Riley at 2 years and 3 months

Riley, you are 27 months old! You are one busy little lady and still growing like a weed. You're about 37 lbs., over 3 ft tall, wearing 3T clothes and size 8 shoes.

Now that you're 2, you've become Miss Independent. You can still be persuaded to take help, but you mostly prefer to do things yourself. You love to help with just about anything, especially cooking, but even throwing trash into the trash can. You can climb into your carseat, brush your teeth, put on your shoes, and blow your nose among other things. You are also potty trained and have been wearing your "big girl unders" for about a month now.


You have a LOT to say and when you are awake there is rarely a quiet moment. You love to comment on everything you see and you almost always demand a willing participant to listen and respond. If I'm on the phone you want to talk too. You've got a lot of thoughts and opinions already which will probably mean trouble for your Daddy and I in the future. You've become particularly good at telling us your feelings and you'll often tell us that "I sad" (complete with head down on arms) or "I mad" (with a grr voice and crossed arms). You even say "I happy" a lot too in a very high voice that we just love. You tell us "I yuv you" and "night night" and sometimes if I tell you that I love you, you'll give me a complete "I yuv you too, Mama". Your manners still rock and you use please, thank you, welcome, sorry, bless you, and excuse me almost everyday.


You're still an outdoors girl and you prefer to be outside if you can. But pretty much you're just an on the go girl. From almost the moment you wake up each day you ask me "Ready go Mama?". So we go, a lot, to the "liberry", Target, the park, open play areas, and the gym to "play with the kids". We go swimming too when we can and you love it. You've learned to float on your back, blow bubbles, and with a lifejacket on you can swim short distances by yourself. You read books now too and you love using my card to check out books from the library. You'll sit and read the parts you can remember by yourself. You're still big into coloring, but you also really enjoy painting and we use the paint set you got from your bestie for your birthday a lot. You're also starting to understand the concept of friends more and you get very excited when we get together with them.


Riley, you are full of life and definitely one of a kind. There is never a dull moment with you and all the world is your stage. You sing a lot, bits and parts of all the songs you know and even some you don't, quite loudly, quite off key, but also majorly adorably. Last week you were singing and dancing in the kitchen and all of a sudden you did a bow and said "Thank you, thanks everybuddy" and waited for our applause. I think you definitely have a flair for the arts, but at the same time you love playing sports, riding your bike and scootering around the neighborhood. I can't wait to see what the next few years bring in terms of your interests and skills.


You're just about to become a big sister and I can't wait to see you in that role! I know that you'll love your little brother and teach him everything you know. You are my most favorite girl in the world and we love you so much.


All photos courtesy of Appleseed Photography. For awesome photos of your own kids, click here.