Dear Tristan - 2 Years, 1 Month

Dear Tristan,
You've finally decided that you love school. Two days ago when you went in you saw your teacher in the hallway and went running, pell-mell, tumble-bumble, full speed ahead. There is nothing cuter than you running with your arms swinging all around you and a smile on your face. I saw your teachers face light up when she saw your smile and I know for sure, your super power is sweetness and light.

You have a sense of humor too and I just love it. You love to laugh but even more, you love making other people laugh. We are a pretty happy family as it is, but your antics crack us up... even your brother.
You have a natural rhythm and love music and dancing. I've seen many kids dance and most of them look like a monkey on expresso, but you can actually move to the beat. We encourage it too, not only because it's adorable, but because we are always trying to do anything and everything to let you work out that energy so that you will sleep.
I would be remiss if I didn't write at least something about the sleeping habits that you've developed. We took the front panel off of your crib, so that you could get in and out on your own. You do have a bed rail not because we thought that the 12 inch fall from your toddler bed would hurt you in any way, but because you might wake up from it and let the entire house know of your displeasure at say, 3am.

Because you have the freedom to get in and out of your bed at will, you've been experimenting with different areas to sleep in your room. We have a lazyboy chair in your room that we've sat in to rock both you and your brother as babies. This is your prefered place of sleeping. You get your blanket, (still called gankie) and a stuffed animal or two and curl up in the chair for a nap or to sleep for the night. Sometimes you read a book or two until you get sleepy and then just drift off.
Many times you try to crawl behind the chair into the corner and curl up with your blanket to sleep. I wonder if the corner is like a womb because it's enclosed or because you're just that stubborn. It does look cozy with you all curled up there, purple dinosaurs and all.

There is something else that I feel is necessary to mention and it's this, you can say either Mama or Daddy for 10 solid minutes, each word perfectly spaced apart so it sounds like a metronome. You do this because you know for sure that either Mommy or Daddy will turn around and ask what we can do for you. Anything to make it stop. It doesn't mean that you are going to get the cookie that you are demanding, in fact it's more likely that you won't and will deciding that your metronome method won't work that you'll try the tantrum method instead. And if the tantrum method won't work, you'll resort to throwing whatever is next to you or hitting your brother.
You are definately proving that you are fully immersed in the terrible twos... it's a good thing you're so damn cute.
I love you,
Mama