It has been a complete whirlwind around here the past five weeks since William arrived and I am over a month delayed in sharing the fact that we officially have a two year old! I remember when Zoey turned one during our RV trip and I breathed a huge sigh of relief because I felt like I could not break her anymore. Hitting one was a huge milestone.
I feel as though two years old is another huge milestone but for different reasons. Two years old comes with a whole set of different challenges involving disciplining, learning how to be a proper person, and more intense levels of entertainment. Regardless of these changes, Rob and I frequently look at each other and remark on how completely lucky we feel to have such an incredible little girl in our lives.
Personality
Zoey is a kind, compassionate, and determined lady. While she is certainly a typical two year old in that she likes things done a certain way, she sometimes takes it a bit further than normal when organizing her toys, meticulously cleaning up her dishes, or if there is a speck of dirt on her hands or the stairs. Rob and I often joke that she got her OCD tendencies from him and not me and we try to assure her that a bit of dirt or disorganized toys is not a problem.
One trait of Zoey’s that I find completely endearing (there are a bunch) is when she is unsure if she is allowed to do something, she will look at me for a yes or a no. Sometimes she will ask, “Eat that?”, but if it is not food, she just questions me with her eyes. Whenever this happens and I say no, she is excellent about not doing that thing. This is a behavior Zoey does with most adults and she is an excellent listener
Similar to Rob and I, Zoey can be really shy and cautious around other children. It takes her some time to warm up to new situations and only now, after three weeks of her summer activities, is she feeling confident in those situations. For instance, at Tinkergarten this past Wednesday, she was finally able to sit on the group mat without needing to be in my lap.
When another child is upset or crying around her, Zoey will stop whatever she is doing to try and comfort by patting him on the back or giving him a hug.
We have started to see some typical two year old qualities from Zoey in the past few weeks like not listening when she is asked to do certain things (put on her shoes, get dressed, etc) and we have started to implement time outs. On day one, we had two time outs before 6am. Now, Zoey knows the routine and will often finally do a task before she reaches time out status. Other typical two year old issues come with crying when she is tired, or we have to leave when she is having a lot of fun.
Talking
Zoey is a little chatterbox! The girl loves to talk, learn new words, and will often go into full on stories at the dinner table (whether we understand her or not). It feels like she is learning multiple new words each day and we are trying to keep that learning going by introducing new ones to her regularly.
With how much of a word sponge she is right now, Rob and I are starting to spell certain things to each other and have had to be mindful of what we say. I find it hilarious to hear myself in her when she says something that I suddenly realize I say often. For example, apparently I say, “William, it’s ok.” quite a lot as well as, “That’s so silly,” and, “No, no, no,” in threes. Her little voice mimicking me is too cute!
Sleep
While Zoey still needs a nap during the day, she can make it through without one and seems to be phasing them out on her own. Getting her to nap has been very hit or miss this summer and I have my best luck when she falls asleep in the car after our morning activity. She transitions really well from the car to her bed.
During bedtime, Rob or I have to sit outside her room until she falls asleep. We have tried numerous methods to get Zoey to pass out on her own, but none of them have worked for us. Thankfully, our stair time is becoming less and less (it used to be an hour or more) and I believe part of that has to do with pushing back Zoey’s bedtime from a strict 7pm during the school year to 8pm for the summer.
Unfortunately, Zoey wakes up at least once, more often 2-3 times, during the night to come find us. This has been a theme since we moved her to a toddler bed four months ago, and while she does go back to bed really easily during the night, she is still getting up. Often, she is up for the day anywhere between 4:30 and 6am. We are an early household around here!
Adjusting to William
Our first day home as a family of four was hard. Zoey was confused and upset that she could not be in my lap, in my arms, or had my undivided attention. Since that rocky first day, she has adjusted incredibly well and absolutely adores her brother. She is constantly asking to hold him and has moved away from being asked to be picked up every time he starts to fuss as a way to get my attention to herself.
Zoey is incredibly helpful with William and wants to be the one to change his diaper, get him dressed, get his blankets, do the car seat straps, and hold him. Since about the second week home with William, Zoey carries around a stuffed animal (there have been two different ones) that she diaper changes, feeds, and puts down to sleep. Recently, she has started burping and dressing it as well.
Watching Zoey play with William right now completely warms my heart and I am so excited for when he is a bit older and they can actually play together in a real way.
Likes
- Being outside
- Running (she just goes and goes, like her mom!)
- Climbing on things, especially into the car seat
- Fruit
- Water activities, pools, splash pads, a bucket of water in the backyard. It’s all good!
- Hugs
- Three specific stuffed animals – a lamb, Elmo, and a dog
- Kitchen items
- Sitting on laps
- Reading
- Blankets, or being tucked in and “getting cozy”
Dislikes. There is not too much in this category as we have a pretty easy going kid.
- Playing alone
- Diaper changes
Two Year Old Favorites (This list contains affiliate links.)
- Anything related to water, especially a bucket of water with a toothbrush and some bubbles.
- iPlayBaby Hat – Zoey seriously will not leave the house without it and is wearing it in almost every picture we have of her.
- Cutting Food – This one is good for hours of fun.
- Rock Palette Puzzle
- Jellycat Lamb
- Small Elmo – She has only watched about 10 minutes of Elmo and is obsessed with her stuffed animal.
- Play-Doh
- Washable Paint Pots
- Easel Paper – Her favorite thing is to lay on it and have us trace her body.
- Shopping Cart – She runs circles around the house pushing her cart.
- Pretty much any book, but “Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb” is a winner right now.
Other Zoey Update Posts:
- Meet Zoey Marie
- Zoey’s Birth Story: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
- Zoey Update – 7 Months
I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.
