Letter to Greta: 27 Months

Dear Baby Grets,

Little baby, you are an endless source of frustration and joy. When you are good, you are so very, very good: giggling, joking, dancing with wild abandon and surprisingly good rhythm. When you are...not so good, you are writhing and screaming on the floor instead of letting me put on your coat; you are taking off your socks and shoes as fast as I can put them on you; you are grabbing things from Lucia and running as fast as you can (which is pretty fast) around the house. You are full of opinions, more and more each day: you've even insisted on picking out your own clothes and pjs a few times.

But you are so cute, and so silly, that we'll still keep you around. You love to pretend to put things in your mouth or into a cup of our coffee, watching for our reaction and then saying with high hilarity, "Noooo!" A tiny fairy Squinkie in Mama's coffee? Noooo! Does a plastic coin go in Greta's mouth? Nooo! And on and on. You find this hilarious. You also find it hilarious to suddenly erupt into a wild dance--no music required--that involves a great deal of wild stomping and head-shaking. I call it your "crazy gypsy dance," and it can happen at any moment. You also now know how to turn on the CD player; today you went right over, turned on some music, fished some maracas out of the instrument bin, and had your own little dance party in the living room while Lucia sorted buttons into an egg carton in the play area. Your personalities really came through in that moment: Lucia with her mathematically precise color gradations, you spinning with your arms thrown wide.

Your speech therapy is progressing; we've gone about three times so far. No dramatic improvements yet--but small changes. And you are definitely putting words together more at home, real phrases and sentences now; if only you would just get those final sounds!

You've been sleeping in later in the mornings but still taking a two-hour nap in the afternoons. We haven't yet taken away your pacifier, though you're pretty good about not using it during the day. "You don't need a pa-pa!" we say when we're playing, and you'll dramatically throw it across the room, where it is subsequently forgotten. When you do happen to stumble across it, you are instantly transformed: you immediately retreat into yourself, curling into your bibi and Lambie, wanting to cuddle, whining and cooing.

You are still eating enthusiastically. You do anything and everything Lucia does. If Lucia stands up in her kitchen chair, you stand up. If Lucia asks for milk, you ask for milk. She is your guiding star. It's always fun to see you without Lucia around--you play and giggle but it's definitely strange for you to be calling the shots, directing your own activities.

Your attention span amazes me: for reading, for art projects, for coloring. Your focus is total.

You are in desperate need of a haircut but I fear all of Maplewood will be left in rubble if we take you to the barber.

Favorite toys/activities: coloring, dancing, playing with fairy Squinkies, glitter jar, Doc McStuffins, Sit N' Spin, tiny teaset

Favorite books: Chloe, Little Bea, Good Knight books, What's Up Duck?, Noisy Farm, Click Clack Moo