A Snapshot of Our Almost Two-Year-Old

How do we already have an almost two-year-old? It feels like we were just taking Madeline’s one-year-old pictures, and somehow here we are again. She is growing so fast.

Last Saturday we took her to FotoFly for her two-year-old pictures. We knew they were going to be cute, but when we got them back, they were absolutely darling.

She wore a beautiful dress we bought for her while we were in Hong Kong specifically for this occasion. I love that the dress has a little story behind it and will always remind us of that trip. She also wore her aquarium outfit, which felt appropriate with her aquarium birthday party coming up. She loves pointing out all of the little sea creatures on the knit outfit, and we think it is pretty cute too.

Of course, she also brought her teddy bear. She has been loving him a lot lately and carries him all over the house, so it felt fitting that he came along. The bear even snuck into a few of the pictures, which I love because it captures a little piece of what life with Madeline is like right now.

As an almost two-year-old, Madeline’s mind is constantly going a mile a minute. She gives us a nearly continuous stream of consciousness about whatever happens to be in her head, from discussions about her belly button to observations about things she sees around her. We never quite know where the conversation is going, which is part of the fun.

She loves to sing. Some of her current favorites are “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” “Circle of Life,” “APT.” and basically the entire Frozen soundtrack. She also loves “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” She knows a surprising number of words to all of them and is rarely shy about performing.

Her favorite things to watch are Frozen, or really anything involving Elsa, and Mickey Mouse cartoons. Recently she has become especially interested in the classic Mickey cartoons, which is pretty fun. There is something cute about watching a two-year-old become completely invested in cartoons that have been entertaining kids for generations.

Food continues to be another one of Madeline’s great loves. Hummus is still near the top of the list, and at this point I think it might be a forever favorite. She also continues to love corn and has recently added yogurt and cottage cheese to her list of favorites. We are firmly entering the age when picky eating can start to take over, but so far there are no signs of it with our girl. She continues to be an adventurous eater and is usually happy to try whatever we are eating. I am very proud of that and hope it sticks around.

Her favorite activities right now are swimming, playing in the loft and, of course, baseball. We have made it to the pool almost every week this summer, and she absolutely loves being in the water. Baseball is right up there too. She gets excited when we turn a game on at home and loves going to the ballpark with us. It has been really fun watching something we love become something she genuinely loves too.

She is also very much a two-year-old, which means she loves getting into every drawer and cabinet she can find and pulling everything out. Sometimes she even helps clean it back up. Her absolute favorite thing to get her hands on is lip balm. She is obsessed with it. Whenever she manages to find one, she carries it around triumphantly like she has discovered buried treasure.

Madeline is a really smart kid and has an incredibly sharp memory. Alison and I are constantly surprised by the things she remembers. She will start reciting a book we haven’t read in a while or suddenly tell us something about Hong Kong that we had no idea had stuck with her. It is fascinating to watch her little world get bigger and to realize just how much she is taking in.

She loves her family and friends fiercely. Her cousins Anna and Skylee are two of her absolute favorite people. Hanging out with them at the Bees game on the Fourth of July clearly made a big impression because she still talks about running the bases with her cousins. At school, her best friends are Lily, Miles and Chloe, and we hear about them basically every day. It is fun to see her getting old enough that these relationships are becoming such an important part of her world.

I cannot believe how much our little girl has grown in the past year. She has gone from our baby into this funny, talkative, curious little person with very definite opinions and interests of her own. These pictures capture how adorable she is at two, but I also love that they capture little pieces of who she is right now: the Hong Kong dress, the sea creatures, the teddy bear she loves. I know she will keep changing faster than we are ready for, which makes me especially grateful to have these pictures of our almost two-year-old exactly as she is today.