After my last post, I needed something light. As I grieved, I felt like my words were silenced. Writing was too painful. But now, a month later, I’m ready to write again. And since there’s nothing lighter than a two-year-old, here are some happy things from Little Wrenn lately:

Wrenn is the most affectionate little thing. She’s obsessed with holding hands and regularly asks to “Rock,” which means read books in her rocking chair, or “Cuddle,” which means cuddling on the couch while watching “Mommy’s Show” (aka – Seinfeld). She tells me if she wants me to rub, pat, or scratch her back. I recently asked her to rub my back (which she so gently did for about three seconds), and the I asked her to rub my neck. She proceeded to come around to my front and rub on the front of my neck, right under my chin, with the most serious little expression. I love how literal she is!

I have been trying to teach Wrenn to do small chores, like feeding the dog or putting her cup in the sink after she drinks her milk or picking up her crayons and coloring book. She has gotten pretty good at her chores, and each time she completes one (many times without being asked) she will run to me and shout, “HUG!” And I gladly oblige.

If you ask Wrenn what she wants for breakfast, this is what she will list off:

• Chocolate cake?
• Pie?
• Cookies?
• Popsicle?

I promise she has never had any of these things for breakfast. Also – the girl is totally obsessed with popsicles… especially the red ones

Wrenn is a water baby. And fearless. This child will jump off the diving board and go fully under water and come out saying, “Again! Again!” This summer she has LOVED swimming. What she didn’t love was swimming lessons. Trying to be a good mom, I signed her up for toddler lessons through our city, and she refused to participate in almost every class. She just wanted to swim on her own without anybody telling her what to do. We decided to not fight it and just let her enjoy the pool – there is plenty of time left for her to learn to swim. For now, she can roam free with her floaties. As long as Mr. Right or I are close by.

Oh, may I always remember these little bits of joy that Wrenn brings!

Oh 22 months… there are so many things I don’t want to forget about Wrenn at this age:

Wrenn thinks anything that’s sweet is PIE. And girlfriend LOVES PIE.

She is obsessed with Elmo and Cookie Monster and everybody on Sesame Street.

She loves the word BUTTERFLY. She says it with such drama in a slight whisper, and then will try to interlock her thumbs to make a butterfly with her hands. But she’s not quite coordinated enough to do it, so she just flaps her fingers as she whispers BUTTERFLY with a sparkle in her eye.

Her other favorite words/phrases right now include:

• Hi Mayor! (from The Little Blue Truck book)
• Hooray!
• Elephant (pronounced epitant)
• Choo Choo! (girlfriend never misses the sound of a choo choo train)
• Airplane! (she can spot them from so far away – it’s amazing)
• Poo Poo!
• Bug… EEEWWW!
• Shoes/Boots/Socks
• It’s a ______. (ex: It’s a mama. It’s a bug. It’s a poo poo. It’s a book.)
• Snack/eat/water/milk
• Thank you (she says this anytime I hand her anything, completely unprompted – what manners!)

She can actually jump off the ground. She can also throw a ball and do a front roll with just a little assistance from me.

We have been going to our library’s toddler time once a week, where the highlights include the giant train that runs on train tracks attached to the ceiling, blowing bubbles, singing songs, and seeing her friend Elsie.

She’s very affectionate. She loves to hug, give kisses, hold my hand, and pat me on the back. I think her love language is going to be touch.

We spend several evenings a week and much of our Saturdays working in our garden. Last Saturday she spent a half day outside with us and had a blast playing/digging/helping us while we worked. I don’t have to keep her entertained; she finds plenty to do on her own.

She loves bubbles. Especially the bubbles in the sink when I wash dishes. She will drag her little stool across the kitchen over to the sink and stand there and “wash dishes” (aka – play with the bubbles). She also loves bubble baths and knows exactly which container the bubble bath comes in.

Her favorite song is Skidamarink, something we learned at the library. She likes me to do the hand motions with her arms. When we finish, she’ll squeal, AGAIN! AGAIN!

She’s taller than most of her friends and wears a 2T in clothes (sometimes I can squeeze her into an 18-24 month size, but just barely). She’s wearing a size 6 in shoes, and I think she’ll soon outgrow those as well.

She insists on only wearing boots. Either her rain boots or her pink, light-up cowgirl boots. She has so many other pairs of shoes, but she wears her boots 90% of the time.

We have a running joke that she has stinky feet. Anytime she takes off her shoes I’ll say, “Stinky feet! P-U!” and then she’ll start giggling uncontrollably and say, “P-U! Eeewww!”

She loves to do grown-up things and mimic what Mr. Right and I are doing. She pretends to put on makeup and I’ve watched her mime putting on deodorant. She wants to cook like daddy, and she loves to “help” by putting her clothes in the dirty clothes hamper or putting her used cups in the sink. Such a sweet little helper!

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Precious child – you have brought me new joys with every new month. Bless you, and may God continue to grow your little spirit to do BIG things for Him!