Yesterday, Natalie walked around the house with my earphones, looking like a miniature iPod commercial, and I had to slam my head in the door to remember that she’s only two. I forget pretty often, to tell you the truth. What has possessed my child to run in shrieking, geometrically challenged circles for the last hour? How is the word “potty” still an emotional stumbling block in this house? And why won’t she just drive herself to the park for once? I watch her sweeping the kitchen or reading stories to her sister, casually brushing hair out of her face, observing her world with deeply intelligent eyes and a running commentary full of words like “actually” and “patella,” and I can hardly believe she’s not yet twenty-five.
But then she eats my birth control the second my back is turned, and she liberally applies baby powder to every square inch of her room, and she loudly sings, “I have in my pocket!” until I ask her what and subsequently turn back time to take “Daddy’s shave” away from her before any fingers are severed. She cries about the injustice of breakfast. Lollipops cause her to spasm with joy. She marches around the living room chanting, “Eighteen, nineteen, tenteen, eleventeen, twelveteen, three!” In those moments, I re-remember that she’s two…
…and why that rocks my socks off.
Reminds me of the imaginary phone conversation my 3-year-old daughter Amara had with me (while I was at work) at preschool one day.
“Hi Daddy, how are you doing? I’m good. Daddy, I’ve decided I’m going to marry my friend Hayden. WHAT?!?! No, Daddy, I DO NOT want to marry Micah, I want to marry Hayden!”
I’m going to miss the years where lollipops drive her crazy with excitement.
hahaha I LOVE this! I teach two year olds and have to remind myself on a daily basis that they are, in fact, two year olds. Sometimes they act so darn grown up…and of course, sometimes not. It’s funny how both are so enchanting and wonderful.
Your daughter is absolutely ADORABLE! I love that picture with the lollipop. Totally rocks ALL socks off 🙂
Your descriptions of daily life are always my favorite! Natalie is looking very “grown-up” now. As for the massive vocabulary- like mother like child 🙂
Miss you!
hilarious and so cute! YOu made me miss my own kids’ 2-years-old time. Though really? I’m glad they’re past that now. 😀 At least I’m glad about the part where my daughter sleeps through the night and I don’t want to kill her daily.
Thank you 🙂 I really enjoy other parent’s stories about their children. Right now my six and a half year old son is very upset because the Easter Bunny ears he made out of paper keep flopping down and he says “the tape is so frustrating I don’t even want to look at it!” Twenty minutes ago we were bonding calmly while drawing easter eggs (we start holidays about two months in advance around here). Fluctuation in mood and my perception of his age occur on a daily basis, and I like it. Sometimes I listen to his voice from another room in the house and remember that he has only been in the world for such a short amount of time. He’s totally amazing.
Darius – Good thing Amara’s getting these important decisions out of the way early on!
Frankie – Are those all two-year-olds in your profile picture? It sounds like you have loads of fun with them. (And who wouldn’t?)
DeAnn – Actually, Dan’s the eloquent one in the family now. I lost 98% of my brain cells to pregnancy. ::Drools on keyboard::
Lizardek – Were the daughter not sleeping and the homicidal thoughts related? Ha, she’s probably glad to be past that too. 🙂
Jennifer – “Fluctuation” is a good word for it. I think it’s God’s way of making sure we parents never get bored…