Hello world; at two years and two months of age, my toddler personality has fully arrived!  I’m cute and quick to smile, and can charm the pants off of most anyone.  Although I’ve never been bashful, I’ve become even more gregarious lately, and full of demands for the world.  Most of my sentences are spoken as imperatives, and no one ever has to wonder what my opinion is on a given matter.

I’m in a real Mom phase.  I always, ALWAYS want to be with Mommy (preferably on her), and I can frequently be heard demanding to sit on her lap (“I sit du lap!”).  I’m not always prepared to follow her directions, though, and when she asks me to clean up my toys, get dressed, or do something else I’m not eager to do, I have no problem telling her, “don’t follow me, Mama, I busy,” or “not now, Mama, I too tired.”

I also want exactly what my brother Jack has, and nothing less.  If he likes the Beatles, I like the Beatles.  If he likes Elena of Avalor, then I want to watch “Elena Ab-a-lore.”  If he gets coins to save in his piggy bank, then I need to have coins for my piggy bank, too.  I’ve become a little shadow to him, which amuses and annoys him in equal parts.  He really likes it when I make up words like “goolie-golly” (which may be my interpretation of good-golly).  I’ll repeat anything for a laugh, so I frequently march around the house spouting nonsense and gibberish at full volume.

In addition to my knowledge of the ABCs, shapes, and colors, I can also count to twenty, although I frequently get tripped up around the number 14, and wind up repeating it four or five times.  I’m not one to get hung up on the details.

Jack and I recently saw part of the Disney movie Moana playing on a TV at a local restaurant, and although there was no volume, I have now become obsessed with the plot of the movie.  I’m pretty sure the whole thing is about a father character who is very angry about the water (may have missed the part about the female protagonist).  I put on very good dramatic reenactments of my version of the story, for those who are interested.  Performances held nightly.

Current likes: Mommy

Current dislikes: Being left alone or behind.  If someone walks away from me too quickly I shout “No leavin'” in a desperate tone.

Here I am as a four-and-a-half year old – handsome little devil, aren’t I?  I’m doing very well at school, although rest time remains a challenge (I haven’t napped since I was two, and staying completely quiet while the other kids at school sleep is very difficult!).  When I’m successful, school has been rewarding me by letting me visit some of my friends in the pre-school room who are half a year younger than I am.  My ability to keep pace academically isn’t in question, so my teachers are more than happy to let me socialize with the younger kids, and I ask to see them regularly.  To be honest, Mommy and Daddy don’t mind me hanging out with that crowd at all, since they’re all great influences in terms of behavior.

I remain bright and perceptive beyond my years, sensitive in the extreme when I think adults are commenting on me in a critical way or “making fun of me.”  I’m still reticent about trying new things, although I’m more likely to do them if I see my sister go first.  My relationship with Lena continues to evolve, and I’ve found that I quite like her – can even find her delightful – but usually only when we’re misbehaving.  Outside of her status as a co-conspirator I still have little use for her, since she follows me around the house and repeats most of what I say.

I’ve also noticed that Lena has been especially rough on Daddy recently.  She only wants Mommy most of the time, which I’ve taken as an opportunity to do some first-rate sucking up.  Whenever I believe that Daddy’s feelings may have been hurt by Lena or she’s spurned him for a hug, I make sure to run over to him and let him know I still love him.

Current likes: Doing things in my own time, and at my own speed

Current dislikes: Being compelled to do otherwise

November means apple picking season in the Hudson Valley.  Since Mommy had to work this weekend, Daddy, Mimi, and Opa took us to Weed Orchards for some outdoor fun (and plenty of apple cider donuts – yum!).