23 Things I Love About My Little Lady...

Mads is fast approaching her second birthday, I can't believe at the end of December I will have a two year old.  She is a joy to be around, and minus the odd tantrum is growing into a lovely little person.  Here are 23 things I love about my soon to be 23 month old...

1.  The way she drinks her milk at night- she is all clean and fresh after a bath, and she lies on my lap, and we snuggle together, brush teeth and read a story.  We then turn the light out and she holds the milk (or milkies as we call it) and just completely relaxes in my arms.  I love the little glug glug noises she makes when she drinks her milk- they are totally adorable.

2.  The way she asks for family cuddles- Just recently she has started saying 'family cuddles.'  We have said it a lot to her in the past, and I think she has just picked up on it.  She will be cuddling Daddy or we will all be lying in bed, and she will turn and ask for 'family cuddles.'  We then just all cuddle together with her in the middle.  

3.  How affectionate she is in general- She will be in the middle of playing, or watching TV, or even walking, and will suddenly ask for a 'love' which is our word for cuddle, or a kiss.  Or she will just lean over and give you a kiss- she is very independant but also very affectionate and I love that about her.

4.  How she loves being chased- For some reason being chased is the best thing ever so if either Mr E or and I say to her 'I am going to get you,' she lets out the most adorable little squeal and runs as quick as her little legs will carry her.  We obviously always catch her and as we pick her up into our arms she lets out the best giggle ever.  It could melt your heart.

5.  Her facial expressions- I have never seen a child do as many facial expressions as she does- she cracks me up with her little faces that she pulls.

6.  Her sleep- My God this girl can sleep.  Since she was born we have been blessed with the best sleeper ever- I could count on one hand the amount of times she has woken up since she was six months old.  She sleeps 12-14 hours a night, sometimes even treating us to 9am lie in's, and she generally has a 2-3 hour nap during the day.  She is just incredible.  I know our next one will be an insomniac but I have to thank my little girl for being the worlds best snoozer, it has made our transition to parents a lot easier.

7.  Her love for her Daddy- The way she loves her Daddy is the most adorable thing ever.  She squeals in delight when he comes in through the door after work, and in the mornings Mummy is neglected while she snuggles against Daddy.  She giggles and laughs at him constantly, and he is the apple of her eye.

8.  Her love for Grandma/Auntie Anna/Grandpa/Nana- You get the picture.  She is the first grandchild in our family and therefore is doted on by so many people.  It just so happens that she has more than enough love to go around- she never fails to make me proud as to how she has the capability of making those who love her smile.

9.  The way she offers you tea- She has a little play kitchen, and she will always ask you if you would like a cup of tea.  The other day she asked if I would like a coffee- someone else must have taught her that as it wasn't me.  She brings you a cup and saucer, and gives you a spoon, and I could literally drink a million cups of tea all day as long as they are from her.

10- Her curls- Playing with those little blondy brown curls while we are cuddling melts my heart.  Her beautiful little ringlet curls, that every one comments on.  Unfortunately she will no doubt lose them, as I was exactly the same when I was younger and now I have hair that is neither curly nor straight- just frizzy- but while they last those little ringlets are the best thing ever.

11- Her love of reading- She is just like her Mummy, she is never far away from a book.  I always had my head in a book when I was younger and she is turning out to be exactly the same.  She loves to pick out a book to read at bedtime and I love how excited she gets about being immmersed in a good story.  Reading to her is one of my favourite things to do.

12-  Her cleverness-  In my eyes this child is a baby genius!  I shall be getting her a membership to Mensa for Christmas- in all seriousness I am proud of the way in which she learns and absorbs things.  Her speech is incredible, she never stops chatting, and she learns new words every day.  She picks things up very easily, and I am proud of the way she is learning.  The other day she dropped something on the floor of the car and asked me to 'rescue it.'  I didn't teach her that word, but she has learnt it from somewhere.

13- Her feisty side- Tantrums no, but feisty yes.  She has a little feisty side and a twinkle in her eye.  I wouldn't want no cheekiness, her fun side is what makes her who she is.  This little person knows exactly what she is doing- when I get her a biscuit she will always ask for two, and she will sneak off into the kitchen to try and raid the snack cupboard.  She has a little glint in her eye, and I bloody love her for that.

14-  The way she sucks her fingers- She loves to suck her fingers and has done since she was a baby.  I love it.

15- The way she plays with ears- Likewise her comfort when she is tired, ill or upset is to play with our ears.  Her little fingers just stroke them and it is quite possibly the cutest thing ever.  If she is crying sometimes and you say ears it makes her stop.  Too cute.

16- The way she kisses my tummy- She always asks to kiss my tummy, and sometimes tries to pull my top up when we are out which can be embarrassing.  But it is so cute that she wants to give my tummy a kiss.  When you ask her what is in there she says 'baby.'  I don't think she really understands as if she did, I think she would actually be a litle freaked out.

17- The way she laughs and says 'Bum' when she has a touch of wind- I know perhaps not the best thing to have taught her but if she ever has wind and I hear her, she looks at me all embarrassed, lets out a little giggle and says 'Bum.'  It is rather endearing.

18- The way her memory is like a sponge- She remembers everything you tell her.  As we go up my Mums driveway she shouts for Grandma, and when we go Great Grandmas house she always talks of the 'fish' as my Grandma has a pond and she likes to go and feed them.  If we go to the petrol station she says 'petrol mummy,' she just has a really good memory.

19- The way if someone does something funny she calls them silly-  If I drop something on the floor or make her laugh she says 'silly mummy.'  Or if she drops something she will say 'Silly Mads.'  It is very cute indeed.

20- The way she makes me laugh- At 23 months she already has me in stitches with some of the things she comes out with.  It gives me glimpses into the future of what kind of relationship we are going to have and the fun we are going to experience.

21- How even the smallest things make her happy- I love experiencing things through her eyes, it is magical watching how she gets excited about the littlest things.  How peeling potatoes with Grandma is the most fun ever, or how kicking the leaves under the tree makes her giggle with joy.  There is nothing more exciting as a parent than to watch her learn and grow.

22- How she already is a clean freak like her Mummy- I have an unhealthy obsession with keeping my house tidy and I have unfortunately, or fortunately instilled this in her.  She hates mess, and hates her hands being dirty.  She doesn't like crumbs on her highchair or things to be on the floor.  She likes to hold my hand while I do the hoovering and I give her a cloth and she finds it ever so fun to help me clean.  Her future husband will hate me, but I have got myself a ready made helper there.

23- Everything about her-  She has her moments, she can try my patience and when she goes into a meltdown over putting her shoes on I sometimes question my sanity.  But she is a gorgeous, beautiful little person who is growing up so quickly and she makes me proud every day.  Being a parent is tiring, sometimes stressful, but ultimately the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

I love every single little thing about her.