Happy 2nd Birthday, Dillon! 

Sorry for the delay in updating! Life has gotten a good bit busier with the start of the new web design job. I'm really enjoying it though! It also means a lot more time at the computer, so sometimes it's a little tough to motivate myself to sit down at it again to do some updating. But, here it is, at last.

2 years old! The picture was taken the evening before her birthday as we were getting ready for her very small birthday party. It was Dave & I, Nana and Courtney. Dillon had fallen asleep early in the evening. Courtney arrived while she was asleep, so when she woke up, she was completely confused as to why Courtney was eating dinner at her house. And what are all the new things you are giving me and wanting me to play with? And why are you all of the sudden encouraging me to eat chocolate cake? Bless her heart, she never could quite get it all sorted out in her mind as to what was going on. On her actual birthday we went to our local science museum where she had a great time, then after naptime we went up to the hospital to see Dave who was on call in the ICU. I think she loved running around the hospital as much as she did the museum. Nana bought her a helium balloon that came untied and went floating way, way, way up high. The gift shop was kind enough to replace it, but, of course, she wanted the one that got away. The replacement has not been nearly as loved as that first one was.

So, I thought I'd make a little rundown of her likes and dislikes at 2 years old.
Likes: Running, playing with the digital camera, playing with the metal bowls, babies (the stuffed variety more so than the live variety), nursing, climbing all over Daddy, Satchmo, working puzzles, reading books, going to "see kids" (any activity in which there will be other children present), looking at herself in the mirror, cheese, spinning in the desk chair, those purple snow boots

Dislikes: falling down in the snow, staying in the nursery at church, having her hair brushed, having her teeth brushed, being in the car seat for more than about 1/2 an hour, more than 3 bites of food at a time, Satchmo stealing her food

Could take it or leave it: bathtime, playing with play-doh, painting, coloring with crayons

She continues to amaze us at her verbal abilities. Her sentences have gotten more and more complex. Dave pointed out the other day that she will also try to rephrase things if you tell her you don't understand what she is saying. Sometimes it's sucessful, sometimes not, but it's pretty amazing that she tries. She's learning some of the individual letters from the puzzle from Mimi & Addy. She has left and right down more often than not.

Really, she is just a happy kid. She such a joy to be with-- an exhausting one, but a joy nonetheless. Sometimes I wish she'd let me one mess under control before she creates a new one! But it is just so amazing to watch her learning. It's a joy to watch she & Dave together. I really miss her the days that I'm away from her, but the time is coming soon when that will be less. The days will be warmer and we'll be able to be outside more. Dave will have finished 2 of his 6 years of residency training. Good as it is now, life will be even better.

Indignancies

Just over the last week or so, Dillon has learned the art of giving a dirty look. Several times now I've seen her give a dirty look to another child that is trying to take another toy from her or knocks her over. She's also learned the art of being indignant. She and I were sitting on the floor eating tortilla chips and dip the other night. She took a bite of one then put it back in the bowl. Thinking that she didn't want it, I ate it. A minute or so later, she went to get it and realized it was gone. Very indignantly (and very clearly)she asked "Did YOU eat Dillon's?" "Ummmmm...yes" I replied rather sheepishly, "I'm sorry." Then came the dirty look. She was very clearly upset with me for having eaten her chip. She did forgive me, though, thank goodness!

I start this week at my new web design job. Dillon & I went to see the office and the house where she'll be staying while I'm working. We also got to meet Jeanne's (my new boss)little girl, Rowyn who is 18 months. We were practicing Rowyn's name on the way there since it's a little tough to pronounce when you're just learning to talk. It still frequently came out "Go see Robe." Dillon had a good time there and was even fine when I left for about 45 minutes to go see the new office building. I'll actually be about 3 miles away from where she'll be, but will be able to see her for lunch (and hopefully get her down for a nap). She'll stay at the house with Courtney tomorrow and then will go with me on Thursday.

She's getting into counting recently. "12345" happens a lot. She's also added "678910" to it. You can ask her how many feet she has and she'll tell you 2. Mostly she's just reciting numbers, but I've heard her actually count things out to 4. She's also starting to recognize specific letters, especially if you ask her to point to a particular letter on a page. For some letters she can just tell you what they are, but she definitely recognizes more than she can put a label on. I kind of think of it as the difference in difficulty between a multiple choice question and a fill in the blank question. The fill in the blank is more difficult even if it is the exact same question as the multiple choice.

One week from today she'll be 2 years old. I still can't believe it. We have a couple of friends with brand new babies. It's so amazing to look at those babies and remember her being that size. I can't honestly say which age is my favorite because they've all been so fun- although there's something to be said for the stage where they stay where you put them! Now we're more at the "Will I ever get to go pee all by myself again?!" stage! I still love it, I have to say.