Roxy at 2

Roxy at 2. I'm bummed that the best photo is blurry. But people, taking photos while holding a two week old is not easy!

Roxy at 2:

• Favorite food is cheddar cheese (a girl after her mom's heart (and stomach))
• Sings whole songs mostly on tune. Current Roxy hits are "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "I Love to See the Temple," "Hush Little Baby," and "Let's Go Fly a Kite."
• Counts to 10
• Knows all her colors (she's had these down for quite some time now)
• Goes to sleep ridiculously easily. She doesn't fight bedtime and if she's not ready to sleep, she will just chill in her crib.
• Sometimes she likes to hang out in her crib alone even when it's not bedtime. It's not a punishment, she asks for it! Usually when she's upset but sometimes just because. She'll stay in the crib just talking / singing / playing with her snuggle blankets anywhere from 5-20 minutes. I'm actually really glad that she recognizes when she needs some alone time and then she makes it happen. 
• Copies everything Pippa does and says.
• Loves "Baby Bin" (that's how Roxy pronounces baby's real name) and is SO gentle with her. I was so scared that Roxy would be insanely jealous of baby, but she hasn't been at all! It's been a wonderful surprise!
• When I'm getting ready to nurse baby Gemma, Roxy will open her mouth super wide to show Gemma what she should do to eat. Roxy also likes to "help" nurse Gemma by putting her hand on my breast.
• Only likes to go slow and low on the swing in our backyard and at the park. Like moving only 6 inches to the front and back slow. But this is progress because she wouldn't even get in the swing the first 3 months we had it. Then for a month she would only sit in it and didn't want to be pushed at all. 
• Always wants to be first to get her hair done. Requests either a ponytail or clips. If she chooses clips, she wants four or five in her hair at one time. I've taken to hiding the clips and only putting two on the counter. The top of her hair is still straight, but she is getting a few curls around the edges of the straight portion. People stop us all the time to compliment her curls.
• LOVES playing in the dirt in our backyard.
• Recently started calling Pippa "AZ" or "Ace-E" instead of just "A."
• Usually naps from 1:30 to 3 or 3:30. Goes to bed around 8 and wakes around 7:45. Often I'm not sure how long she's been awake because she will just happily chill in her crib. 
• Still sucks her thumb.
• Not anymore, but for a while she would say "pie" meaning "up high."
• Carries her two blankets with her ALL THE TIME around the house (we don't let her take them outside, because who wants to look for lost blankets in the yard, garage, laundry, car, neighbor's, etc?). This leads to many episodes of "where my snuggle blankey go?" She occasionally wakes us up crying in the night asking this. Usually she's sitting on it.
• Says "pick up me" instead of pick me up. Just since Gemma was born Roxy has started saying it the right way "pick me up" and I miss her saying it the other way.
• Likes to stretch her arms across a doorway or across the hall and pretend to be a gate, opening and closing for people going by.
• Has the best hip swing when she jogs / runs. T has a great video of it - I'll try to add it here. 
• Is currently cautious and doesn't like strangers. You should see the stink eye and pouty lip she gives strangers who talk to her.
• Loves pockets in her clothes and loves putting her hands in the pockets.
• Might be losing her curlies? Or maybe not. Roxy still doesn't have curls on the top of her head / bangs area and I feel like her hair is straightening out at the nape of her neck. 
• Had her first x-rays (right knee and hip). Roxy has been complaining since the first week of June that the back of her knee hurt (and still is complaining). She would complain about it 3-5 days a week multiple times a day - at odd times, too, like after nap or during snack or while playing. After two pediatrician appointments, x-rays, and a specialist visit. The official diagnosis was tight hamstrings and tendonitis. AKA growing pains. I'm glad we got it checked out though. 
• Finally likes doing slides at the playground again. For about nine months she wouldn't go down slides sitting up or on her tummy even though before this started she did like going down slides on her tummy. Not sure what made her change her mind. 
• Can put on her own shoes - her (sort of) slip on natives, white sandals, and pink velcro sneakers. 
• Will blow kisses and catch kisses if you blow them to her.
• Never falls asleep in the same position. She's all over the place in the crib and position.
• Says "why?" all the time. Pretty sure she picked it up from Pippa and that Roxy has no idea what it really means.
• Loves her fire truck shirt.

Right now Roxy is kind of all or nothing. If you ask her to do something and she wants to cooperate she will cheerfully do it right away. If you ask her to do something and she says "no," nothing you will do or say will make her do it. And she says "no" so nonchalantly and just turns and walks away. The things that she says yes or no to are completely arbitrary. I tried to get Roxy to say "I'm two!" But she wouldn't cooperate.

The outtakes:

We love this girl!