Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea and Little Man!

Happy second birthday, my little monkeys! As CC would say, "They aren't babies anymore! Now they're little kids like me!"

It's true -- Sweet Pea and Little Man are definitely not babies anymore. They are developing in leaps and bounds, saying new words every day, learning and growing and melting my heart. (And driving me crazy, of course -- they're two, after all!)

Sweet Pea, my littlest angel, is no longer an angel. Far from the well-behaved quiet baby she once was, Sweet Pea is now the trickster, the tease, the instigator, the silly one. She throws epic tantrums that belie her size, but is also our child most likely to give hugs, smile, and laugh. Her idea of a good time is to steal CC's special Lamb, and run away laughing while CC screams. But she also loves hugging her brother and sister, something I am strongly encouraging.

In the last month, her verbal skills have definitely improved. She's putting words together (Hi Mommy! Daddy home. Rory's bed. Cold milk.). Her latest favorite word is "too." When I offer her some yogurt for breakfast, she says "Banana too!" When I ask if she wants to play with Little Man, she says, "CC too!"

Sweet Pea loves to build with the wooden train tracks. The segments fit together in endless combinations of turns, straightaways, bridges and intersections, and she'll make tracks that stretch across our family room. She's learning how to build larger structures with our MagnaTiles, and has fallen in love with a tiny doll that she calls "Dee Doll." Her very latest behavior is pretending to be a baby, insisting I rock her in my arms as if she was an infant again. This is an exact replica of something CC does, so I know exactly where Sweet Pea gets it!

She's intensely independent, often refusing to hold anyone's hand on the stairs and insisting on doing most things herself. "No" is frequently heard from her, and she's learning "mine" and "why?" She can finally climb into her car seat unassisted. Her giggles fill our house, and her bubbly, silly personality is endearing.

Little Man is still my hard-charging, sometimes-happy, easily frustrated little guy. His smile continues to slay people left and right! But his high-pitched screams can shatter glass when things don't go his way.

He's decided that two little trains from our set, the purple and green ones, are his personal property, and can usually be found walking around clutching one in each hand. Incidentally, this past week he has learned all his colors, so as he walks around with his favorite trains, he yells "GWEE!" and "BURBUR!"

He's incredibly musical, my little man. He can "sing" tunes that are recognizable, and his favorites are "The Wheels on the Bus," "If You're Happy and You Know It," and "Old MacDonald" (he yells EE-EYE-EE-EYE-OH at the top of his lungs, often in the middle of church).

Little Man has taken quite the verbal leap in the last few weeks. In addition to learning all his colors very recently, he's also been putting words together like Sweet Pea. His favorite words are "open!" and "closed!" which he demonstrates with cupboard doors, swinging blocks, sandwiches, gates, and anything else he can open or close.

He accepts help in a way that Sweet Pea will not. He's always willing to hold my hand, and often prefers being held to walking. He's finally learned to climb onto CC's bed (which Sweet Pea has been able to do for several months already). He loves to jump on the couch, which is strictly forbidden, and immediately mimics anything his sisters say or do.

Sweet Pea and Little Man are interacting with each other a lot more, too. They wrestle (Sweet Pea usually loses), give hugs at bedtime ("Nye nye! Yuv you!"), take turns, play peekaboo, and -- their favorite -- play the "Bye" game. "Bye" is usually played at bedtime, but often during meals, too. One will look at the other, wave, and yell "Hi!" The other will collapse into giggles, wave back, yell "Bye bye!"  Then the first will collapse into giggles too. Repeat.

Their two-year appointment isn't for another few weeks, so we'll have to wait to see how they've grown. But Sweet Pea is in a size 4 diaper and wears mostly 12-18 month clothing. Little Man is about to graduate to size 6 diapers, and wears mostly 24 month to 2T clothing.