Claire at 32 Months

Back before Charlie was born, I planned on writing a post about Claire at two and half years old, to take a snapshot in words of all the things that she is.  Things didn't quite go as planned.   So now that she is 2 years and eight months old, I'm finally getting around to it.

I have a blank book for both Claire and Charlie where I periodically write them letters, documenting how I see them, how I am feeling.  Here is what I most recently wrote to Claire.

"Dear Claire,

You are two years and eight months old or thirty two months old.  In the last two months, your little world has been turned upside down, and you are so resilient.  You have welcomed your little brother into our little family of three with such generosity.  I could not be more proud of you.  You love him, and he is going to adore you.

I find myself often jotting down in my memory the funny things you say.  I should be writing them down here, but I don't really have it together.  Before I had kids, I would hear parents repeating the cute things their kids said, and I would roll my eyes.  As parents we have the tendency to think that our kids are the smartest, cutest things around, but wanting to remember the words that come out of your mouth has so much more to do with us thinking that you are smart or cute.  When asking you to get out of the bath, and you respond "my butt says no" or when something is funny you say "that cracks me like a funny egg," I definitely find it funny and cute, but I feel like I get a glimpse into the way your mind works, the way your personality is developing.  

As we get to know Charlie, as he starts to spend more time awake, I keep thinking of how we originally thought you were such a serious little baby, but then we took this picture of you when you were about four months old.  You are sitting up, you have a chubby little face, and you are looking at the camera with a smile on your face, winking.  I think of that picture as being one of the first times we really got a glimpse of your personality.  That picture of your personality is constantly changing.  Here is how I see that picture at 32 months.

Green.  You want to wear nothing but green, green shirts, green shoes, green socks.  Your favorite foods are green, green eggs (yes, I put green food coloring in your scrambled eggs), broccoli, peas.

You are simultaneously sweet and spicy, artist and attorney, independent and clingy.

Your imagination and ability to play by yourself blow me away.

You like to direct your playmates how to play with you, prompting us with our lines.  "You say, ..."

You have a flair for the dramatic.

You can turn any conversation into a song.

You have strong opinions and can be inflexible when things don't proceed how you envision them proceeding. 

I am often impressed and exasperated by your strong reactions to things that make you unhappy.

You remain fiercely possessive of your belongings.

You are grateful, randomly thanking us for something we gave you months ago, for your little brother, or the eggs you refused to eat fifteen minutes before you said thank you.

You are loving and kind, and I am so proud to be your mother. "