Never Underestimate the Speed of a Two-Year-Old...

"I just need to find some cheap play shirts," I said to myself as I pushed the cart into the toddler section. I looked at Annessa - the popcorn from "Resturante de Targete" was working. She was munching happily in the big bin of the cart. I turned to find her size "I better get a 3-T" I thought comparing the shirt to the 2-T. "Man she is getting big."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a leg swing over the edge of the cart. "What the...." I turned to look - "You've GOT to be KIDDING me!" My monkey - oops - I mean my daughter had successfully climbed out of the shopping cart and was now bolting to the home goods section.

Not wanting to make a scene (after all, I saw someone from work there as I was walking in), I did a fast-paced walk, trying to catch up to her. "Oh no - she's headed towards the vase isle! Screw it!" My legs sprinted down the isle, unable to keep up with this speed demon. Thank God she ran past the glass and was headed toward the comforters. Bam! She threw her body into a "bed in a bag" set. She looked up at me a laughed.

"Mama, fun!"

"Yeah - a blast...."

25 Random Things About Annessa

She...

1. has a thing for animals
2. loves bubble baths (already!)
3. locked herself in my truck today
4. reads herself to sleep
5. loves mama and daddy's "big bed"
6. says "hi" to anyone she sees
7. loves fruit
8. climbs on EVERYTHING
9. would swing all day
10. wants to go outside the minute she wakes up
11. chases Gus around the house
12. has a new-found love of chocolate milk
13. knows all of her letters and sounds (I am particularlly proud of this!)
14. has a tough time pronouncing the hard /c/ sound
15. loves diggers and dump trucks
16. giggles when she plays hide 'n seek
17. lists off all the people she knows when she prays at night
18. loves to dance - especially when mama and daddy dance with her
19. is trying to break the world record for "the most times anyone can say 'I want' in a day"
20. sleeps with 3 blankets, as many stuffed animals as possible, a few bath toys and two bins of books
21. knows what the "golden arches" mean...french fries
22. has a carefree spirit
23. is not afraid to take risks
24. has the prettiest brown eyes I've ever seen
25. is the best thing that has ever happened to us

A Child's Voice

Annessa and Aunt Jenni at Jen and Dan's wedding (This picture has nothing to do with the post, but I thought it was darn cute, so what the heck!)

So when does a baby's voice turn into a child's voice? Somehow, my babbling little baby now has the voice of a little kid. Today I came home from school and heard, "Hi, Mama!" in this cute, sweet, soft voice. I have to say that it melted my heart. I should have listened to my friend, Kathy (who is always right!), when she said I should tape record or video tape her babbling. At the time, it seemed like she would babble forever - putting strings of sounds together, her little voice going up and down as Rich and I said silly things like "No way!" "Gus did that?" "Then what happened..."



Now, she is suddenly making sense. Like she can actually communicate. When did this happen?? Part of me misses my baby, but an even bigger part of me loves hearing her say, "Hi, Mama!" when I open the door (maybe I should tape record that....).