Happy Birthday, Susie Q! Today she’s 2!
One of the cutest developments of the past couple months is how much Susie has taken to dancing. Every day at some point, the girls change into toot-toots and ask me to put on dancing music. Susie’s favorite is “Do-Re-Mi” from the Sound of Music.
Her hair is getting really long, though you can’t tell just how long when it’s dry and curly. Since Lizzie and I both have stick straight hair, this curly hair thing is new for me. I really do comb it and pull it back every morning, but Susie tends to pull bows and pony tails out. I often wonder if people at the grocery store or park are thinking, “Man, that mom really needs to comb her daughter’s hair!”
Susie wants to be helpful. She loves it when I have a task that she can accomplish. She runs all over the house to find Janie’s paci, usually putting it in her own mouth before handing it to me, exclaiming, “Oh, Baby Jane’s!” Since I’m usually nursing at the time, I usually have a chance to wash it off before someone sticks it in the baby’s mouth. Susie watches her big siblings and tries to put books on the shelf with spines facing out. One development that causes more trouble than not is her newfound ability to push chairs or stepstools up to anything and reach anything, from the toothpaste to fruit on the counter to the spray bottle on her changing table. Basically, nothing is out of reach for her anymore.
I love how much her language has developed. She’ll say things like “Oh my gracious dear!” or “Oh, Baby Jane, Baby Jane!” that just make us laugh. The kids and I can understand most of her speech now, though Derek often has to ask me for a translation. Her speech is often quite animated. When she’s well rested and happy, she’s bubbly and upbeat. When she’s sleep deprived, she whines all day long. (That’s the biggest reason for keeping her in her crib most of the time–she gets a good 2 hours more of sleep on the nights when she’s on her own.)
She’s also picked up phrases from her siblings: “I so tired!” (Elizabeth) and “I hungy” (Tommy) and “MINE!” (both). In fact, she’s having a bit of a meltdown this week because I’m using “her” changing table and diapers with Jane. Yep, I’m so mean I expect Susie to share her changing table with her little sister. I’m wondering when she’s going to pick up the big kids’ wonderful generosity toward younger siblings. You can’t get too mad at this face, though…
And here’s a picture taken by Tommy that pretty much sums up our relationship:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUSIE!! Give her big hugs from Grandma and Grandpa!!!! Hope she has a fun birthday. Can’t wait to see her in a couple of weeks!!!!