Two year old reflections

I don't have any pictures today. I'm having trouble sleeping, even though I'm beyond exhausted, so I thought I'd blog while I sip my Sleepytime Tea.

Rosemary is going through a very clingy phase. It got to me earlier today when we met our playgroup at the park and Rosemary wouldn't even walk up to the playground. She waited for me to walk back and pick her up. I started to get a little frustrated and I went and got her and sat down next to a friend and her little boy with Rosemary on my lap. That's when she started getting more comfortable and eventually got into a pine needle throwing contest with the little boy and as she warmed up she became less and less clingy. By the time we left she was climbing up and going down the slide all by herself. She just needed a little encouragement and some love from mommy. She fell asleep in the car but woke up as soon as we walked into the house. It wasn't a peaceful wake up. It was a crying, whining wake up. I laid her down on our bed and rubbed her back until she calmed down a bit. Then I mentioned that we had cranberries and she perked right up. It's such a weird age. She's starting to whine a LOT. She'll cry or moan "mommy, mommy, mommy" repeatedly. I've started telling her that's not how she gets my attention. It's like she forgets that she can talk, but as soon as I remind her she becomes this sweet little girl who asks politely for whatever it is she wants. Earlier today she wanted to get on her swing but the buckle was already buckled. She was crying when she walked up to me. I told her to use her words and she instantly stopped crying and said "Fix the buckle, please, mommy." And she was perfectly happy. I just have to remember to be patient. And as for the clinginess, it probably won't be long before she doesn't want to cling to me and that'll be even worse! I resolve to not get upset when she clings to me instead of instantly running up to her friends and joining in the fun. She's my little girl and I love her so much. If she would rather sit on my lap or have me pick her up in my arms, then I'll do it as long as she'll let me!

Some of my favorite things Rosemary does/says right now:

- "Can I hug my mommy?" She says this when she wants me to pick her up and carry her. I thought it was so sweet that she wanted to hug me all the time, until I caught on. Although I do miss "Up-a-daisy my mommy" which she used to say.
- "Ding dong" This is what she calls a hanger. Go look at one. Picture a bell. She's pretty smart!
- Sing "Sing, sing a song!" or "La, la, la" whenever she hears music. This is adorable. Whether at church (which we're trying to take her to) or in the car, she tries to sing a long!
- Her daily bathroom ritual. At least once a day I give her some free time in the bathroom sink. The first day she dumped out a new pack of at least 300 piggy-tail rubber bands into the sink, which was full of water. When I found her, she told me she was "cleaning" them and was so proud of herself! Another time the water was still running and the sink was just about to overflow. She had one of her mermaid dolls in the sink. I rushed in and turned off the water and she told me she needed the water because her mermaid was swimming!

Ok, the tea is starting to kick in so hopefully I'll be able to catch a few hours of sleep tonight. My sinuses have been bothering me so I haven't had a peaceful night's sleep all week. Let's hope tonight is the lucky night!