Twenty-five Months: Sing a Song!

Dear Miriam,

While we've been catering to you for over two years now, lately it's taken a new turn. Your verbal acuity and basic two-ness combine to create a true dictator. Stand up, Sit down here, Take your shoes off, Put on soft pants, Get Puppy -- you have the words for everything and we're at your bidding, apparently. We indulge you, ask you to say please, tell you no, but mostly we just marvel at what a little person you've become, and how large your opinions are in contrast to that little body.

Your opinions stood you well in Tahoe this past weekend, where you discovered snow. We explained that snow would be cold, since all your books make it look fluffy as chenile, but we also explained that you might think it was phenomenal (your new word), and sure enough, you observed both aspects of snow. On the first day, it was bright and sunny and you walked along the road, pulling chunks off the snowplow pile along the road and hucking them ahead of you gleefully. Sledding found you more cautious, willing to go down once or twice, but not really that into it.

But while you don't seem to feel the need for speed, this month saw the emergence of the running, climbing MZ. You've gone from being a fairly still child to something of an acrobat, and you really seem to enjoy activities that test your balance -- you love walking on bleachers, berms and stoops, and have taken a liking to the various ladders and climbing walls at the playgrounds we visit. It seems as though you've stopped working so hard at language acquisition, and have more energy to devote to moving your body.

With Pugawug along, you also discovered the joys of a potty party. In Tahoe, you two spent a good third of your time in the loo, watching and coaching and offering to flush. There were accidents, but also some grand successes. I'm not prepared to push this, we're just going to see where it takes us, but I won't be sorry to say bye-bye to diapers and our vigilance against diaper rash.

And finally, the world is a song. You sing everything, from songs you know to made up songs. You sing about putting clothes on and seeing your grandparents and eating lunch. You sing the ABCs, This Old Man, and the perennial favorite, I've been working on the rainbow. We can't get enough of your singing, we find it endearing and lovely and the way you string your medleys together confirms your utter brilliance in our eyes.

Miriam, you put a song in our hearts always,
Love,
Your Mommy