Dear dee-dee,
You turn two years old tomorrow. I’m not sure you know much about it, though your older sister has done a good job educating you at consistent intervals (“dee-dee, you are turning TWO!”). Your grandparents bought you a train set (“choo-choo tain”), we are surprising you with model airplanes, and your sister spent a long time convincing me that chocolate was also your favorite flavor, so you are getting chocolate cupcakes.
You are so adorable! Everyone thinks so. You are the charmer of the family. You smile all the time, in a quiet shy way that brings out the dimple in your left lower cheek and makes everyone think you are flirting with them. Everyone stops to talk with you when we go outside and tells me how cute you look. Whenever I take out the camera you stop and say “cheeese!” and break into a huge grin.
You are quiet, and thoughtful, and careful. You back down the stairs very cautiously on your tummy and take curbs seriously. We never have to worry that you will jump off the edge of the sofa or run into anything. You are remarkably quiet, unlike your more loquacious sister; when she is at school you can go through a whole morning stacking Legos without a sound except to say “poo-poo, have poo-poo” when you need a change.
You do, however, know what you want, and when you make up your mind, it is hard to change it. You decided you didn’t want to sleep through the night for what seems like most of your first year of life, and no amount of letting you cry it out would work. You don’t have tantrums anymore, but when you used to, it was nearly impossible to prevent them or break you out of them until you were ready. You are the silent, persistent one in the back, who may not say much, but in the end sneaks over to get the toy you wanted when your sister gets distracted or is talking too much to notice.
You are really becoming your own person these days: you pick your own outfits, take off your own socks and sneakers, sit at the big table and spoon your own cereal and soup. You can string two or three phrases together, but even if you don’t it is fairly obvious what you want. You can count to ten in English and Chinese, and sometimes you skip around to twenty. You hold your crayon like a grown-up when you scribble. You can sing every other word to all the verses of the songs we sing at night, usually very loudly. Your dad thinks you have a great sense of humor, which may have to do with how you like to do silly things and walk around laughing at yourself.
Here are the things you like: airplanes and trains. Any kind of stir-fried vegetable or bread. Drinking fruit shakes. Walks. Frogs and toads. Farm animals. Feeding the fish. Rolling around on the ground with your daddy. Running around with just your diaper on. Telling people to “zwao-sit.” Hugging Seren. Opening the mail with your daddy. Killing bugs for your sister. Eating popsicles while taking baths. Reading books and pointing out boots. Sweeping the floor. Copying your sister. Your many security blankets that are actually all pieces of white cloth.
We are going to miss you at this stage. Your baby brother could come any day now, but you will always be the first little dee-dee in my heart. I will miss your softness and the way your hair sticks up after you sleep and your tummy sticks out after a big meal. I will miss your dimpled knuckles and how you lay your head on my shoulder. You add so much laughter and depth to our family and we all love you very much.
Love,
Mommy
You turn two years old tomorrow. I’m not sure you know much about it, though your older sister has done a good job educating you at consistent intervals (“dee-dee, you are turning TWO!”). Your grandparents bought you a train set (“choo-choo tain”), we are surprising you with model airplanes, and your sister spent a long time convincing me that chocolate was also your favorite flavor, so you are getting chocolate cupcakes.
You are so adorable! Everyone thinks so. You are the charmer of the family. You smile all the time, in a quiet shy way that brings out the dimple in your left lower cheek and makes everyone think you are flirting with them. Everyone stops to talk with you when we go outside and tells me how cute you look. Whenever I take out the camera you stop and say “cheeese!” and break into a huge grin.
You are quiet, and thoughtful, and careful. You back down the stairs very cautiously on your tummy and take curbs seriously. We never have to worry that you will jump off the edge of the sofa or run into anything. You are remarkably quiet, unlike your more loquacious sister; when she is at school you can go through a whole morning stacking Legos without a sound except to say “poo-poo, have poo-poo” when you need a change.
You do, however, know what you want, and when you make up your mind, it is hard to change it. You decided you didn’t want to sleep through the night for what seems like most of your first year of life, and no amount of letting you cry it out would work. You don’t have tantrums anymore, but when you used to, it was nearly impossible to prevent them or break you out of them until you were ready. You are the silent, persistent one in the back, who may not say much, but in the end sneaks over to get the toy you wanted when your sister gets distracted or is talking too much to notice.
You are really becoming your own person these days: you pick your own outfits, take off your own socks and sneakers, sit at the big table and spoon your own cereal and soup. You can string two or three phrases together, but even if you don’t it is fairly obvious what you want. You can count to ten in English and Chinese, and sometimes you skip around to twenty. You hold your crayon like a grown-up when you scribble. You can sing every other word to all the verses of the songs we sing at night, usually very loudly. Your dad thinks you have a great sense of humor, which may have to do with how you like to do silly things and walk around laughing at yourself.
Here are the things you like: airplanes and trains. Any kind of stir-fried vegetable or bread. Drinking fruit shakes. Walks. Frogs and toads. Farm animals. Feeding the fish. Rolling around on the ground with your daddy. Running around with just your diaper on. Telling people to “zwao-sit.” Hugging Seren. Opening the mail with your daddy. Killing bugs for your sister. Eating popsicles while taking baths. Reading books and pointing out boots. Sweeping the floor. Copying your sister. Your many security blankets that are actually all pieces of white cloth.
We are going to miss you at this stage. Your baby brother could come any day now, but you will always be the first little dee-dee in my heart. I will miss your softness and the way your hair sticks up after you sleep and your tummy sticks out after a big meal. I will miss your dimpled knuckles and how you lay your head on my shoulder. You add so much laughter and depth to our family and we all love you very much.
Love,
Mommy
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