two to two

In just two months, our firstborn will be two years old. Since the moment we found out that she was on the way, we've heard from seemingly everyone to cherish this time, that it goes so quickly. Were they ever right.

Since I haven't done it in awhile, I thought I'd share twenty two things about Elia, in honor of her twenty-two months.

1. Her favorite food is peas - frozen or dehydrated. Cooked and thawed aren't really her thing.

2. When looking at pictures, she can identify the members of her extended family and name them.

3. She is learning the power of "no".

4. After a week of practice, she now successfully sleeps in a twin bed both for naps and overnight.

5. She hates sweets.

6. Undressing is no obstacle for her, dressing herself is slightly more challenging.

7. Babies, babies, babies. This girl loves babies of all varieties: human, illustrated, or dolls.

8. She has a little laugh that sounds almost fake. She uses it when something is pretty funny, like a picture in a book or something we say. She saves all out chuckles for Mama's tickle attacks.

9. Brushing her teeth is fun to her and the best part is sucking water out of the toothbrush.

10. She's a parrot and will repeat back anything you ask her too. One of Dad's favorites? Go Blue!

11. Reading a book once is never acceptable. Twice is ok, three times is better.

12. She is turning into a cuddle bug. Yes!

13. Accessorizing remains one of her favorite pastimes.

14. Another favorite pastime? Hunting for lint between her toes.

15. She can name most of her body parts and would be happy to help you locate your belly button.

16. Her name for herself is "Yaya" and it's really caught on. 

17. We have a few photo books filled with pictures of her and these are her current favorites. I have a feeling she'd be a selfie queen if she had the skills and tools.

Speaking of selfies...

18. She's learning her colors and so far "buuu" (blue) is her favorite. 

19. She somehow learned that dogs eat bones and thinks they keep the same schedule as her, eating when she eats, sleeping when she sleeps, etc.

20. The concept of sharing is starting to stick and she's particularly good at sharing her chupones (pacifiers) with us. I think it's her attempt to bribe us into a sleepover.

21. She's in to her brother-to-be and has started hugging my belly and talking to him. My heart melts every time.

22. We suspect that she has an imaginary friend. Her name is Nina and she's always talking about Nina's house.

So there you have it, you're up to date on all things Elia. Now that she can communicate more, it's crazy to get a glimpse into how her little brain is working and putting things together, and to see how quickly she can pick things up. We've noticed a few glimmers of the terrible twos over the past few weeks and are bracing ourselves for that but, all in all, she really is the sweetest, most earnest little thing.

Here's to twenty-two months! I can't believe we'll start counting her age in years in just a couple more months. Next thing you know, she'll be headed off to Kindergarten.