The Advantages of Being Two Years Old

As we anxiously await the arrival of a new nephew (another post on patience coming up!), I have busied myself with the busy life of a certain two-year-old. Savannah and I play all day while Grant and Sierra are at school, and boy, have I learned how to see the world with new eyes. For example, being two gives you the advantage of:

• Trying on every pair of shoes you see, including your sister's pink cowboy boots, your old sandals that do NOT fit, as much as you want them to, your father's work shoes (stinky!), your mom's sweaty workout socks (they go up to her knees), some random rain boots, etc. She is convinced that the right foot goes on the left and vice versa. Talk about having your own fashion sense.
  
• Calling yourself Toot Toot. And your big sister Sissie. And pretty much just having your own language. Knowing what sound nearly every animal makes, including giraffes. Talk about having your own worldview. And knowing your place in it.
  
• Learning how to open the pantry door, then learning how to open your own fruit snacks, granola bars, and goldfish crackers. Talk about being self-sufficient.
• Recognizing an inherent need for other people. I love hearing her say "hold you," with the accompanying tug on my leg or arm. Asking for help constantly. Snuggling into someone on the couch or from her carseat. Holding someone's hand. Giggling with her sister at night now that they share a room. Talk about dependence in the purest sense.
  
• Taking plenty of bumps and bruises. Crying for a minute, kissing things better (and she doesn't hesitate to kiss them better herself!), and then getting up for the next new thing. Talk about risks and self-healing.
  
• Playing at the playground. Trying out every single piece of equipment and making up all sorts of new ways to play with a hunk of metal and a piece of plastic. Learning how to climb backwards down a climbing wall. Talk about not being afraid of new things.
• Examining every ant and rock and crack in the sidewalk between home and the playground. Walking on the red curb along the sidewalk. Touching flowers and leaves and holding on to any human in contact. Having a keen ear for airplanes and buses and dogs. Dancing in the rain. Talk about using all of your senses. And being inquisitive.
  
• Dancing and dancing and dancing. Dancing to any music. Dancing to no music. Making up her own music. Lifting up her skirt to dance even better. Pointing her fingers and skipping. And I wish you could see her run. She wags her little bootie and shifts her elbows and runs just like Phoebe on Friends. It's the greatest thing you've ever seen and you just feel this laughter rolling out of your deepest parts. Talk about living it up with every fiber of your being.