Meredith is Two! (But Please Don't Tell Her)

Our precious one is two, but it's a secret, cause we're not having her happy party (her phrase) 'til Monday. Rather than risk birthday confusion, we just decided to have all the fun on Monday. I'm already answering approximately 432 questions a day about Walt's whereabouts, since he went out of town for a couple days, so I just couldn't face the prospect of additional questioning related to happy parties. Toddler parents, I know you understand.

Okay, that said, I can now properly celebrate, blog style, Meredy's second year.


One of the best parts of taking a walk, as far as Meredith is concerned, is taking a break from the walk.


Just sweet.


One of Mer's favorite activities is still playing in the car. And now that it's cooled off a little, I don't have to worry that this hobby will kill her.


Pockets are a current obsession. Her own, mommy's, daddy's. All pockets, all sizes. Unfortunately, she's often trying to fit things in pockets that are not at all "pocket sized"...tends to frustrate a kid.


We love serious Meredith. She puts on this squinty frowny face and talks in a squinty frowny serious voice. It would be really funny if it weren't so obviously a somewhat unflattering interpretation of me. Anyway, this is the voice/face she uses when she's saying things like "should we have quesadilla for dinner? yea? yea! let's have quesadilla."

Pretend naps are also a big source of entertainment. She likes to put herself down for a nap on the bottom step. If that little blanket looks rather retro, it's cause my Aunt Daryl made it for me in about 1976 (at least I think that's its history). At any rate, Mer loves it and she also uses it to help household objects take naps. Gardening tools, puzzles, and books are all subject to her naptime whims.




Shoes show no signs of fading as Mer's #1 love.


Our neighbor Mike brought this train over for Meredith the other day and she loves it. It has a working headlight. Okay, I'll admit, I love it too.

So here's the age-two run down: She counts to 10 (especially if Daddy will hide while she's doing it and then come "scare" her when she's done). She says the alphabet, but she rearranges it: LMNOP ABCD HIJK WXYZ, etc. She sings a LOT: "today is Friday, today is Friday, all day long, all day long, gonna have a gweat day, gonna have a gweat day, all day long." And that prayertime classic "God ah Fadda God ah Fadda " -- she sounds like a mobster when she sings that one.

She loves to watch soccer with Daddy -- even requests it. She's a great help at the grocery store, handing each item to the patient checkers. I promise, we only do that when there's no one behind us. She constantly wants to know the whereabouts of all her loved ones: "where's papa? where's kayle? where's mamu? where's gigi? where's daddy?" Most of my words each day are used to tell Mer where people are. And, as mentioned above, heaven forbid that anyone go out of town -- or not answer the phone when we call. Hours of speculation ensue. That's all the little sweetnesses I can think of at the moment. Thanks for loving Mer with us for 2 years. Not that she makes it so tough.