Naomi, almost two years old.

Really. almost two. It really feels like just the other day that she was born. And yet, it's like we've known each other forever. This feeling may be amplified by just how similar she and I are. She is definitely my child. I don't know if "high-spirited" is exactly the phrase because that seems to be tossed around as a euphemism for bratty these days and that's not at all the case. She's mostly good-natured, cooperative, and low-maintenance. But she is like me, in that she can be very exuberant, affectionate, very focussed, and yes, very independent and strong-minded.

Naomi is very capable and resourceful. For example, she carries the step stool around the apartment to extend her reach. She can and will dress herself with little-to-no assistance. The other day, she persuaded me to take her swimming (our building has a roof-top pool and an indoor whirlpool) because, while I wasn't watching, she got herself completely undressed, and into a swim diaper, bathing suit, and crocs. Not that she's completely averse to being helped; she will ask for help when it's necessary. She's pretty intrepid with physical challenges and joining in with other kids. She was as much a participant in Adam and Clare's dance class as they were sometimes and followed directions (copied motions) quite well. On the other hand, she can be cautious with unfamiliar adults.

Naomi will speak up quite clearly to make herself understood for the most part. At least I understand her well; Norman had trouble understanding her when he was babysitting the other night. Her speech has exploded in the past few months, such that she is now consistently speaking in 3-5 word sentences, often even more. Subject-verb-adjective-object is pretty solid. And also the imperative: "Adam, no pushing!" "Adam no touch Naomi, please!" You get the idea.

Hopefully, her verbal skills will ramp up even more in the next little bit because we do have our misunderstandings and frustration and tantrums do ensue. Trying to talk her down can be counter-productive when the root of the frustration is difficulty with communication (receptive or expressive), though often the frustration is simply about not getting her way. Sorry, I know you don't like it, but you do need to either sit in the stroller or put on shoes. You are not crossing Yonge Street in bare feet. Unfortunately for Naomi, her mother is at least as stubborn as she is.

More of Naomi in a snapshot as she is about to turn two:

LIKES and INTERESTS

• swimming
• brightly coloured and patterned clothing
• shoes and boots
• reading. favourites right now: Green Eggs and Ham, Master of the Railway
  
• noodles, rice, cheese, cereal (especially "purple cereal," aka Raisin Bran, in her blue bowl)
• Thomas and Friends
• ladybugs and bears
• bus and subway rides
• singing, esp: ABCD, If You're Happy and You Know It, Itsy Bitsy Spider, London Bridge, Humpty Dumpty, 5 Little Monkeys, Head and Shoulders
  
• Youtube, or "watching" as she calls it. One favourite: Patti Labelle Sings the Alphabet on Sesame Street
• tidying up
• helping cook
• young children, especially Clare and Julia but also strangers
• high fives
• riding in the stroller, half the time

DISLIKES

• riding in the stroller, the other half of the time. She's rarely indifferent to the idea.
• pyjamas and blankets. just a diaper TYVM
• waking up. Beware the waking bear.
• going to bed at night
• soft drinks "bubble drink"
  

INDIFFERENCES

• the toilet. *le sigh*
• the new baby. She really has no clue. She goes with me to my prenatal checkups and sometimes she'll dance to the baby's heartbeat but otherwise nothing is registering, that I can tell.

SKILLS she's pretty much mastered

• saying and identifying each letter of the alphabet
• counting to 12
  
• chunky board puzzles
• fastening clips, like highchair and carseat clips
  

SKILLS she's working on these days

• counting with her fingers
• counting to 20. I think she usually gets to 17ish without mistakes.
• niceties: please and thank you. Reminders are often required. We've cut out "you're welcome" for the time being because she was starting to take our "you're welcome" as a correction of her "thank you."
• putting in a hair clip
• zippers, buttons, snaps and opening clips
  
• singing. She's doing a half-decent job conveying the melody and meter of familiar songs.
• opening doors and the fridge. grrrr.
• saying her own name. It usually comes out "Omi." pretty cute.
• waking the dead. Honest to God, sometimes the shrieking is just so LOUD and protracted.
  

What am I forgetting?