TWO

Maylene at age two. Whew! It's a pretty intense time. As we all know, Maylene has been curious and active since day 1... but after her first birthday, things have been especially chaotic. Motherhood is definitely more challenging than I ever anticipated. Maylene pushes me to the max, and she sure is stubborn. I have tried literally every type of parenting method you can think of to get this gal to listen and behave, but she is seriously the most curious cat. Maylene has GOT to do what she is itching to do, and she is willing to take any type of punishment to do it. In the moment it is hard to wrap my mind around. Everyone wants their kid to be polite, well-behaved with a sweet personality. (Although I know that is rarely the case) But, everyone says they will teach their child to listen, "OR ELSE!"... (Que in old stories of how their parents taught them to behave.)

I used to be one of those people. I remember working at the bank (a quiet business place where mostly adults enter.) Well, if a bratty kid would come in and throw a tantrum and demand a sucker / run from his/her parents, screaming like there's no tomorrow, us bank workers would talk. "Did you see that kid?" "I would never let my child act like that." "Someone needs to teach that kid respect" ... Que childhood stories about merely getting "the look" from mom or dad and instantly behaving out of fear.

Well, big time reality check over here. I have that kid. You know the one(s). I could tell countless stories of Maylene throwing extreme tantrums, running from me in the store, into the street, pretty much just running from me all day at home. Hitting me in public, breaking things, the list goes on. ....I know, I know, every mom of a two year old goes through this. I know that is true....to a point for some. Let me just say, if you haven't met Maylene yet, you should. You'll get to know her "spunky personality" quickly. ;) There are so many words that can be used to describe motherhood, but for right now I'll use humbling. Pretty much anything I thought I would do / not do, or be / not be as a mom has been thrown out the window. I really don't know what people think of me as a mother in public, (to the strangers who see my child screaming and hitting). And until a few months ago I used to care a lot. I used to leave the grocery store in tears every time we ran errands together. Don't get me wrong, I still care.  But I'm learning to embrace Maylene as she is. That doesn't mean I've given up on discipline, and it doesn't mean I am the goddess of patience. I'm just learning to take it a day at a time and not expect Maylene to be this "ideal" child I used to think I would/should have. Because I love her how she is. And everyone else loves her too.

It's been said a million times over, but being a mom is the greatest, best, most amazing, most difficult, most exhausting, most exasperating, most joyous thing you could do. Let's just say I've literally cried a river over the last two years. I've learned to give more than I knew possible. I learned to give all of every day time, and even some night time and nap time so that I could read parenting books and "Happiest Toddler on the Block." I've learned to plead for patience through prayer and learned to rely on God and His timing and His plan. He has a lot for me to learn, and I am definitely learning. I'm so thankful I'm no longer that naive girl in the bank making comments about the bratty kid. I'm even more thankful I'm a fellow mom with an understanding heart and an extra arm to help if needed.

Now this next part, I hope I read again and again. The thing that keeps me going -- keeps me loving -- and keeps my heart full, is how amazing Maylene really is. She is so smart. and SOO Happy! This girl lives for fun. And the biggest thing is, she never means to make me mad. She wants to figure the world out, and learn, and be like Mom & Dad. She wants to do what we do, and be as tall as we are (I'm assuming that's the reasoning behind climbing on the counter tops and table 6+ times a day). She wants to be outside all day long. She wants to do things by herself without help. And she never wants the fun to stop, ever. She laughs and smiles so much. She forgives me instantly when I get mad. I want her to be my little girl forever, but I am so excited to see this gal grow up. I just know she's going to be great. Probably an Olympian or the President or something. haha. Who knows. She'll be great at whatever she does. She is full of determination, and fun and a whole lot of love... and you can't go wrong with that.

Here's a little bit about our beautiful MayMay at age 2:
-She loves Sophia the First, Mickey Mouse, Toy Story & Cars.
-She can count 1-10!
- Knows most animals
-Obsessed with socks
-Learning to speak in sentences now.
-She knows all of her body parts and she likes to show you.
-She LOVES books.
-She has been saying prayers with help from Mom & Dad for a while. She knows when to say -"Jesus Christ, Amen" at the end. She is pretty good about keeping her arms folded. She will close her eyes sometimes but lots of peeking is going on.
- Loves swimming & being outside. Loves going anywhere in her stroller.
-OBSESSED with brushing her teeth. Holy smokes she will fight you to the death if you try to take her toothbrush away. And she calls toothpaste "pancakes." haha.
- Her favorite foods are PB & J sandwich, yogurt and popcorn. (pronounced "cacorn")
-She loves to look pretty & she loves wearing her Elsa princess dress & shoes Nannie got her for her birthday.
-She always asks for a song before bed and she tries to sing along. cutest thing ever.
-She prefers to be naked all the time! I started having her take naps / sleep at night in onesies because they are the only article of clothing that she will leave on. If I forget she will get butt naked and pee/poo on the floor in her room.
-Thinks she's the boss of our dog Olive.
-LOVES when daddy comes home from work! She runs to meet him at the door. They start playing together right away. Daddy knows how to make her laugh the most.


We love you MayMay. You are our greatest joy, and Mom & Dad are your biggest fans! We can't wait to see you get bigger & watch you learn and grow. We know you'll do great things, you already do! Thank you for choosing me to be your momma.