24 Months

Has it really been two years already? My baby has grown up!

Growth:

She is 23.5 lbs and 33 inches long. She's finally jumped to the 10th percentile for weight and 25th percentile for height.  In terms of size, Kaitlyn still wears mostly 18 month clothing, and even fits into some 12 month sizes! She still has tiny baby feet with size 4 shoes and just recently graduated to size 4 diapers.

Communicating: 

Kaitlyn is such a chatterbox, although we still don't understand half the things she says. I can't tell if she's making up words, using Spanish words, or just has bad enunciation. She can string 3-4 words together (mostly nouns) to form short sentences, such as "Daddy in shower" or "Mommy in ocean" (when we were in Hawaii). Her pediatrician says it won't be long before she has a sentence explosion and starts expressing herself more clearly. 

Learning:

It amazes me how quickly Kaitlyn learns and retains information. She loves the alphabet and can sing the whole song on her own. She recognizes the letters O, X, and Y (totally random). She can count to ten, knows most of the major body parts, and can identify various shapes and colors (yellow and purple are her favorite). If you ask how old she is, she will answer dos while holding up her fingers - not that she understands the concept of age but she's probably just memorized the response. 

Eating: 

Kaitlyn has always been a picky eater, and meal times are still hit or miss. She definitely prefers carbs and fruit over protein and vegetables, and, like her parents, prefers savory foods over sweets.  Her favorite food is pizza - she can finish off an entire slice in one sitting, which is surprising considering how little she eats sometimes. Other favorite foods include mac n' cheese, noodles, and soups/stews with rice. We also haven't found a fruit she doesn't like. Foods that she refuses to eat include meats (cold cuts, chicken nuggets, hot dogs), eggs, tofu, and sweet breakfast foods (What kid doesn't like pancakes, waffles, or french toast? Ours!). 

Another favorite food of hers - ketchup (not the fries)

Potty Training Update: 

Kaitlyn casually started potty training at daycare at 20 months and now pees in the potty there almost everyday. She hasn't used her potty at home yet, although we haven't really pushed it. I'm pretty indifferent about potty training at this point. After all, it's so much more convenient to go out and about knowing she is wearing a diaper rather than worrying about her having accidents! 

Sleep: 

For the longest time, Kaitlyn's bedtime was at 7:30pm - no fussing, no middle-of-the-night wakeups, no drama - and she would sleep until 6:30am the next day. We've been pushing it back to ~8:30pm lately since it stays light outside for so long, but she still wakes up at the same time. Then just a few days ago, Kaitlyn suddenly started fighting her bedtime, doing everything she could to not be put into her crib. It was such a battle. We had to let her cry it out for up to half an hour before she finally fell asleep. It was like sleep training all over again. Hopefully it was just a short phase and it's over now. Kaitlyn naps pretty well at daycare, about 2 hours, but takes lousy naps at home. She won't nap in her room and ends up either falling asleep on our living room couch or in the carseat. 

Independence: 

She has definitely started to become more independent, and likes to try to do everything herself, including putting on her own clothes and shoes, and getting into the carseat. She insists on picking out her clothes each morning, and will refuse to wear certain items if she doesn't want to. Sometimes she even insists on wearing her pajamas to daycare. She frequently uses the word "self" and pushes our hands away if we try to help - afterwards she proudly proclaims "I did it myself!"

Terrible Twos: 

We're only about half a month in, but the twos have not been too terrible so far (*knocking on wood*). The worst tantrums that I've seen Kaitlyn throw started in recent weeks and occur when she doesn't want to get into her carseat and will do anything to not be in it. Sometimes we stand out by the car for over ten minutes trying to coax her into the carseat. I think her tantrums can be a lot worse though and wonder if it's because we spoil her. Whether it's snacks or the iPad or wanting to be picked up, she almost always gets what she wants. I can't help it, I'm a softie and don't like to say no. Aside from that, Kaitlyn is pretty well behaved and we haven't had the need to discipline her or put her in time-outs (yet).

Other Developments:

Two years has marked a turning point as we finally decided to wean her off her pacifiers this month. Kaitlyn has always depended on her pacis, especially to fall asleep and during car rides. We figured that now is as good a time as any, since she's free of distraction from any other transitions (potty training, toddler bed, preschool). It hasn't been an easy process and it was hard to be consistent, but she's almost completely weaned.

Personality: 

Kaitlyn has always been on the shyer side, but she warms up quickly. Although she's cautious when she first meets people, all her inhibitions go out the door when it's time to say bye-bye, even to strangers. It's pretty amusing when we walk out of a restaurant and she starts waving and saying bye-bye to every table she passes. In general, Kaitlyn is a sweet, happy girl that loves animals, singing, and dancing.

It's been an amazing two years and it gets better and better each day. The best part of my day is when we pick Kaitlyn up from daycare and she comes running full force towards me, calling "Mommy" and throwing herself into my arms for a hug. She has the brightest smile and softest cheeks, and I can't help but snuggle and hug and kiss her every chance I get.

Happy two years, Kaitlyn. I love you so much!