A friend of mine handed me down a bag of girl clothes a few months before you were born. As I sat on my bedroom floor and sifted through them I dreamed about how special it would be to have a little girl. There were two pairs of workout shorts in size 2T that I was particularly drawn to. I imagined you walking around in them with guarded hope, knowing another little boy would also be incredible gift. Two years later we celebrated your birthday and you donned the shorts the same week. Watching you tootle around in them brought me back to that moment and the cautious optimism of having a girl that surrounded those nine months of waiting to know who you were. A birthday will never pass where I don't fondly remember scooping you up and sobbing for hours as dawn broke on that warm July day in 2017. You are forever a dream come true.
You have a robust vocabulary and use a mixture of full sentences and extremely high pitched screams to communicate. I wish I could take the sound of your voice and bottle it up to keep forever. I'm frequently surprised by how well you articulate what you want and need. On the 4th of July you were scared by the fireworks- "Hazzie all done." So daddy sat with you in the car, when he asked if you wanted to get out you replied "too loud." Then you looked up at the moon and said "way up there, can't reach it." For barley two I felt like that was quite impressive. As you grow I hope the courage to express your needs never falters.
You like to eat ground beef, cottage cheese, mac n cheese and fruit. You like carrots and broccoli and won't eat anything unless I remove the "no thank you" items from your plate. You have good manners, using "please" and "thank you" on the regular. You have a slight obsession with shoes and like to wear your brother's around the house. If you see your basket full of shoes you demand to try on every pair. I've started keeping only one pair in view to minimize conflict as we're on our way out the door.
You keep up with your brothers and will go to battle if necessary. You went through a biting phase and the incidents were always described as territorial. You love riding in the stroller and playing with your dolls. You get quite concerned when people get hurt and are quick to rub your brothers back and console them with "sorry, boo boo" when one of them is crying. I was taking to Owen about Kindergarten one day and when I asked what him and his friends talk about he said "I just tell them about the cute and funny stuff Hazel does."
You sleep well and still nap without too many problems. As the third born we keep you up late often and you roll with it. You love singing songs at bedtime and reading books. We've just started potty training and it seems like you've already got the hang of it. You want to be like the big kids in all regards so you appear highly motived to join the potty trained club. You throw a lot of fits. It doesn't take much for you to launch yourself on the floor kicking and screaming, often times whacking your head on the way down. You still sleep in your crib and I'm using every tool in my box to make sure you stay in there for as long as possible.
You've gained a lot of independence in the last year and I often find myself watching you and thinking "should a two year old be doing that?" You have been a challenging toddler and kept me on my toes. You scale the tallest equipment at the playground and jump on the top bunk bed. Your favorite song is "baby shark" and you ask Alexa to play it frequently.
You've got light and fire behind your hazel brown eyes. I love the two year old you and learning more about who God made you to be. I know you'll use your strong will to change the world and I'm here to love and support you in all your pursuits. You fill our home with joy and I feel gratitude that you're mine every single day.
xoxo,
Your loving mama
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