Dear Jillian,
Just two days ago, you officially turned 2 1/2. I am of course not sure how that is possible, and have spent a lot of time lately thinking about all the things that make you special. I think most mothers would agree that it is easy to focus on all the challenging things about a 2 1/2 year old, and I am certainly no exception. You have an iron-clad will, endless energy, and an unmatched persistence that keeps me on my toes and really is probably God's way of addressing my lack of patience. It is my hope that those traits I find challenging to manage at this stage will actually be ones that serve you well as you grow, and be some of your strongest assets as an adult. Your dad and I joke that it is our job to teach you to use your "powers" for good and not evil. At any rate, you are quite charming, and in celebration of this milestone I'd like to highlight some things I want to remember about our 2 1/2 year old. Jillian, I love......
...how you sing along to every song you hear, even if you don't know the words. You love to jam in the car to loud music with me. It's cute to listen to you approximate sounds and use a more confident volume when it is a song you actually do know. You can sing many songs from memory, and nearly bring tears to my eyes with your sweet version of "Jesus Loves Me".
...how you add extra syllables to the word "princess". It generally comes out as "princesseses" or sometimes "princesseseses".
...how you have suddenly turned into a "girly girl" without any prompting from us. You love dresses, tutus, "pretty hair", dolls, princesses, getting your toenails painted, and accessorizing. Your current favorite item is your princess purse.
...how you are so concerned for others' feelings. If you see someone sad or hurt, you have lots of questions and empathy for them. Weeks could pass after an incident where you observe someone hurt and you will ask me what happened to them again.
...how you talk about things that happened in the past. You have special terms for "last week" and "yesterday", though you do not understand really what those terms mean. I often hear things like, "Remember last-days when I frew up at the mall?" (It wasn't actually last week when you threw up at the mall, it was 5 months ago! The memory on you astounds me). In another example, "Remember I goed to Florida yes-days? (OK, so we didn't really go to Florida yesterday, but it's cute that you think we did).
...how you can spin and spin and spin and never tire. You have really perfected this art, and can lose yourself in the fun--especially if you are wearing a dress!
...how you truly grasp the concept of boy vs. girl, and use he/she pronouns appropriately. I don't remember ever teaching you this, but you can accurately tell us who is a boy and who is a girl. You know that your uncles, grandpas, Daddy, Elmo, and Baby Jack are boys, and likewise can tell us that you, Mommy, your aunties, grandmas, and Dora are girls.
...how you seem to have lost your love for Elmo. It was fun while it lasted, but your obsession with him was a bit intense! I am happy that you now request to view some shows that have more of a plot and are a bit less annoying to your parents. Current favorites are Angelina Ballerina and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
...how you give your dad his 3 special kisses every night at bedtime--the Eskimo kiss, the Conehead kiss, and the Real kiss (or Elmo, Tonehead, and Weal kisses as you say). I love the way the two of you look at each other.
...how you cannot seem to quench your inquisitive nature. I probably hear questions such as, "What's she doing?", "Where's my dad?", or "What's that noise?" about 3 trillion times a day. I do my best to answer them all in a timely matter--if I don't, you keep asking until I do!
...how you can read emotions so easily. You already understand the difference between seeing someone who is sad, happy, or scared.
...how you walk (or run) with such a purpose everywhere you go, adding your own little twist of bobbing your head side to side as you do so.
...how you can play independently at the park this year. You can climb and slide all by yourself--in fact, I can almost sit on the bench and watch. If bigger kids are around you try to keep up with them, and that makes me nervous enough to hover. Your dad is working on teaching you how to self-propel on a swing. You have the motions down right, now you're just working on the power.
...how you like to pat my back when I am tucking you in bed at night. It's remarkably similar to how I have always pat yours.
You are one amazing little lady, and I am so blessed to be your mom. Your dad and I love you more than you will ever know! xoxo Mommy
2 comments:
Jilly,
Your Aunt Mal teared up as she read all this. It is so hard to believe how big you are, but boy you sure are fun! = )
XOXO
Auntie Mal
Jillian you are a smart little one, so adorable amd full of spunk. The time is flying by and I cannot believe how fast you have grown. Cant wait to see you soon. Hugs and kisses.
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