Two Years Old

Photo courtesy of Kari Quesada

The Dunlap kiddos are hitting all sorts of milestones this week...one celebrated month one of being in the world and the other is officially a two year old as of today. I've already had a good cry thinking about how, in 16 years, my little girl will leave me and move out of state to start a life of her own, because that's how karma works, right?

Two years of Delaney Marie Dunlap. Two years of having my Laney Cat to chase around. This girl is a one in a six billion kind of gal. While she tries my patience endlessly, I am so stinkin' proud to be her mom.

Here's what Delaney can do as a 2 year old:
Disclaimer: I'm one of those totally biased kind of parents who believes that their child is above average in most areas.

Delaney is a talented kid. She can sing her ABCs, can identify a few letters (E,O,Z,M), and can count to 12 in English and 10 in Spanish. She knows all of her colors and a few shapes. She also potty trained herself at the age of 22 months. She is incredibly verbal and is always trying to do things to get a laugh. She loves having an audience.

Ick. I hate that I just spent an entire paragraph bragging about my kid. My blog is like a scrapbook for our family, a place where I can look back to remember how things were in the good ol' days. In a few years I'm going to love reading this post and remembering what Delaney was like at this stage, so bear with me.

Things Delaney likes:
Delaney loves music, loves to dance, and loves to "play" her harmonica and her uncle's drums. She loves Dora, Elmo, Thomas the Engine, and Beauty and the Beast. Delaney loves chocolate, Popsicles, and ice cream (she is so my daughter). She likes to collect pennies (not nickles, dimes, or quarters) and I find them everywhere. Delaney also loves stickers, which I'm constantly scraping off our hardwood floors and off of Brundibar. She loves Brundibar and Charlie, and doesn't understand why Imogene won't come out and play. Delaney loves being outside, and constantly begs us to go for a walk. She's a loving friend, and obsesses about the next time she can go to the park to play with her friends. She is an avid reader, and knows how to stall bedtime because Mommy has a hard time saying no to Delaney wanting to read just one more book. She loves to do art, blow bubbles, and loves loves loves to paint. Delaney enjoys "cooking" in her kitchen, and loves to bake cookies and make smoothies with Mommy. And Delaney loves her brother, Baby Jude. I don't know how old Jude will have to be for her to drop the "Baby" part, I think she believes it to be his first name. She wants to hold, kiss, burp, and snuggle with Baby Jude. It makes my heart get all mushy every time.

Things Delaney doesn't like:
Delaney doesn't like to eat. Why waste time eating when you could be playing? She hates most veggies and is not a big fan of meat, which doesn't leave us with a lot of options. Delaney doesn't like to sleep in, she prefers a 5:30am wake up call. Delaney loves the garbage truck from a distance, but gets very nervous when it gets close. She doesn't like being told no. She doesn't like doing things your way, she prefers her way of doing things. Little doggies make her a tad uncomfortable. Delaney hates being cooped up inside, and doesn't like to sit still. She is all energy.

Oh jeez, I think I could go on and on, but this post is already too long and chances are you've probably tuned out unless you're one of Delaney's grandparents. As you can see, we really lucked out with this kid. She brings us so much joy and laughter, I can't imagine life any differently.

Happy birthday, little bug. We thank God for you and pray that we can help you to become the person He created you to be.