Happy 2nd Birthday Juliet!!

Oh how to even DESCRIBE her?? I've been using the word sassy for awhile...and it's still accurate, but I'm wondering if there is a more extreme version of sassy that I could switch to? Complete terror? No...too harsh. Something between sassy and terror...let me know if you have the word for that.

Like tonight, Chris told her to say goodnight to Aidric and me so the two of them could go into her room to read stories. She answered with a defiant, "NO! I NOT going to do that!" And then, 20 seconds later, she ran towards me to fling herself on me for a hug. She just wants it to be HER idea. Lord HELP us.

Things we adore about our sassy teenager two year old:

1. When someone gets hurt (usually Aidric) she's the first one there to give a hug, rub his back or head in comfort.

2. The way she sings Tinkle Tinkle Ittle Ar at the top of her lungs...we need to get that on video.

3. The hugs that start from her standing and go to a free fall onto the person she is hugging.

4. Her ridiculously coy little smile when she knows she's done something she shouldn't but is "talking" her way out of it.

5. Her independence- everything is met with an "I do it SELF".

6. When she is playing with something and Aidric asks for a turn, the IMMEDIATE response is "2 minutes"...telling him how long before he can have it. I think we started this by forcing turn taking, but allowing the current "holder" of the toy to determine WHEN the other could play with it. Unfortunately, she now uses it on us...example:
Mommy: "Juliet, you need to come here."
Juliet: "2 minutes"

7. Her run/waddle...she gets going with her arms kind of bent up like a chicken, and she just GOES. Also need a video of this.

8. When we say, "Juliet, do you want to have a timeout?" and she answers "yeh" and then runs to time out to stand there for about 5 seconds before yelling, "I ready mommy". Real effective.

9. When we put ANYTHING in her crib besides the beloved lovies and 2 specific blankets, we are met with an "I no NEED that" as she throws it out. No luck trying to sneak an extra blanket in in the middle of the night..she'll have it on the floor before morning.

10. How lately, the minute she starts to get scolded, she holds her arms out and asks sweetly, "hug?" This is especially common when she's in a shopping cart and she wants us to walk through the store in an embrace.

11. The way she passionately rambles about any random topic. She actually has decent verbal skills when she knows what she wants to say. The rambling is more when she's really excited and she has all the attention and wants to keep it. She can talk jibberish for a good 30-60 seconds NONSTOP throwing only a random REAL word in every now and then. This morning, it was about her puppy. So, it went something like this.

joopudubye.menomesibadu.PUPPY.appamiabu.balamatobebuh.

But imagine that for at least 100 more lines.

I wish I had a super amazing picture to go with this post, but I'll put taking pictures of Juliet on the "things I do not love right now" list. I put her in her "2" shirt this morning and tried to get just ONE decent shot, but we only lasted about 30 seconds before I realized it wasn't going to happen. Poor thing...you can see in her eyes that she's starting to get whatever Aidric and I have had.