Almost two! update
I recently made Zoe’s two-year appointment at the doctor’s, and I told the receptionist that I couldn’t believe I was doing it. How can Zoe be close to two already?!
I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised about Zoe’s age, because she continues acting more and more like a big girl each month. She can say more things than ever before, and she has a greater awareness of things around her. She now understands the concept of self; she started answering “Zoe” when asked “What’s your name?” about a month ago. (And now she often points to herself, Q and me and says, “Zoe, Daddy, Mommy” – just in case we’ve forgotten who we are.) She now says “yes” (instead of just “yeh”) and the word “sure,” so it’s now common for her to say, “Yes, sure!” when asked to do something. She recently said “fun!” (when doing something enjoyable) for the first time, and she also says “funny” when something makes her laugh. And she’s getting better at telling us how she’s feeling/what she needs; just the other night, when she was sick, she was able to tell me, “My tummy hurts.”
Although she makes a few stumbles, she can almost count 1-10 on her own. She also almost has the alphabet down; for the past week or so she has spent lots of time singing that song and also “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
Although she’s known colors for awhile, she used a color as an adjective (“pink hat,” she pointed out) for the first time a few weeks ago. She also continues pointing out objects (e.g. “Daddy’s shoe”), and she has started to identify location (e.g. “It’s up there”). Just last week, when playing with my necklace, she said, “I like it” – which marked the first time she used the word “I.” She also said one night, “Daddy coming,” which was the first time she used that tense of a verb.
As mentioned last month, she’s getting more sophisticated at remembering things. We recently started playing a new game where we count how many “doggies” and “choo-choos” we see on our way to and from Elena’s. After only a day or two, Zoe got in her carseat and said, “Doggies and choo-choos, Mommy” (knowing what we were about to count). And she is able to report to her dad what we saw – e.g. “two doggies” – later that day.
When it comes to play, Zoe still likes to color, run around the house with her baby stroller, change the diapers of her dolls and stuffed animals, and play music on various instruments. At the playground, she loves to climb on the structures and go down the slide. And playing in the sand is still a favorite activity.
Zoe, like other little kids, still has her quirks. Among them: she’ll only drink her milk warm (30 seconds in the microwave). She still has a love for wet washcloths and wipes, and she often carries them around the house and wipes off things. And, strangely, she gets upset whenever I put my hair back in a ponytail in the morning. Without fail, she runs into the bathroom, says “off, off, off” and pulls out whatever is in my hair.
I’ve felt bad in the past that Zoe wasn’t as affectionate as I assumed other kids were. That’s all changed lately, though, as Zoe is constantly running up to us and giving big hugs and kisses. We also recently taught her to “butterfly” kiss and “eskimo” kiss, which she really loves.
Though she has her “terrible (almost) two” flare-ups, she’s usually pretty cheerful – constantly bouncing and jumping and laughing. And she’s always making us smile. A recent funny story: I was hugging Zoe when she pointed to my chin, made a very serious face and said “Mommy boo-boo?” She was referring to a pimple that had recently developed, and I couldn’t help but laugh. (Thanks for pointing it out, Zoe!)
-M