OK, Raegan is a little peanut but even she is bigger than 2 1/2 feet. But somehow "33 1/4 inches Tyrant" just didn't have as nice a ring to it to title this post. And really "tyrant" probably isn't fair either because since I became a mama, I have learned that the Twos aren't all Terrible. Sometimes they are down right Terrific, which is fitting because living with a two-yr-old is nothing short of total contradiction, full of swings from one extreme to the next.
For one, I hear the phrases "Need Help!" and "ME do it!" ALL. the. Time! I am constantly being summoned to do whatever Little Miss can't handle on her own, but often, as soon as I arrive to help, she is pushing me away hollering that she will do it by herself. Rinse and repeat. Again and again and again, all day long.
Naturally, the cries for help/independence are most connected to all things potty training. Or self-training, as we're doing it around here. Raegan wants very much to do the whole process by herself but still requires a lot of assistance from us. I mean, really. Do you think a just-turned-two-yr-old (who is only 33 1/4 inches tall!) can handle the whole get-on-the-potty/wipe/get-off-the-potty/wash-hands routine by herself? Well, she might like to try, but for the sake of sanitation and sanity, this is NOT a "ME do it!" kind of thing! And since each trip to the bathroom takes a good 10-15 minutes because she insists on repeating the process over and over, I get a lot of quality (bathroom) time with Little Miss these days.
Even though RL's demanding and rejecting me day in and day out, I have to say, she does so with impeccable manners. I hear "Menk You/WelkUm" almost as much as I do "Need Help" and "ME do it!" And that's exactly how it comes out - as one long word. Every time she tells us "thank you," she tacks on a "You're Welcome," saving us a response. It is really very sweet and not-tyrant like at all.
Neither is her running or hopping or "singing" the ABCs. All of that stuff is remarkably cute and enduring (in my unbiased opinion, of course). So are her arms around my neck when she gloms on for a big old hug as I carry her upstairs for her nap. Or when she keeps tabs on the baby all day long, letting us know every time he cries by calling out, "Linky sad! Linky sad!" She is such a good little mama!
My favorite Raegge-isms these days, though, are her "Oh, gosh!"s and head tilting/eyes narrowing when she asks a question. The tilt/squint/inquire routine is a riot because she often looks like she's trying to charm her way into whatever she's asking for, as though we won't be able to resist her sideways sweetness (she's right. we can't). And the "Oh, gosh" is great because she says it with such inflection and uses it any time she wibbles or wobbles (which happens a lot when you are a busy 2-yr-old, always on the move).
While there are days when I would rather pull my hair out than hear "ME do it" one more time, I am not wishing these days away. I know that the days when she won't need to say it to me because she really can do it aren't that far away.
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