Portrait of Claire as a two year old

Claire is two. It's pretty awesome. And funny. She makes me laugh every day. Especially when I remember to laugh when things get difficult. Because sometimes, she gets difficult. But I don't take it personally. Tantrums are signs of progress and opportunities to learn and also, a good sign that it is nap time. Overall we are all really crazy about Claire and here is why:

-She is obsessed with Mickey Mouse and Mickey Bow right now. Mickey Bow is Minnie mouse. Clearly. Claire knows all the Disney characters' names like Daisy and Donald, but she refuses to call Minnie anything but Mickey Bow.

-Have you ever wondered what it is like to be really beautiful? Everywhere Claire goes people stop me and compliment her or give her free things (I would not make this up) because, well, she is really beautiful. And I totally think so too, but I am also nervous that all of these people are turning her into a tiny narcissist. On Sunday she walked up to someone, pointed her toes at him and shouted "Shoes!" She was totally fishing for a compliment on her footwear, which she received.

It's the curls I think that draw people in. Yeah, definitely the curls.

-I love how two-year-olds speak. Claire's favorite phrases are Thank you (Dank oo) which she will say so sweetly even if she was having a tantrum seconds before, "I did it", and "Mama, Watch!"

-Claire adores Grant (Gant) and Collin (Caw Caw). She waves goodbye to them each morning as their bus leaves and she is right there playing with them each day. Also, she likes to stand in front of the toilet with them as they pee. She lacks the equipment but it's okay because she holds her outie belly button and makes a peeing sound.

-Claire sleeps with an army of stuffed animals in her bed. She hasn't been smothered yet, so I think she'll be ok.

-Claire shouts "kisses!" and "hugs" each morning as Zach is getting ready to leave for work and if he doesn't leave soon after she gets them she demands them some more. She also acts like it is the best part of her day when he comes home. Zach says it's nice to walk through the door and feel like a rock star.

At my brother's wedding Claire insisted on holding a bouquet and posing with her Dad.

-Claire loves to eat cheese, yogurt, grapes and goldfish. Have you tried gold fish. They remind me a lot of dog food. Also, she demands water all of the time, but it has to have ice in it. I think that is really funny because I craved ice water constantly when I was pregnant with her.

-Claire is obsessed with her cousin "Baby Aubrey" and requests to see her constantly. Thank goodness for face time. When Claire gets sad she will sometimes take a deep breath, look at me and say very earnestly "Baby Aubrey" and then she is instantly happy. I think this is her best skill.

-Claire can be shy. Sometimes she refuses to make eye contact with people and she buries her head on my shoulder to avoid them. We took her to a restaurant where she saw another baby and was so bashful she tried to jump out of her high chair to avoid looking at the baby. I loved that.

In conclusion: Claire is cute and she she should be forbidden from growing up.