Dear Susannah,
You are two years old! (You really are. Even though every time someone asks you, you say with a grin, “I five!” When we reply, “No, you’re two!” you give us flirty eyes and say, “Yes. I am. I two!”)
At your doctor’s visit this week, you weighed 25 1/2 lbs and stand 35″ tall. What a girl! (That puts you in the 93rd percentile for height and the 33rd percentile for weight. And your head circumference of 18″ is in the 10th percentile.) Some people say you can guess a person’s height when they are an adult by multiplying their 2-year-old height by two. If that’s true, you’ll be 5’10” when you’re grown up! Which reminds me: no matter how tall you get, you always look up to your mother. Try to keep that in mind, okay?
How can I describe life with you right now? You are a bundle of energy. You wake up talking and you sing yourself to sleep most nights. You love your brother – and yet, you love smacking him when you’re frustrated. You can climb anything, jump off of anything, and open even the most well-planned babyproofed items. You are unstoppable.
You’re not much of a cuddler if Mommy or Daddy asks you to sit in our laps, but when you are ready you’ll come to us and ask, “Pick you up? I need see you. I hug you me?” You don’t define the word see the way most people do – if you ask to see someone, you don’t merely want to lay eyes on them. You want to be in their arms, in their laps, climbing their torso, in their face. Sometimes when you cuddle into me fiercely, I joke with Daddy that you’re trying to get back inside my body.
You’re still an incredibly tactile little girl. You smell, taste, and feel everything. You go through life by throwing your whole body into every moment. You dance and jump with coordination that amazes me for someone your age! After we move this summer, we’re planning to find a dance or gymnastics class you can take, because we think you’ll love it and be naturally skilled for it.
At 24 months, you are still nursing several times a day. We have finally nightweaned, from bedtime up through 4:00 a.m. But during the daytime, you often announce, “I need na-na’s!” One day, when I arrived at Lorie’s house to pick you up from babysitting, you started dancing a jig as soon as I came to the door. “Mama! Mommy! Hi! Take coat off. I need na-na’s!” I laughed and hugged you, and sat down to chat with Lorie and to nurse you. While I was taking off my coat and getting settled, you were spinning in the middle of the room, making up a song: “Na-na’s! Mommy na-na’s! I love na-na’s! So nummy, nummy na-na’s.” Nursing is one of the deep loves of your life, and it certainly makes sense: as a 2nd baby, I think you sometimes need to nurse as a way to connect with Mommy without intrusion by big brother. As a kinesthetic person, nursing satisfies so many of your needs for the world – sweet taste, familiar smell, gentle touch, comforting sound. As a dairy-intolerant kid (even though this is improving), you still rely on the nutritional balance of mother’s milk to fill dietary needs. And as a firecracker of a toddler, nursing recharges your batteries when you’ve just about worn yourself out. No wonder you’re showing no signs of stopping – and that’s fine with me.
This coming year will bring so many changes to our life. I know that your resilience, your persistence, & your determination will serve you well as you grow into a sturdy three-year-old. I love you, Susannah, and I always will.
Love,
Mama
