It’s pretty clear that I haven’t used this blog as much as I intended, but that’s typically the case with a lot of things. I’ve documented Delaney’s every day the past year on her own Instagram account, which has been one of my favorite activities (but time-consuming, leaving little room for this). But, there’s only so much that the daily updates can capture.

What Jordan and I haven’t been able to capture much of is our relationship with Delaney, our family love, and the way our lives have been shaped over the past year. We are unbelievably obsessed with our sweet girl and spend an inordinate amount of time recalling every thing she does, discussing our observations of her, and so often saying the phrases “She’s the best girl”, “Ugh, I love her”, “I love our family” and “She’s unbelievable” (for the good and the bad).

We’ve built a life with her that we never could have imagined being possible. We have so much fun doing nothing and everything, we travel often, we enjoy the city, and we experience the outdoors and new things as much as humanly possible. She makes the simplest things seem amazing and has truly given us a new perspective on everything that surrounds us – she makes friends with strangers, makes jungle gyms out of a simple path, stands in awe of animals playing, and so much more.

At Two, Delaney is talking a mile a minute – telling us all of her feelings (lots of them), her wants, her needs, and a whole buncha other ridiculously funny snippets. She is bold, she is brave, she is incredibly caring, she is dramatic, she is stubborn, she is habitual, she is so unbelievably sweet, she is smart, and she is so much funnier than we could have ever dreamed she’d be. We love her beyond all words and feel so lucky to have her in our lives.

Stats: 28.6lbs and 33 inches tall

Favorites:

• Running
• Jumping/ running on the couch
• The playground (any of them)
• Bike rides (in the backseat)
• School
• Her pack of 12+ animals that come to and from her crib
• Her crib (ironic, right!?) and sleeping
• Watching videos of herself
• Her cousins, friends, grandparents (particularly Emme and Mimi)
• Tea parties
• Trains and Buses – watching them, riding them, talking about them etc.
• PUPPIES!
• Cooking “Papa with Cheese” and “Pizza Day” for everyone (takes the money from her back pocket)
• Thomas and Friends
• Chuggington
• PB&J
• Cucumbers
• Pasta with Cheese & Pizza Day
• Frosted Mini Wheats
• Changing her animals’ diapers
• Hide and seek
• Being chased or scared
• Doing the same thing over and over again
• Saying the same thing over and over again
• Airports
• Books: Twinkle, twinkle; I can Drive (thomas), I Love You So, Snuggle Puppy, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Thank You Bear, The Very Hungry Caterpillar,
• Songs: Twinkle (Uppa Budda), ABCs (LMNOPs), Wheels on the Bus,

Strong Dislikes:

• Being kissed or hugged when not in the mood
• People invading her space
• When we don’t understand what she’s saying or asking us to do
• The word No
• All other foods than those listed above

Habits:

• Bottle before bed
• Asking for Mom when she wakes up (after months of Dad)
• Handing her 12+ animals to mom one by one and her blanket to hold while also carrying her down the stairs
• Naming all animals very logical names (bunny, mo’ bunny, ditty bunny) (puppies, puppy, new puppy)
• Not being AS angry when she wakes up
• Takes naps regularly (recent change)
• Cannot fathom someone eating something different than she is
• Sitting on someone’s lap during meals (despite valiant efforts against it)
• Falls asleep in the car or screams (no middle ground)
• Sleeps on stomach and uses millions of animals as her pillow
• Reading/mimicking all words to her favorite books (listed above)
• Starts many songs in the middle

Favorite Sayings (this is an impossible list)

• Umm..when asked a question or looking for something
• I’ll be right back
• “Oks?”
• Pluralizing nearly everything (currently) – but always Mommies and Daddies
• Chew, chew (with her hand on your chin)
• One second
• I not coming
• Close the doe (close the door)
• I doe it
• I no like dat
• Papa with cheese
• Pba Jelly
• I hungee
• Payganz (Playground)
• Whayya Doin?
• I see you!
• Whey Aryooo?
• Kib (crib)
• What’s dat Noeeeeze?
• It’s not yoz, it’s mine
• I sit down, Mommies (I want to sit down on Mommy)
• Imma Do It
• Doo doo (thank you)
• Peez (please)
• See ya in a minute!
• See ya lataz
• Pizza Day (pizza)