Dear Charlotte,
You’re a sassy
riot is all I have to say. You keep us on our feet, make us laugh, give the
best hugs, have the sweetest smile, can squeal louder than anyone I know, and
add so much light to our lives. The last six months have been fun and
challenging all at the same time and I can’t believe you’re only six months
away from being a big three year old!
You’re
definitely the baby of the family and are babied in ways that I never imagined
possible at your age because Anna didn’t have nearly the same luxuries. You’re
still in your crib and nowhere close to being released anytime soon. We’ve
tried letting you sleep in the toddler bed at Gigi’s with horrible luck, and
contemplated letting you sleep in the daybed with a rail in your vacation condo
bedroom, but plain and simple, you are a wild woman and we don’t trust you. You
sleep find in your crib, so we’re not fixing anything that’s not broken. You
still get rocked nightly and prefer it to be done by me, you ask to have me sit
next to you and would prefer to sit ON me during meals, you innately find a
place in my lap anywhere I’m seated as a matter of fact, and are carried around
the house and the world more than I’d care to admit, but which a chiropractor
would definitely confirm. Oh well, you could be my last baby and I’ll take the
Mama’s girl attitude over supreme independence any day.
That said, you’re
sassy and finding your own way very quickly. You have no problem telling us how
it is … usually very loudly, and are strong enough to wiggle and wriggle out of
any situation that is not to your liking. We’re working hard on cause and
effect when it comes to discipline, including using short time outs and
expecting you to apologize, asking you to clean up your toys and taking away privileges
if you don’t. But you’re two, and you’re stubborn, and you can wear us down, so
it’s a work in progress.
You have a lot
of opinions and an even larger vocabulary and we often find ourselves chuckling
at what comes out of your mouth. You have about 3 outfits you like to wear and
if we bring you something that is not to your liking you’re libel to tell us “it’s
too small” (even when it’s not), “this is ouchin’ me” (even when it’s not) “I don’t
like it,” or simply “that’s not working for me!”; and all of these are usually
followed by a violent refusal to get dressed or you simply throwing the
clothing back in your drawer and calling them “yucky!” When presented with the *horrible*
options of listening to a song you don’t’ like or watching a TV show that’s not
Paw Patrol, you’ve been known to state your case “I don’t like this … (demand
follows)” and when we don’t act immediately (or at all), you follow with “what’s
going on here?” or “what’s the big idea?” It’s funnier if you’re not the parent
that has to deal with the outburst that follows, but it’s still pretty
hilarious. “Yucky” is also a key word these days and used to describe an outfit
you don’t approve of, a situation, an actual item, or even a person and it’s
pretty funny too.
You’re very into
music and love dancing and singing to songs with your sister. The current fave,
by a landslide, is Roar by Katy Perry. You’re in and out of love with Shake it
Off by Taylor Swift, and will usually agree to listen to the Frozen soundtrack
after Roar has played five times straight. We decided to start you in dance
classes with the same company as Anna and can’t wait to see what cool moves you
learn since you are only excelling in white-girl dance moves under our
instruction ; )
You’re a sweet little
princess girl that loves to dress up and prefers pink to any color of the
rainbow, but let me tell you that it’s not all glitter and rainbows. You can
shovel food to your liking down that hatch in the most unrefined manner
possible and can toot and burp just like any boy. You’re polite about it,
though, loudly announcing “excccuuuuuuseee me” afterwards and agreed that you’re
a literal stinker.
You’re trying
your best to be independent and we hear “I do it myself” often, and you’re very
determined, but we know to stay close because a failed attempt could lead to a
meltdown at any minute. You are interested in the potty, have used it at
school, like to sit on your potty chair at home, but you’re not ready to start
officially potty training. You will tell us after you’ve soiled your diaper,
but hardly ever use the correct vernacular (you say poop when it’s a pee and
vice versa) and seem content to tell us to change you vs telling us you have to
go. There’s no need to rush the situation, and although I’ll be thrilled when
we’re a diaper-free home, I’m OK with where we are now.
You’re an OK
eater, and I say OK vs horrible, because you today just asked for a second
waffle for breakfast. You’ll eat most standard toddler proteins – hot dogs,
chicken nuggets – a handful of veggies, lots of fruit, and have a love affair
with peanut butter crackers. It’s not the ideal diet I imagined for my
children, but it’s calories in your body and you’re growing, happy and healthy,
so I’ll take what I can get.
You’re still a
BIG Mama’s girl, but are clinging to your Dad more and more and there’s
definitely a special bond there. You are terrified of bugs and only trust your
Daddy to “get it, get it, Daddy!!” You love to rough and tumble with him and bath
time is a special treat for you and Anna because Daddy let’s you have a lot
more fun in the tub than Mommy. You’re the apple of his eye, that’s for sure.
Sassy is the
theme of this letter and you are that to a T, but you’re also my sweet little,
innocent baby girl. You remind me daily to stop and smell the roses, that
agendas are overrated, and that I definitely can make dinner with a toddler on
my hip. I love seeing your smile in the morning, hearing you talk to yourself
or your stuffed animals before I walk in to get you up, seeing you admire your
sister, and fawn over your Dad. You’re as sweet as you are sassy and I’ll take
that combo any day of the week!
Love,
Mom
