Violet.

This one.

She’s still my baby, but I can’t call her a baby anymore.

Tonight at bathtime she asked to be put on the potty. And then peed. Like a big girl. Ain’t no big thing, ma. Just potty training myself here. Try and keep up.

At bedtime she asked to sleep in the bottom bunk instead of wanting to be put into the crib. And went straight to sleep without one single problem. Not once did she get up and try to leave the room. Not once did I hear her cry or fuss. Just snuggled in with baby and blankie and went to sleep.

She doesn’t talk as much as I seem to remember her big sister talking at this age, but she is still very clear about what she wants and doesn’t want.

In 2 and a half months she will be TWO YEARS OLD, which WHAAAAAAAAAAT?

Her favorite books are Five Little Monkeys and I’ve Been Working On The Railroad, and she requests both several times a day.

Her first word was “Cheese” and she still loves taking pictures and hamming it up for the camera. Except when she doesn’t.

She’s busy and she’s curious and she freaks out when I rearrange my desk (I moved my mousepad and mouse down to a little table beside my desk so I could lounge at the computer with my feet up and watch a show, and when she saw that she would not settle down until I put. things. back. where. they. belong.) and she loves string cheese…

Seriously. I think she’d live off of string cheese if I would let her.

She loves art projects, and knocking things over, and copying her big sister, and doing her own thing, and wearing her red slippers.

Man, she loves her red slippers.

And she’s funny and she’s loud and she’s my little craziness buddy. We yell and yell and make faces at each other in the mirror and then we laugh and laugh… And she loves getting her boots and coat from her coat rack and putting them on, even when we aren’t going outside. And then she wants to go outside.

Except, then we’re outside. And she’s really not a fan of the cold. Or of leaving her mittens on. Or walking on any kind of snow. But she likes walking on the sidewalk, and she likes looking for things.

Loves looking at the neighbors dogs. And at airplanes. And birds. And “ows”. Which of course, are not cows but cats. (You know, because they say me-owwww? Come on, don’t you speak toddlerese?)

And when she gets mad she gets MAD. I’m talking full on tantrum mode. She will throw herself down on the floor and kick and flail and scream like I’ve never seen.

But she recovers pretty well.

Usually.

I just love this little girl. I just love this AGE. It’s so challenging and so rewarding and so exhausting and so my most favorite part.

So far.