Scarlet Turns 2!

It's hard to believe that we're already at this milestone, another year old and counting. I know we all say it and hear it over and over, but time really does fly by. Today I was lucky enough to run some errands alone (4 stores in 2 hours, loads of stuff done, it was amazing!) and while in the Target restroom I heard that sweet, teensy cry of an itty bitty precious baby. And I listened to the mom, while changing baby's diaper, explaining to her 3 year old son why his little sister didn't have privates like his. Which became a conversation really similar to many of my own a couple of years ago with my little E. It really left me misty eyed. I just loved having a baby warm in my arms every single day. Knowing that it won't happen again, sometimes, on days like today when your baby is 2 and you run into lots and lots of newborns at Target, I'm hit again by how much I'll miss that stage of life.

As a new 2 year old our Scarlet is pretty adorable and she charms every person she meets. She's tiny and girly and smiles with great sincerity, all her teeth showing. She's talking much more but also loves to say a bunch of rubbish we can't understand. She vehemently pushes her hair out of her face when it gets in the way, so we wear a bow everyday. She has a little purse that she wears like a cross-body bag and she keeps her now half the original size duppy in it (nice for me cause I don't have to carry it around). She loves wearing tutus and rainboots. She studies me when I put on makeup in the mornings and inevitably asks to have some of her own. Then we pretend to put it on her cheeks or lashes which leaves her with a very satisfied look in her eye, prancing out the bathroom to show anyone who will look. She likes to eat off of our plates, all the yummy adult stuff. She loves spending time with her brothers and prefers to do exactly what they are doing (like getting tucked in with hot cocoa and popcorn for a movie night) which sometimes leads to trouble since she can't always participate in the big kid fun.

With her terrible 2 bigger and better status comes some cheek too. And with a little family getaway to Wisconsin Dells now tucked into our back pockets and all consistency out the window, we're experiencing an upswing in the tantrum department. She's not sure if she will EVER be willing to lay down for a diaper change EVER again. So there's that fight that I have to have about 5 times per day, though I avoid them most of the time by diapering on the run (and goodness I'm good at it!) But there are those messy, messy moments when a lay down is necessary to keep things sanitary. And she cries and screams and twists and turns and cries some more. Wow she's a fighter.

And right now, since we're coming back from hotel rooms and sleeping cozily next to mom and dad all night long, she's also avoiding spending time in her bed. Big fusses when it's time to go to sleep and huge amounts of lolligagging happening.

Whew!

Can you believe this face could ever be that naughty. No way!

Love you Scarlet Evangeline. You're perfect just the way you are.