Last year, I wrote Brylee a sweet note telling her how much she has changed our lives, and how much my love for her had grown over just a short year. That note still holds true today.
My heart smiles whenever I hear her voice squeak out "Mom-MI!" in the mornings as she stands (sometimes patiently) at the gate in her bedroom. Though that time in the morning has been really early lately (5:00 a.m. anyone?), I still love sitting down, wrapping up in a blanket together and cuddling while she drinks her milk and watch t.v. It is rare otherwise to get such cuddle time, so I will take advantage of it while I can.
Her vocabulary is extraordinary, thanks to her fondness of singing and learning new words from us. She will repeat anything we ask her to say, even though they might be a bit jumbled...but the smile on her face when we cheer her on is one of a kind.
Speaking of singing, this girl loves to sing at the top of her lungs with a decent playlist: ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Pat-A-Cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Happy Birthday, Happy Trails, and so many others...unfortunately, when it's at the top of her lungs, it's not pretty. If she decides to be a singer, the sooner we invest in voice lessons, the better in this case...
She loves to play with Chester, and will take the opportunity any chance she gets to pet him and play tug-of-war with him. Chester is incredibly patient, only twice getting tired of the extra attention (sometimes tail-grabbing) and gets sent downstairs. But her laughter warms my heart while throwing the ball. He thinks she's pretty cool, too, especially when there is food involved...
She has some good friends at her playgroup, and we are working on playdates and more one-on-one time with individual kids and their mommies...Unfortunately, at the same time, Brylee has become more 'aggressive', a little pushy and toy possessive. But I know all kids go through that stage, but I want to limit it as much as possible, because I know the kid...she is a strong individual and will need that training to understand the power of kindness and friendship.
The last few playgroups we have had to leave early, though, because she is just tired and cranky, and just wants to nap. Because we have had things going on literally 7 days a week, she and I are working on taking at least one or two days off to do nothing...even stay in our 'jammies' all day if we wanted to...
She loves to color, paint, glue...craft in general. She still loves to read books, and loves music. She has seen 4 movies, "X-Men: First Class" (drive-in movies where Kung Fu Panda was not working), "Winnie The Pooh", "The Smurfs", and "Puss In Boots". PIB kept her attention the best, but probably because she was just older when we saw it.
She is such an incredibly picky eater, and it is a daily struggle to make sure she eats something semi-nutritious. But we have had break-throughs with green peas, corn, and spinach...so glad that even just nibbles are staying in her mouth!
So, here's to another amazing year with our beautiful child who is growing so fast, so smart, and so independent. So hard to believe that it's been 2 years, even though it seems so much less sometimes...and so much longer other times...
We love you so much, little Brylee. Thank you for 2 great years!
