2

I know, I know...it's been a while. But I've been busy. Marissa turned 2 this week! And last weekend my parents and Dan's parents were all here for a big party weekend. Lol. It was so much fun. Marissa got a bunch of awesome stuff for her birthday. I can't wait for the weather to be nice all the time, so she can ride her new tricycle up and down the sidewalk! We're also hoping to buy a swingset for our backyard, but man, they are expensive!

I can't believe my baby is 2! She's definitely not my baby anymore!

Stats from 2-year well check up on her actual birthday:
23 lbs (10th percentile)
33 3/4 inches (Dr. said "average")

He was pretty pleased with her weight gain, and I was surprised that her height was average. She just seems smaller than most 2 year olds that I've known. Everything checked out just fine. She had a finger prick check, and got a Dora band-aid. She didn't even whimper, because she saw the Dora band-aid. She was so obsessed with it, that by the time we got home, she had pulled it off!

Our weekend extravanganza was wonderful. It only took Marissa about 5 minutes to remember both sets of grandparents, and she even came up with different names for them, and figured out who goes with who! Granny = benny, Pop-pop, Grandma = Mum, Grandpa = Pop-pop. She calls both Grandpas Pop-pop, but knows which goes with Granny and Mum. That's confusing, lol, but she had it all figured out. She was so cute when she kept asking for certain grandparents if they left the room, and had to make sure she knew where everyone was at all times!

I made a zillion chocolate cupcakes Saturday morning, and Marissa was sooooo excited to eat some "TACO!" Chocolate and chapstick both sound like "taco" and I think she even knows what a real taco is. But she knew EXACTLY what chocolate was, and knew she wanted some! That's my girl!

My parents slept in the double bed in Rach's room, Rach slept in the twin bed in Marissa's room (with Marissa) and Dan's parents slept on the double futon in the finished basement bedroom. It was awesome that we could fit everybody, but when Marissa shares a room she doesn't sleep as well, or as late in the morning. Friday night around 1am she woke up crying pretty hard and coughing. Saturday she was a little off in the morning, and after her nap she was even more upset and miserable. It's either allergies or some weird cold that no one else has. Her nose is all nasty, and she has a weird little cough. We did the main party/presents Saturday after her nap, so she wasn't as excited as I expected her to be since she didn't feel very well. But she still enjoyed all the gifts, and had fun playing with them as she opened them. She was mostly in a good mood, and really did very well considering there were so many people around and she wasn't feeling well.

After reading some other blogs of parents with almost-2 year olds, and hearing what the grandparents had to say all weekend, I realized I am extremely lucky with her usual sleeping habits! This weekend was probably the first time she has been awake in the middle of the night since we really set down the rules for bedtime (I think it was in October?). She never cries to go to sleep. She never wakes up in the night. She sleeps from 8pm-7:30am every day, and naps for a hour and 20 minutes every day (at least, sometimes a little longer). She sometimes babbles in her crib before falling asleep, but never gets upset. She's just wonderful!

Sunday we went to church and out to lunch with Dan's parents (my parents left early that morning), so we didn't get back til way past Marissa's naptime. Once Dan's parents left, Marissa slept for a normal naptime. So did I. Haha. But when she woke up, she was so sad. I brought her downstairs, and she just cuddled with me for at least 20 minutes! We just sat on the couch and she hugged me, arms wrapped around my neck, head on my shoulder. It was wonderful. She hasn't cuddled that long since before she could walk! It was so sweet, and just what this mommy needed. I can't believe she isn't my little baby anymore!

Some of Marissa's new phrases are so funny. When she falls, or even pretends to fall, she always says "I fell me!" Also, we make a big point of taking turns at work, so now she's worried about taking turns all the time. Whenever she thinks it's her turn, she says "Frissa's turn!" That's how she says her name lately, and it just makes me laugh every time. She also says "Frissa's" whenever it's something that's hers, or she thinks it's hers. Frissa's car, Frissa's bed, Frissa's purple shoes, etc. It's so fun to watch her figure things out!

In other non-interesting news, my left bottom wisdom tooth decided that now would be a perfect time to grow in. I've been told many times that I need to have them all removed, but haven't got around to it. Plus, for some reason our dental insurance doesn't cover very much. My top wisdom teeth are in, and have been for a while. They don't hurt, but they're really hard to brush since they're so far back. But now that my bottom one is coming in, my inside cheek is all swollen, and I can't even bite all the way down. I've been biting my cheek for almost 2 weeks now, and it's KILLING ME! I feel like such a baby, but then, babies are miserable when they're teething, so then I don't feel so bad about complaining. Lol.

I guess that about covers everything. Sorry for the delay! This afternoon Marissa and I are going to visit with one of my high school friends at the college we both graduated from. I can't even remember the last time I saw her - 3 years ago or more? Should be fun!