Elsa at Two

Elsa turned two years old on Friday, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about her wonderful little personality as she officially transitions from baby to child. So, without further ado, here's who Elsa is now. It'll be interesting to see how accurate this still is in 10 or 20 years. : )

• She's loving and affectionate. No doubt about this one. If I kneel down and hold out my arms, she still runs straight to me for a hug with a huge smile on her face, regardless of what she might be busy with at that moment (usually). She still gives kisses on request, even when she's mad or crying about something (Bob and I love those pouty, tear-soaked kisses). She still loves to sit on our laps, sometimes for long stretches at a time (although that's getting less frequent). She's definitely a cuddler—I am not allowed to put her down for a nap or to bed for the night without a good cuddle in our rocking chair first.

• She's a talker. Anybody who's spent any amount of time around Elsa knows that. Words are just constantly coming out of this child's mouth. It's truly non-stop. I fear for our future cellular bills.

• She's a people person. She always wants to know everybody's name—and usually remembers it, after hearing it just once or twice. (Now that the Olympics are done, she keeps asking me, "Where'd Bob Costas go?") She's not a fan of playing by herself. She's getting better about it, but I can tell she doesn't enjoy it much. At the very least, she wants to be in the same room as everybody else—she will often drag her blocks, her dolls, etc., from the playroom to wherever I am. For a while I thought she was very attached to me, but eventually I realized that it's not necessarily Mommy that she needs—it's interaction in general. Little Miss Chatterbox just wants somebody to talk to—she doesn't care if it's me or the cashier at Pick 'N Save. : )

• She's curious and contemplative. One of the comments I get most often about Elsa, even sometimes from strangers, is that she "looks like she's thinking about things and figuring everything out." Before she could talk, whenever we would go into any new or unusual environment, Elsa would get very quiet and wide-eyed and subdued. At the time I thought she was shy, but now I realize she was just studying everything and processing it all. She still does that, though of course it's now supplemented by her running commentary on all of her observations. She also constantly questions me about what things are, who people are, etc. And when I tell her, wow, she remembers. She's got a memory like a steel trap, this one.

• She's not very brave or adventurous. She often seems like she wants to do something brave, and she considers it—but in the end, she decides against it. I've seen this on the playground often. And any little physical mishap—a slip, a scraped knee, etc.—leads to even greater caution. The upside of this is that we've had almost no typical childhood injuries (knock on wood).

• She's laid-back. So far, no matter what situation she's been thrown into, after a short adjustment period, she's her usual happy self and is perfectly comfortable. Her stay with my family while we were in Hawaii is a huge example of this. I didn't know how she'd react, since she obviously doesn't get to see my family as often as we'd like, but she had practically no issue with it at all. She just went about her business as usual. And I don't think she's ever had a true temper tantrum. She'll cry if she doesn't get something she wants, of course, but she's never thrown herself to the floor and kicked and screamed or anything (another knock on wood). And she's easily distracted or redirected when she does get upset.

• She's generally happy and upbeat. I will say that I don't think she laughs as often as some little kids—I guess she must take after her Daddy in that respect, with high standards when it comes to humor. But her adorable smile is never in short supply, and she's always flashing that one dimple of hers. I've decided this is further evidence of her even-keel temper, as mentioned above. Of course, at two, it's hard to say whether this attitude will continue throughout her life, but here's a good example of her current outlook: We've been encouraging her to come up with her own names for her stuffed animals and dolls. So far, she named one doggy "Howl", but every other stuffed animal has been given the same name—"Happy." Everybody is "Happy." I guess she thinks everyone else is as upbeat as she is. Not a bad way to be, actually. : )

We love you, little girl. We hope you stay as innocent and carefree as you are today. We are so lucky to have you in our lives. Happy birthday!