TWO Sweet for Words!

Dear Gianna,

You are TWO YEARS OLD!  And you really are TWO sweet for words.  You have grown so much in the last six months.

Last day to be  ONE!

For starters, you are no longer in diapers!!!  You potty trained yourself at just 21 months.  And you truly did it yourself.  I was reluctant.  You'd ask to go all the time and I'd often discourage you!  But you persisted until I realized you were serious!  We took off those diapers and never looked back!  You like "privacy" in the bathroom though.  You attain this by pulling the sheer shower curtain in front of you.  Hey- whatever works!  One night, I went to check on you sleeping, and discovered you had removed your pants and pullup!  You were still dry, so I stuck you on the potty before redressing you.  Even in the middle of the night, half asleep, you maintained your "privacy" with the shower curtain!  You crack me up!

We also had our last nursing session.  This was very difficult!  We nursed until you were 23 months.  I really wanted to make it to two years, but it was time.  Nursing was your greatest comfort, which is why we kept going for so long, but you quickly adapted when it wasn't available anymore.  In fact, you now wake up ravenously hungry!  I have to have breakfast ready when you wake up or you just can't take it!

Nursing you was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I'm so grateful I stuck with it and pushed through all the difficulties.  It added so much to our relationship.  Some of my favorite memories with you are looking into your eyes while you touched my face.  You're just so sweet and precious!  I treasure you, Gianna!

You're becoming more verbal, but you really know how to communicate.  We started watching Signing Time and you have picked up so much!  You have 75 signs, including helicopter, flower, Elmo, share, firefighter, color, and hungry.  (You sign "hungry" several hundred times a day!)  You even make jokes with signs.  You'll sign "Mama" (thumb on chin, fingers extended), "Dada" (thumb on forehead, fingers extended) (both accurate ASL signs), then "Abigail" by putting your thumb on your nose!  Haha!  It cracks you up!

You also have this fake laugh where you THROW your head back and kind of cackle!  It's so funny!

Many, many times a day, you review the members of our family.  "Mama, Dada, Abba, Gigi...all!" One time you left yourself out, and I reminded you.  Now it's your greatest joke.  "Mama, Dada, Abba...all!...GIGI!!!!!"  You're so funny!  And you love to make us laugh!  Here you are playing "PEEK-A-BOO" in the linen closet!

We turned your carseat around a few months ago!  Again, I tried to make it to two, but you were not having it!  Anytime longer than 10 minutes in the car and you were hollering!  You've loved facing forward.  And look how sweet- you and Abigail holding hands in the car!

In preschool we have been focused on colors- first color sorting and now color recognition.  It was so fun to see the light go on with color sorting.  It happened while sorting pom poms with the tubes taped on the door- see the top right picture.  For a while, you'd put them down any tube.  Then suddenly you realized there was more to it!  After that you always sorted colors correctly!  

From top left clockwise: 1) Painting (or eating piants!), 2) sorting toys by color, 3)sorting pompoms by color,
4) sorting pompoms using tongs in muffin pans for fine motor practice 5) autumn play dough
6) scooping and pouring popcorn kernels- your favorite thing to do is scoop and pour ANYTHING!

You are ON THE GO!  You keep up with your big sister, and that's no small feat!  You love soaring on the tire swing with under-dogs!  You dance and practice handstands!  You're learning to ride your tricycle, too!  And you learned how to jump AND gallop in the last 6 months!  You're especially proud of your gallop!  When you run, you kick your left leg out to the side.  It is SO cute and SO funny- but I am wondering if I should be concerned as you always do it!  And let's not forget your happy dance.  Several times a day, you bust out in this two step bounce/jump.  It's precious.

You're developing very strong opinions!  The ladybug outfit below was your outfit of choice for a few months.  I couldn't wash it fast enough!!!  You had a tiny ladybug barrette, too, but it fell down the drain sadly.  You'd always point to the 3 ladybugs on the front, then the big ladybug on your bottom, then, once acknowledged, do your happy dance.  

Here are some things that make you mad!  Grrrr!

1. I often don't do things fast enough and you're a little impatient with me.  For example, when I put your hair in pigtails, you start fussing at me to work on the second pigtail while I'm still on the first!  You're afraid I'll forget every time!  Grrrr!

2. When you feel a twinge of hunger and I don't respond fast enough.  However, this has led to trouble, as I've realized you only want grains when hungry.  Typically we eat at 8, 12, 3 and 6:30.  So when you start complaining hungry at 10, I'll offer you a piece of fruit, but what you really want is BREAD!  Grrrr!

3. When anyone throws off your routine or your sense of how things belong.  Only Daddy can sit in certain chairs and certain cups or prayer books are only Mommy's.  You make it perfectly clear how you feel about anyone deviating from these norms.  Grrrr!  

Cutest. Tiger.  Ever.

Other dislikes:

1. Fruit- until a few weeks ago (after you turned 2, actually) you wouldn't touch any fruit other than an avocado.  Suddenly you like bananas, apples and oranges!  
2. Taking baths.  You love the pool- but won't sit down in the bathtub.  Showers are okay, until it's time to wash your hair.  It's not pleasant.
3. Clearing your plate from the table. It was a battle 3 times a day until recently.  You're starting to cooperate!
4. Animals- you're scared of all animals- even our baby chicks- until one day you walked out back and picked up our full grown chicken!  After that you loved tormenting the chickens!

Wearing my old Strawberry Shortcake Raincoat!

Other likes!

1. BABIES!  You LOVE babies.  
2. Naked time (before pjs).  You ask to be naked several times a day!
3. The Melissa and Doug vegetable cutting set and the Fisher Price tea pot.  
4. Watching Mommy cook and looking for scraps to eat along the way!
5. Scooping and Pouring- especially water.  You're ALWAYS filling up cups or pots with water and pouring them back and forth and back and forth.  It makes such a mess!  
6. ABIGAIL!!!!
   
7. DADDY!!!
   

Other "Gianna-isms"

• You think every biracial girl in every commercial or advertisement is Abigail.
• You think it's hilarious to "wipe off" our kisses!
• You're cautious, even shy around new people.
• You don't like to perform- even for me!  I can rarely get you to echo a sound or word.  It makes practicing your speech very difficult!  
• You pat our backs when we hug you or pick you up.  It's so sweet!
• When I hold you on my shoulder, you lift up your head and insist I put a blanket down first.  Sorry my shoulders are so boney!
• But once the blanket is down, you lay down your head and tuck your arms in against my chest.  It melts my heart every time.  

You are our dream come true, Miss Gianna Lu, and we LOVE you!!!  We are so over-the-moon in love with you and incredibly grateful for you.  Thank you, God, for Gianna!!!!

Love,

Mommy