It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged and there’s a number of good reasons for this.  Suffice it to say that at both work and home, we’ve been very busy. 🙂

But today, I’m back!  Lizzie is almost two years old – in just a few weeks actually – and life continues to speed along.  And when I say speed….I mean running at breakneck speed.  Or whatever that looks like for an almost two-year-old.  Lizzie is no longer walking – she literally runs everywhere she goes now (and she’s really cute doing it.)  Unfortunately, she’s not the most adept runner yet so she takes a few spills here and there.  I think her mantra must be, “Practice makes perfect” because she continues to practice her running technique every chance she gets.

The last few months have also been filled with something not as pleasant – tantrums!  I thought these weren’t supposed to start till after two…  At first, Lizzie would express her displeasure by laying in child’s pose on the ground and crying.  But we’ve graduated from this simple pose to full on crying, stomping feet on occasion, kicking, and throwing whatever object is within her grasp.  The thing about tantrums is that – from my perspective – they seem to be completely irrational.  You can’t plan for them and I’m usually not 100-percent sure what even caused the meltdown.  It makes for an interesting game of charades, trying to guess what in the world has rocked Lizzie’s world in such a huge way.  Literally, you would think she’s lost her best friend in the whole world.  Poor thing!  Sometimes JR and I figure out the root cause and she’s back to her sweet self in no time, other times we try to let her cry it out, and sometimes we’re just no good at all and Lizzie gives us a stare of contempt for our complete ineptitude as parents.  Ah, well I just try to look at this stage as research and practice for the teenager years.  Lizzie is preparing us well.

When you read about tantrums, many resources say they are due to the child’s frustration at not being able to talk and communicate their needs well.  Lizzie’s vocabulary has exploded in the last few months, but strangely her tantrums have not significantly diminished.  Hmmmmmmm,,,  Anyway, she’s saying so much these days, repeating lots of what she hears, and even stringing words together for short sentences.  Her favorite sentences begin with “I want…”  (Is this a huge surprise?)  She’s all about telling us what she wants – which can definitely be helpful.  Unless, of course, you can’t quite understand the word she’s saying – then things can get a bit tense (see charades reference above).  All in all, the talking is great.  I remember being so excited for the day when I would hear the chatter of my little girl’s voice. And, I can’t help being enamoured with that sweet voice, even when it is screaming “Mommmmmmmmmmmmy!”

I know I’ve highlighted some of the less-than-glamorous moments of this stage, but there are two things that make all of the craziness absolutely worth it – hugs and kisses!  Lizzie has mastered the perfect hug and is becoming a pro at puckering those little lips for a kiss.  She will do it on cue when you ask her (most the time), but the moments that fill up my heart with so much love I feel it’s going to leap out of my chest is when she gives me a hug or kiss spontaneously.  She did it today right before her nap – and I was so overwhelmed by my little munchkin’s affection that I promised her I wouldn’t tell y’all about how she bit me earlier today.  (I mean, it’s like after she kissed me I totally forgot about the biting incident – hee hee.)  Seriously, there’s nothing better than a Lizzie hug and kiss.  Hopefully you’ll all get a chance to try one out soon – I’m telling ya, I’m addicted.