Small, smart, shy, sweet (alternatively titled, "Claire's 2 year update")

Claire recently turned two years old. I just love the little person that she is and can't wait to see her character, personality, and thought process continue to unfold.

She is small.  At her two year check-up, she weighed 21 pounds and is 2'7'' (31 inches) tall.  She was also 31 inches at her 18 month appointment....so either she didn't grow in the past six months, or they measured her incorrectly at her 18 month appt, which is entirely possible considering their unscientific method that includes a squirmy child, kleenex box, and measuring roll.  She is in the "less than third" percentile, a.k.a. not on the charts.  An apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I suppose!  She is growing perfectly along her own curve, eats well (and lots), and is very healthy..just small! God makes all kinds.  Claire wears mostly size 18 month clothing, but can fit into an occassional size 12 month pair of pants, or size 24 month dress.  She wears size 4/5 shoes and size 4 diapers. 

She is smart!  She can sing almost the entire alphabet (maybe it's because she does it a gazillion times a day. She has several Leapfrog toys that she sings along to) and it's one of the cutest things I've ever heard. She does it with a huge smile on her face and is so proud of herself.  She's starting to count. So far she's got, "1..2..3..4..9!"  She's stringing multiple words together (such as, "Daddy, get your coffee!" as Josh heads out the door to work) and some sentences too.  Colors, however, continue to produce confusion for our sweet girl.  We've worked on colors for months and she still calls almost every color blue!  Her pediatrician said that this age is too young to reliably know colors, though we weren't concerned anyways.  Claire amazes us by her cognitive abilities.  It's less about Claire herself, and more about skills that all children her age are developing, but since she's our first two year old, we're always surprised by new things!  When we're driving, she can spot a bullseye (Target logo) from far away and she yells, "Target!", even if it's not "her" Target location (by the way, if you are a Target shopper, do you refer to the store you regularly visit as "My" Target?  I do. And so do many others.  And you better believe Target is leveraging that sentiment in its advertising).  Makes her mom and dad proud.  She has no clue what Wal-mart is and I hope it stays that way for a long, long time! 

Our Claire is still shy in so many ways, yet outgoing at the same time.  I would also describe her as cautionary.  When we're on a playdate or at gymnastics, if a kid gets too close to her and she's unsure what they're going to do next (she knows little kids are unpredictable, and she's right), she gets this little look on her face and tries to remove herself from the situation.  She's patient, waits her turn, thoroughly enjoys people and kid watching (which makes this a perfect age for eating at restaurants), and loves going on outings. 

Finally, Claire is sweet. I just love this about her. Even at her young age, she shows how much she cares for others.  I pray that I can nurture this quality in her and that she'll use her compassion to do big things in her lifetime. 

Other random tidbits that I want to remember and add to our family scrapbook:
She goes to bed between 7:00-7:30 and puts up absolutely no fuss, as she loves sleeping!  She still sleeps in a sleepsack.  She generally doesn't make a peep until she gets up typically between 6:00-6:30, although it's been around 5:30 lately, which is why we're shopping for black-out curtains today!
Claire loves food.  I'd say her two favorites right now are yogurt and mac and cheese from Noodles. She doesn't drink juice or get many sweets, though she loves them when she does.  She couldn't care less about cartoons and we've never put a children's movie on for her (partially because we don't think it's necessary and partially because of her lack of interest).  She LOVES our iphones and the computer. 

Argh.... I wish I could document every little thing about who she is because I don't want to look back years from now and wonder what she was like at two years old.  I know that memories will fade.  So now I'm telling future Whitney what present-day Whitney knows.....  Claire is a special girl, who wears her heart on her sleeve, and brightens your day tenfold.  Somehow, I think that future Whitney will have no trouble remembering that.