Two and a HALF

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Dear Esmé,

I've been meaning to write this little developmental analysis for a while - like back on October 3rd when you turned 2 and a HALF. But time has a way of creeping up and past on us, it seems.

You are growing beautifully. Thirty months old, thirty pounds, and 3 feet tall. Exactly right. You got your mama's fine hair with two cowlicks in the back that'll be your bane someday. And you've got perfectly spaced teeth - in well ahead of schedule - and the most beautiful eyelashes framing those baby blues. You're perfect!

You are all girl. You may get confused sometimes about that, but everything about you screams GIRL - from your love of pink to your love of baby dolls and ballerinas and makeup and all things princess. You run just like a girl too, they say. Though I think your push ups more than make up for it.

You are all empathy. The way you just naturally hug anyone who is sad is beautiful to watch. You quickly tune in to the feelings of those around you.

You are all TWO. You want things your way, and you want them now. You question everything and you know everything.

You're friendly. You do your own thing, but are usually surrounded by other kids when we're in a social setting.

You are bright! I asked you tonight if you could write your name. Without any prompting or visual aid, you wrote an E (with five lines instead of three, but who's counting?). And you wrote an S. And you wrote an M. Only the first two lines coming down for the M were too close in your opinion, so you scribbled it all out and moved on to something else. WOW! You can trace letters are are starting to write more and more of them freehand.

And as we sat in the Taco Bell drive through today, you spelled out Taco Bell from the sign. I asked what it said, and sure enough, you knew! You know all your letters, and you're starting to spell words out and sound them out, too.

You know your numbers - all the single digits. You can count to 20 and are starting to figure out how the numbering works after that. Though we got stuck at 19 and a HALF for a while due to all the practice of counting the blocks around the sand pit this summer - 19 and a half.

Colors and shapes? You had that down pat months ago. We're going to have to pull out the 64-pack of Crayolas and the geometry book next.

You form words like a two-year-old - not always clearly - but you've got great sentence structure and vocabulary. You've got a pretty good attention span for reading. You burst out song regularly - and quite a repertoire at that. You're learning more and reasoning more and debating more every day.

You can hop and skip and jump and walk backwards and balance on a beam. You do splits and somersaults and are starting to figure out those complicated jumping jacks. And you love to dance and twirl and lift your legs high like a ballerina.

You love to help Mommy wash dishes and help Daddy hammer in his shop. You're learning to fold things and dust things and cook and sweep and mop and spray and wipe. You insist on picking out your own clothes and grudgingly accept help getting dressed "by yourself." You keep practicing big-girl things like tying laces and zipping up jackets.

When I look at you, I see a bundle of potential and possibility. Yet I'm reminded of Stacia Tauscher's quote: "We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today."

You're challenging and delightful, demanding and sweet, insistent and good-natured. You are everything you should be. And I'm proud, and privileged, and contented, to be your Mommy.

Keep growing, my 2-and-a-half-year-old. Increase in wisdom, and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Love,
Your Mommy