Violet, just after her 2nd birthday

Violet continues to delight and amaze, even as she embarks upon her second year. So far the twos have not been terrible at all. (KNOCK WOOD.) This is not to say that she is an angel all the time, but she is definitely a lot of fun.

Violet has a surprisingly good memory for such a little girl. It always astounds me, but she remembers every single treat that she has ever received at any given friend's house. Whenever we go back to that friend's house, she will ask for the specific treat that she was given at prior visits. At Ian's house, she always wants cereal and milk. At Noelle's house, she wants to watch a Thomas movie while eating popcorn. And at Seth's house, she started asking for chocolate, because we had gone there for a birthday party and she had a chocolate cupcake.

My mom started playing this little game months and months ago with Violet where she would say, "Are you my lovey dovey?" Every time I mentioned my mom to Violet, she would say, "Lovey dovey." The last couple of times my parents came down for a visit just reinforced it. Now Violet actually thinks that "Lovey dovey" is what she is supposed to call her Ammah.

Violet is developing a fair bit of sass as she grows up. She recently learned how to say "uh-uh" instead of "no," which I don't love at all. She has no problem telling people "Stop it!" when they are doing something she doesn't like. She often tells me this when I try to restrict her access to numi num. She'll say, "Stop it!" while trying to pull my hands away from my shirt. When I tell her, "You stop it!" she has been answering back, "No, you stop it!"

I had to laugh the last time my parents were here. We were riding the tram at the Wild Animal Park, and Violet was walking around while the tram was moving. My mom was holding the back of her dress to keep her from falling, which was bugging Violet. She said, "Stop it, lovey dovey!"

She's also getting bossier. When it comes to me, most of her demands center around giving her access to numi num. When I come into the living room, she'll tell me, "Mommy, sit on couch!" If I'm standing, she'll order me to "Sit down!" If I'm sitting, she will often command, "See-up!" which means "stand up."

She loves singing songs. Her current favorites are a bunch from the Sesame Street songbook, including "C is for Cookie,""Elmo's Song," and the song about how everyone will use the potty from "Elmo's Potty Time." She also likes the ABC song, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," and "Hop Little Bunnies."

I've decided to try to grow out her bangs, and she is currently in that awkward phase where they are too short to pull back but are long enough that they are always hanging in her face. I've started getting a little more creative with her hairdos as a result. She is getting better about tolerating me doing her hair and also with keeping the rubber bands in. She will, however, not keep clips in at all. There is something about having her hair done that makes her look so grown up, though.

She is also becoming quite the fashionista. She will now often pick out her own outfits, and I'm pleasantly surprised that she actually has quite a good eye for what will go together. Sometimes she takes it to extremes, though. Back in January, Tom took the kids to the park and it started getting a little chilly. Violet refused to wear the jacket that was in the backpack because "No match!" which was Violet's way of saying that the jacket didn't match her outfit.

One of my favorite things to do with Violet is to see her playing with her friends. She is such a friendly baby, both boys and girls of all ages seem to really like her. She is very easy and is more than happy to just follow along with whatever anyone wants her to do. She will definitely let them know if she doesn't want to do something or if it's too much, but generally she is content to go along with whatever game anyone wants to play with her. I love when we are at a park or someplace and an older child will just take charge of her. It makes playdates very easy for me, much easier in fact that if I am just home alone with her.

She also really loves other moms. There are two moms at Jack's preschool whom she particularly likes. Louise (or Yoo-eez, as Violet calls her) is Nicole's mom, and they come to our Wednesday Mommy and Me classes. As soon as Violet sees Louise, she just wants to hang out with her. She will sit on Louise's lap during circle time and hold her hand during Ring Around the Rosie. Lucky for everyone, neither Nicole nor I are the jealous types. :)

Seeta is Jordan's mom, and I think Jordan is the closest thing to a best friend that Violet has right now. Violet and Jordan love it when Seeta picks them both up, one on each arm, and dances around with them. I think Violet asks Seeta to pick her up ("Uppy uppy uppy!") as much as she asks me. Jordan's sister is on Jack's T-ball team, and it's a godsend for me. Somehow I got roped into being a team parent, which means that sometimes I have to run the bench during the game, getting the kids lined up in order and making sure they are ready when it is their turn to bat. It can sometimes be difficult to do all that plus keep track of Violet. Thankfully, Seeta or her husband will usually keep an eye on her for me as she and Jordan play.

At night, she stays in Jack's room for the first part of his bedtime routine. She is now chiming in with "Moomy!" a la Jack at the end of every stanza of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." Then she gives him a kiss and will say, "Hug! Squeeze!" with her arms straight out to her sides to get Jack to give her a hug. She does the same thing to me: "Kiss! Hug! Squeeze!" As Tom carries her out of the room, she'll say, "Night-night, Jack-Jack! I yuv yoo!"

Ahhh. What a sweetie pie.