2 Years Old

Rebecca had her 2 year check up yesterday.  The doctor says she's doing great!  She's growing well and developing well.  Rebecca still wasn't a fan of the doctor's office.  But at least she only cried a little instead of the entire time :)

Rebecca has grown quite a bit in the last 6 months.  She is now 27 lbs. (50th %) and 33 1/2 in. (25th %).  Only time will tell if she'll stay on the short side like Mommy or if the Voogt genes will kick in and she'll be a little taller.  For now she's still our petite little girl :) 

We can tell she's been thinning out a lot over the last year.  Almost all of her clothes from last summer still fit!  Back then she needed a 2T for her waist.  Now she needs 2T for length :)  Some things actually fit better this year than last year.

As usual the doctor was very impressed with Rebecca's development.  He said she's about a year ahead in her cognitive development (speaking, numbers, letters, etc.) and that it's already obvious she'll be very smart.  She is meeting or exceeding her developmental milestones in every area.  Our concern is keeping her challenged and not letting her get bored :)  We might work on teaching her some Spanish.  At this age she will pick it up very quickly.

We asked the doctor about Rebecca's bad chewing/choking behavior...if she doesn't like food she swallows it whole instead of chewing it or spitting it out.  Not sure how she learned that, but he said it's a bad habit she's developed and that it will just take time for her to get over it.  Hopefully she won't have to learn the hard way that swallowing food whole is dangerous! 

In the mean time we need to continue to cut her food in small pieces and encourage her to chew well.  And to let her know it's ok to spit something out if she doesn't like it.  It's better than the alternative :P

We are very happy to have made it 2 years with no ear infections!  The doctor said she beat the odds.  95% of kids have at least one ear infection by the time they are 2.  Rebecca has been sick a few times this winter and last winter...but no ear infections :)

Overall a great check up!  No shots...which makes both Rebecca and Mommy happy :)  And Rebecca was very anxious to get her stickers when we left.  She had to put them on her paper as soon as we got home :)  Now that Rebecca is 2 she only gets a check up once a year.  And hopefully we won't need to see the doctor between now and then.

Rebecca is still learning new things and growing each day.  She still LOVES music.  She is constantly learning new songs.  And she loves to sing with Mommy and Daddy or sing to her animals and dolls.  Her latest song of course is Happy Birthday to You :)  And she likes to tell us that she's 2.

Rebecca is acting more and more like 2 now as well.  She has strong opinions and doesn't like to be told no.  She seems to think that no always means something is permanent.  Like if it's potty time and we tell her to put a doll down she thinks she can't ever have it back.  She starts crying saying "you can't have it."  Hopefully at some point she'll understand that it's only for a minute.  In the mean time whenever we need to do something (like run upstairs for a minute) she feels it's necessary to pick up every toy in a 10 foot radius that she can possilby hold in her arms and take it with her :P  Just in case.

We're excited for the summer this year.  Rebecca LOVES to be outside.  She cries when we have to come in after being outside.  I'm sure there will be lots of park and playground action in our near future :)  Rebecca is really into sand this year.  We're working on cleaning up her sandbox right now.  That'll be a favorit activity this summer as well.  She isn't too interested in balls, bikes, misc. outdoor toys so far.  She mostly just likes to run and explore the yard...see what rocks and flowers she can find and bring back to her playhouse.  Hopefully we can get her to help with the garden a bit this year...get her interested at a young age.  We are also looking forward to lots of family biking.  Rebecca loves to ride along.  She jumps right in to the trailer before we even have it hooked up.

Rebecca continues to do well with her letters, numbers, counting, alphabet, shapes, colors, etc.  She still loves to read and memorizes books after reading through them once.  Her latest favorite is one of her birthday presents - One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.  She wants to read it over and over.  She has now learned the phrase "one more time." :)

Rebecca's imagination is also developing quite a bit.  She loves to play with her dolls and animals and make them do things or take care of them.  She got some baby bottles for her birthday and wants to feed her new baby (baby Joe:) all the time.  It's so fun to watch her take care of her dolls, "make" food, be creative with play-doh and play dress up.

There is always more that could be said.  But we'll stop at that.  Rebecca is a strong, healthy, smart, creative, loving 2 year old.  She is such a joy to watch.  She gives the best hugs and kisses.  And she is our little miracle.  A true blessing from God.