming into our lives, you're a dream come true. 

all my love, Mama

EIGHT

My dear sweet Ruby,

You are EIGHT years old. E.I.G.H.T. You are eight and you are GREAT. It's amazing how far you have come in the past year.  You entered 8 with flying colors. We had an amazing party (Pixies and Pirates!) and almost all of your favorite buddies came and rocked it. 

Everyone wore costumes, ate delicious cupcakes and pixie and pirate treats, made their own magic wands and took home pixie dust. You were absolutely breathtaking in your costume and a fantastic birthday girl host. After several years of not having parties because it was too overwhelming, the past two years have been amazing and I'm SO glad you love it. 

This past year has been nothing short of majestic for you. 

 

You have had countless play dates and adventures with friends, and you love each of them so very much.

The zoo with Chloe

 

Dress up dat at school with Alex and Mustaf

 

Pumpkin patch with Mxy and Shoghi

 

 

 

Pumpking patch with Lily

 

 

Pumpkin patch (again!) with Colin. This time with a bounce house!

 

 

Trick or treat with Lily, your first time going door to door and you ROCKED it. You were a little nervous, but with your friend at your side, you knocked on that first door and said "TRICK OR TREAT!" and then "THANK YOU SO MUCH!" I couldn't have been more proud. I was hoping we would trick or treat for 3-4 houses and we went for 90 minutes. Suffice to say, you LOVE halloween. 

Last summer we FINALLY got you on a trail-a-bike. You tried to balance but you couldn't figure out the pedaling. You LOVED going biking with Daddy, and as a family we went many times. 

This spring you got your OWN two wheeler and by the end of the first day you were pedaling on your own! You have trouble getting started and need some help navigating the sidewalk but you are getting there. I suspect you will need training wheels for a long time, but really, who cares! You are SO proud of yourself when you ride!

You also got a scooter and took off the first day, which you have chosen over your bike every time since getting it, so the bike hasn't gotten much love the past few weeks, but we are hoping it will be a biking summer! Just the fact that you have accomplished these HUGE physical feats is amazing within itself. Your body and your brain are working SO hard together! 

You sat on Santa's lap for the first time: EVER. You even had a little chat with him! In previous years your anxiety got the better of you and you were to frightened to go through with it, but this year, with Lily in tow, you braved the line and met with Santa. It was truly a magical moment for all of us. I still don't know what you said to him, but I know he must've heard you because you had the best Christmas ever. Buddy the Elf came and decorated the house with snowflakes while you slept and it was a winter wonderland the morning you woke up. You sure do make the holidays fun!

You took your first pony ride this year! At one of our favorite pumpkin patches, you rode a pony and had a great time! 

You have continued to love puzzles and have started liking games! We played go fish several times in one week when you first got interested, but now that summer is upon us you'd much rather be outside getting dirty than sitting and playing cards. I am looking forward to the fun we will have in the cold months!

You LOVE taking pictures. I got a new camera (for mama) but sometimes you take it and get the most interesting views of things. (including but not limited to, feet, eyes, leaves, dirt, rocks, the sky...)

 

You LOVE your baby sister. Some days the two of you are inseperable and some days you are insufferable...

You like reading to her on the potty

Or before bed.

you share daddy (sometimes)

and mama (sometimes)

You like showing her the fine art of playing in the dirt

And how to play the piano (loudly)

You're teaching her how to drive.

And how to ride a motorcycle. (you're kind of a badass)

Lately the two of you love to watch a movie while eating bean tacos. 

We started going to the library once a week and you and Lucy both love picking out new books to read. Your interest in books and reading has taken a huge leap, I believe actually reading is just around the corner! So exciting!

You and Lucy both started asking for face paint every morning while I would get ready for work. Whiskers are my specialty. 

But sometimes I get fancy.

You've also taught her the fine art of licking the beaters after making frosting. Good stuff!

And the kisses. OH. MY. HEART. The kisses!

Lately if Lucy is upset (either because you upset her or because I won't let her have something she is desperate for), you go over, and kiss her head and tell her it will be ok, and  start singing a little song I made up back when she was an infant with tummy problems. She would cry all night long from tummy pain and I was too tired to think of actual songs so I made up a little song with the words "Too ra loo ra loo ra, too ra loo ra loo". As soon as you start singing (eithet that or Blackbird) she calms down and my heart melts. You are such a loving big sister!

We had a snowstorm! Snowpocalypse 2014, to be exact! 

We were housebound for a couple of days and it was super fun to snuggle inside then bundle up and sled around the neighborhood. It was pretty windy one day, but the next day we had a blast.

 

We took another (amazing) trip to Maui (in a condo that we bought!)

 

When we first arrived Daddy bought you a beautiful Lei and you (despite how tired you are in this picture) loved it.

 

Grandma was on this trip with us, and we took many walks to the beach, you were quite the proud big sister pushing Lucy. 

 

Also several amazing hikes, including this one (twice) into the bamboo forrest. 

You loved teaching Lucy how to enjoy the ocean. 

 

We saw countless sunsets and waterfalls

 

 

 

And we went to the Maui Ocean Center for the first time! It was so beautiful and amazing. 

Lucy wasn't yet walking then and you helped her practice often. 

It was a great trip, although it was hard since we were furnishing the condo and didn't have as much playtime as we would've liked. Good thing we are going back in a month!

Your pretend play have really taken off this year. You can spend an hour creating a scene with your ponies or other figurines talking about these elaborate stories happening. It's truly magical and amazing to watch this finally unfold for you! 

You've also started drawing amazing pictures! sometimes you'll copy something you're reading but often you will just create the most delightful creatures or ideas. Your brain is completely exploding with being 8. 

The other HUGE shift has been your conversational skills. You still have communication challenges, but your ability to not only have your needs met but to tell us SO many oustanding things you are thinking, or remembering or imagining completly blows  my mind some days. Gone are the days where we have to ask you "whole sentence please?" because you're talking in paragraphs, explaining things to your baby sister, making up stories, and telling me all about your days. I never thought we would get here, and now here we are and it's delightful. Somedays you NEVER STOP TALKING... and although it occasionally drives me batty, it's music to my ears to hear you say "Come on sissy! let's go pick blueberries from the bush! I'll show you how, go get a bowl!" I will always be grateful for all of the therapists and teachers who have gotten you to this amazing place. 

You have also started WHINGING  and are constantly asking "WHY MOMMY? PLEASE MOMMY?" and although it makes my ears bleed, I know it's all a developmental process and I try to just roll with it. (somedays I am not as successful with the rolling part). But WHY WHY WHY is something most kids do long before 8 so the fact that you are here is just a testament to the fact that you do things in your own time, at your own pace with your own agenda. You're always reminding me of that. 

It's hard for me to believe that just a moment ago you were this tiny newborn whom I barely knew how to care for and then you were this toddler who was so challenged that we would both cry because we didn't know how to get you what you needed. And now, here you are this amazing 8 year old who tells stories and talks about her feelings and is so fantastic and loving and openhearted. 

Your very existence is an act of science and wonder and magic, and now here you are, not only believing in magic but spreading joy and pixie dust to everyone you get close to. 

I love you more than words can say sweet Ruby Violet, even on the days where we butt heads all day and yell at each other, I still love you more than you will ever know. You are the reason I am a mother. You make me want to be a better person every day. You make me try harder and think more, you make me smile and laugh and sing. You challenge me in ways I never knew I would be challenged and in the next breath you amaze me with your abilities. 

I can't wait to see what happens next. All of my unending love, Mama