Happy 2 Years Mina

My Dearest Mina,

Two years with you- what a precious gift you are to our family. This month has been filled with more language, a small but joyous birthday party, and general preparations for your sister to arrive. OH- and tantrums.

This has been the last month of my pregnancy with your sister and you have been a real champ. As I have turned into more of a lumbering, clumsy, tired crazy person- you have been patient and sweet. Taking naps with me and snuggling... But also there are times when you throw the tantrum I really wish I could throw~ I know that you can sense something big is going to happen very soon, and I also know that you probably can't grasp how things are going to change. I expect you will do your best with this big change and I know I will proud of you, no matter what happens.

Because my brain is not getting enough blood and oxygen (it is all going to my giant belly) my ability to wax poetic is VERY BAD. Please accept my apologies- my brain may never be the same again. So, I will bow to the list form of things to share what I want to remember about this time.

Things you love right now:

"Cooking" This can be dangerous if you try to do it in the BIG kitchen and not your super-cool red retro kitchen. You love to make "vegetables" and "pancakes." Learning about pretend play is a lot of fun. The only problem we have is that one of the cats (chitty mini) carries your faux cupcakes around in her mouth-

Anything Chocolate or "treat" like. In fact you will come up to me and ask in the SWEETEST little voice "a lil treat please?" When you don't get one- its not so pretty. I understand. When I can't have cake, I want to cry too.

Brushing your teeth- I don't know why you love it, but I won't complain. It makes my life easier. About the only way I can manage to comb out your lovely head curls is to sit you in front of the mirror with a toothbrush loaded up with sparkly pink tooth paste. Then we sing a song about brushing your teeth while I try to remove roughly 150 million knots from your hair.

Drawing/Painting/Playing with Clay. For your birthday you got a HUGE box of art supplies from Grandma. You play with it daily (it took you almost no time to figure out how to open the tub yourself) Your first paintings are stunning. My favorite is the one you call the "spider." It was your second creation, and is purple and hot pink on black. It is the only creation you have named. You also love playdough. I was scared to give it to you- but you really enjoy making snowmen and putting myriad eyes on playdough snakes.

Dressing Up- For your birthday, Aunt Bee-Lola (and Uncle Jake and Cousin Caroline) got you a little kit filled with princess style dress up clothes. You immediately went for the tinker bell costume, but you were very upset that there was not a proper crown. So I am on the hunt for a fairy-style crown. If I can find the materials, I will make you one myself... That will probably get finished around the time you graduate highschool.

Mommy's China- I have a lovely set of china with black-eyed susans on it. This is the china I grew up with and I LOVE IT. Apparently so do you. I hear clattering in dining room and you will walk out precariously carrying 3 teacups in your hand. It is hard for you to understand why these are not for play... You seem to be very interested in tea parties. So I think we will have to find something more appropriate for a two year old.

DIRT- OH YOU LOVE DIRT. You will take any opportunity to plunge your hands into moist earth, just to feel it between your fingers. You pick up sticks and stake them in the ground as if to make new trees. You exclaim that you will "make it grow." In fact you will take your water glass and water just about anything you can find... Your dinner, your stuffed animals- all in an effort to "make it grow." I feel so sad that I did not spend more time learning the art of gardening from my mother (who is one of the greatest gardeners I have ever known). I will work on it! This year I had planned to do a decent sized garden, but time has gotten away from me- I think we might tackle something small together...

THE AFTERMATH
I am finishing this up 1 week late- after all of the commotion of the arrival of your sister. I wanted to wait and write about how you have done in the early parts of this transition.

My love, you have done AMAZING. AMAZING, AMAZING. Better than I could have expected. You were a little freaked out at me being in the hospital bed, and were VERY upset when the nurse took my temperature- but as far as your sister goes, you are THERE. You want to kiss her, want us to kiss her, want to hold her. I could not be more blessed. The transition has not been terribly easy for me due to some hormone issues- so your ability to be SO EXCITED about your sister is a miracle for me. Yesterday we were all snuggling in bed and you reached out and held her hand while you were trying to fall asleep. What more can a mother ask for? I very much hope that as you grow together that you will be best friends. I know that is a lot to ask for and I realize it may not happen until you are an adult- but the way you act now gives me so much hope for the future that I think my heart might explode.

There is so much more to say, but words are clumsy... All I can say is how Very Very much I love you, how very proud I am of you, and how much I look forward to everyday we spend together as a family.

Love,
Mamma