Two

Maggie:

Yes, I am stealing this from Dooce and several other bloggers, and doing the "letter to my daughter" thing. It just seems to work, and lets me say some things that would otherwise sound so treacly.

You're two, baby girl! As much as you are absolutely living out the "terrible twos" cliche, you are equally as funny and delightful as you are stubborn and strong-willed. Good thing, too, because there are days we both just test each other to the limits. I'm finding it harder to be the kind of mother I want to be these days--I am much more impatient and sometimes harsh than I wish I was. When you grab at everything on the counter (you can reach those now and think it's the greatest) despite my every effort to distract you or grin at me and run away when I am trying to get your coat on, it stretches my patience to its not-very-great limits. And I know I must seem like the world's biggest drag to you sometimes, when you've heard "No, Maggie, don't touch that" for like the nineteenth time that day.

On the other hand, we're having a complete blast together in other ways. Now that you're talking more, I am starting to see the connections your little brain makes and it's absolutely wonderful. You're also the funniest kid I have ever met. You've got a devilish sense of humor and and an easy laugh. It's a great laugh, too, this outburst of giggles that's impossible to resist. You LOVE getting us engaged in silly games, and enjoy directing us in your entertainment. You'll grab at our hands, while saying "hand?" and then drag us wherever you'd rather be. I love that, holding your soft little hand as we look for our next fun thing.

Your charm offensive continues unabated. I had conferences at your school a week or so before your birthday, and Anna, your teacher, started things off by saying "Maggie is a sweet and wonderful child." You're smiley as ever, and have developed a real loving side to your personality. You give hugs randomly and will say "HI!!" to any little kid we pass. At Thanksgiving, you spent time on absolutely everyone's lap. You seem to genuinely like people, and they respond to you in kind. I have a tendency to be a little shy, but none of that when you're with me because you love to engage with the world.

You have your grandparents completely wrapped around your little finger. Your grandfather, my dad, is your favorite person right now and good Lord is it cute to see. He's positively besotted with you. I've always been really close to my dad, and it's so sweet to see that love reflected and amplified between the two of you. As for you and your GrandJan, watching the two of you has gone a long way toward healing some of the wounds between her and I--but that's another post for another day.

I am so proud of you, little girl, and so amazed that this little person has come to live with us. You're so MAGGIE, in every way -- bright, beautiful, strong willed, sassy, bossy, funny and sweet. You're in so many ways still the baby you were, but in so many more I am beginning to see the older girl, and perhaps even the woman, you will become. I hope I can mother you in such a way that your self-assurededness will continue to bloom. You're so much more confident than I can ever remember being. I can't wait to see what else will develop with you, how much you will change and how much you'll stay the same great little person you are. Thanks for comng to live with us, angel. You're the joy of our lives and I can't imagine the world without you.