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<\/a><\/p>\nI’ve absolutely loved watching our babies turn into little people with such distinct, individual personalities and Zara is no exception. \u00a0She is super independent most of the time. If I dare to pick her up to put her in her high chair, she yells a distressed, “Me! Me! ME,” that doesn’t let up until I put her back down on the floor and let her climb in by herself. \u00a0Choosing clothes for her to wear is best done quickly and strategically while she’s not looking, because if the dresser drawer is open, you can bet your bottom dollar she will have enormous opinions about what to wear. \u00a0Around February I had a few packs of diapers with XO’s on them for Valentines. \u00a0Zara loved<\/em> them. \u00a0Every diaper change turned into an ordeal because she wanted the “E,O” ones and anything else produced huge alligator tears. \u00a0Speaking of clothes, it’s hysterical taking her shopping. \u00a0For the longest time, everything she saw was “dat TUTE, me, ME!” and there were huge tears when things had to be put back on the shelf. \u00a0But the other day she was in a mood and it wasn’t a pretty one. \u00a0She’d missed her nap for the second day in a row and I was actually looking for spring \/ summer clothes for her. \u00a0I thought she’d love it. \u00a0But oh, no. \u00a0It was not her day for shopping. \u00a0Every time I showed her something and said, “Look Zara, isn’t this cute?” she wrinkled up her nose and said, “Dat ewww.” \u00a0But the independence dissipates like mist under a July sun when it’s time to go out the door and she becomes completely incapable of walking. \u00a0She is terrified of Goldi.<\/p>\n Yes, Goldi, who has always been the docile golden retriever and is now showing her advanced age by lying in the sun and barely walking around. \u00a0Zara was fine with her until last fall when the neighbor’s dog came to visit and jumped all around and on Zara and now all dogs are to be feared like the bubonic plague. \u00a0She can’t wait to go bye bye, but the instant we get close to the front door she chants liturgically with shakes of the head for emphasis, “No, de doh. \u00a0No, de doh. No, de doh.”<\/p>\n She’s a girl of routine. \u00a0Months ago I gave her a toothbrush while combing her hair to help keep her distracted. \u00a0Now, even if it’s two minutes before lunch, she can’t get her hair combed without “teef.” \u00a0She’s also the girl with music in her veins. \u00a0She sang before she could talk and at twenty-one months held a pretty impressive repertoire of songs she could sing along with, including “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Miss Polly Had a Dolly,” “Jesus Loves Me,” and a host of other Christmas songs. \u00a0Now she sings “Dinkle Dinkle Little Star” all by herself and I still catch myself just stopping to listen as her little voice lilts through the words.<\/p>\n But the funniest thing about her currently is the dramatic expressions. \u00a0When I call her name from another room, she yells “what?” in the most grownup tone imaginable. \u00a0As soon as I tell her to come she says, “otay” in a baby voice. \u00a0If the boys were downstairs, she used to stand at the top of the stairs and yell, “Addie {Adam}! Tom!” in commanding mimicry. \u00a0It’s becoming more and more obvious there are big brothers in her life. Sometimes when I tell her to do something, she flounces her arms down against and gives me a huge sigh …. oops! You’re two, honey. \u00a0Not THAT age … yet. \ud83d\ude09 \u00a0But my favorite is the facial expressions which seem to be impossible to catch on video because they’re so unpredictable and even more difficult to describe. \u00a0She can furrow her brow and throw her eyes in a quick move that has all of us erupting in laughter. \u00a0Or, in a current signature move that looks an awful lot like her Grandpa Beachy when he’s thinking about something you’ve said, she purses her lips to the side and gets uber thoughtful in an expression far, far beyond her years.<\/p>\n One of the best parts of being two is the vocabulary explosion. \u00a0I knew it seemed like she was saying new words every day but two weeks ago when David and I went to Life for our last training session, I was in shock at all the new things she was saying after three days of being away from her! It’s the dearest thing the way she brings things and says, “I nee’ elp.” \u00a0or the way she randomly gives me a hug and coos, “I uv ou.” \u00a0Most words are pretty decipherable, including her funny little “another” that starts with “a” and turns into a tongue swishing across her lips funny sound; but we’re still trying to figure out why a horse is a “ba ba” and a fish is a “wee wee.” \u00a0The other day we were heading into town when my phone beeped with a new message alert. \u00a0“Dat noise?” piped up a little voice from the back. \u00a0That was my phone. “Dat ‘nnoying.”<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n