2 years!

Mya's 2nd birthday was on September 17th! Impossible to believe she's 2 already. She has really become a little girl in so many ways over the past couple of months.

Verbally she can say more complex sentences ("Mommy, bring baby doll up front!" "Daddy goes to work!" "Mya closed door all the way!"). She's beginning to grasp and express concepts like space (over there, outside, up in the sky) and time (later, yesterday, at night). We're encouraging her to answer more open-ended questions (Q: "What did you do in school today?" A: "Play with cars. Go to park.")

Her fine motor skills seem well developed. She can use utensils (although often chooses not to) and she can color with crayons, quite precisely sometimes. She can put her own pants on (but needs help pulling them all the way up), and can do her shirt if you help her get her head through. She likes to buckle her car seat, zip up her sweaters and "help" me tie my sneakers.

On the other hand, Mya is very cautious when it comes to her gross motor skills. She runs, but not smoothly. She can't quite jump yet. She is extremely hesitant on much of the equipment at the playground. She says that things are scary or too fast or too high. We just keep reassuring her and making sure she feels safe when trying new things.

Some of her favorite things to do right now are singing (ABC's, Frere Jacques, Ring Around the Rosy), dancing, coloring and playing with her new Baby Doll (her birthday present from Grandma and Papa John). She is also testing her independence big time. She has very strong opinions about her wardrobe ("No like that shirt") and tries very hard to control the environment around her ("Mommy, come here." "Mommy, sit this way." "Mommy say this."). It is adorable and yet trying at the same time. I just keep reminding myself to enjoy this time, because as frustrating as the "terrible two's" can be, I've heard from friends that three is even harder. Eek.

Here are some pictures from the party we had at daycare on her birthday. I'll post pictures of her weekend birthday party in another post.