Bee in the Wild: 2 years

Two years running, this girl has my whole heart. Phoebe is thoughtful and cautious and yet utterly defiant and independent at times. She is genuinely trying to make sense of the world around her and I feel great pangs of guilt everyday that I am not exposing her to little gym and kinder music outings like her peers are (who perhaps don't have baby brothers holding them hostage). Phoebe loves hiking and riding along in the pack-pack on daddy's back. She can spot a dandelion puff from a mile way. Our afternoon walks are perfect opportunities to collect rocks and sticks and even chewed gum (before mommy noticed). She loves to crawl into her little brother's crib and their two giggles in the morning are the very best thing to wake up to in the whole world. When it's raining, she knows that it's time for rain boots and can put them on all by herself. When the weather is stormy she is cautious and keeps close to my legs in the event of booming thunder. One day while I was reading and rocking her down for a nap she was particularly uneasy about the ongoing thunder storm. I did my best to reassure her that all was well and that the sound of thunder was simply the clouds bumping into each other in the sky. She looked up at me with big concerned eyes, almost on the brink of tears, and asked "birdies?" I realized her kind little heart was worried about what was happening to the birds during the storm.
A morning outing to the zoo is sure to be the highlight of her day and by now she knows her way around and doesn't need mom. Julian and I have to be quick if we want to keep up with those long legs. The elephants, otters, and seals are the must stops. However, her favorite part is riding the carousel at the end. Such a treat! I love to see her eyes widen and she takes it all in.
She was terrorized by a bee one day while sitting on the back steps. It didn't sting her, all I can tell is that it was flying by her and she had a sheer panic attack and screamed like I've never heard her before. She screamed the same way for about 2.5 hours of her naptime. I couldn't really understand why she was so scared, only that she kept saying "bumble bee fly away" about 100 times through hard sobs. She lost it a couple more times during the day because there was a fly in the house. Blood curling screams and huge tears. We were both beside ourselves. These are the moments that I will look back on when she's 16 and long for. But that day was really hard.
Phoebe is cautious around strangers and can be slow to warm up even to grandparents. But in our home she is a lively chatter-box with the most exuberant little personality. She does a good job mothering Julian and sometimes needs reminding about who is actually the mom. Phoebe makes us smile and laugh everyday. She holds us accountable for family prayers and is loving the nursery at church. Every day she is a reminder of miracles in our lives. We love her so much. 

Bee in the Wild: 21 Months

Oh where to start! Our little Bee is such a character at 21 months. She has an adventurous and social spirit, in the right circumstances, and is always up for getting out of the house wherever that may be. Often she will gather up her boots and head to the front door saying "boots, kids?" Clearly she is letting me know that she needs a play-date and some new experiences outside of what Julian and I can provide. We've been going to a neighborhood music group, story time at the library, or play-dates with friends when possible. All of which she loves. Surprisingly (or not-surprisingly) she's been a little hot and cold with the nursery at Church.
Being outside is a huge deal for this girl and this winter has been particularly challenging to keep her occupied and entertained on days when it's just too cold to be outside. For Christmas she received a little roller coaster from Grandpa Lee and it's been an absolute life saver. She loves to ride it over and over, send her dollies down, and has even mastered going down backwards and hands-free on her own. It's been good practice for learning how to take turns when friends are over. When the weather is permitting we make sure to squeeze in a walk around the neighborhood or stroller ride to the park to work out those winter wiggles. 
Phoebe has taken on the role of little BIG helper and wants to be involved in whatever mom is doing around the house. Whether it's changing laundry or loading dishes or writing thank you notes, Bee wants her hands involved in every step of the process. We've been hearing a lot of "Phoebe do it" and "Phoebe try" and "Phoebe's turn" around these parts. She especially loves helping daddy "fix it" and he can always count on her to hold his tools while on the job.
Our little book worm loves to read books and plays with her books as much as she plays with any other toy, if not more. While I'm putting Julian down for his morning nap Phoebe will gather her favorite books on the couch to read, and much to my great surprise and delight, she usually does stay on the couch and read quietly through her books. Phoebe's favorite books right now are anything to do with Grandpa or birthday's, the Landy series, and the Knuffle Bunny's. The cutest thing...she says "amen" at the end of every book. Of course I never correct her, because I never ever ever want her to stop.
Meal time can sometimes be tricky and lots of food ends up on the floor, which drives mom absolutely bonkers. Currently her favorite foods are hummus, applesauce, peas, pizza and string cheese. Her favorite snacks are dried mango's, Cheerios, and fishy crackers. She is really into dipping foods right now and asks for some "dippy" at every meal. We often have graham crackers and milk after dinner and she loves to dip her own crackers. She will gingerly plunge her cracker into the milk at just the right angle and then squint her eyes and say "no nuff" until eventually mom or dad says "that's enough!" and time to pull the cracker out before it becomes too soggy. No matter what it is, she wants a bite of whatever you're eating, especially if it's a treat.
Birthday's have really made an impression on Bee lately and we sing her own special rendition of Happy Birthday Cake to practically everyone in our family - and even Santa and Jesus - several times each day. Between uncle Dan's birthday, mom's birthday, and plenty of references to birthday's, cakes, and singing from her books, it's no wonder she's obsessed. She understands that life is a party!
Mom loves having someone to chat with during the days now, and Phoebe is proving to be a great conversationalist. She is stringing together sentences and making connections between objects and circumstances. Her memory is razor sharp. Phoebe can't yet pronounce her "L" sounds and substitutes a "ya" sound instead. Words such as "dolly" then sound like "dai-ya" or Ellie sounds like "Ai-ya." But by far our favorite word she has invented is "chip-ix" for "chap stick." She's quite obsessed with daddy's chip-ix and is always hunting his pockets for it.
Phoebe is smart and sensitive, a real thinker and often silly. She loves her brother Julian and although she does have her big sister moments of pushing him over or stealing toys away, she can't stand not to be near him. If little bro is still napping when she wakes up from her afternoon nap, she will stand at the stairs and call down "Juju, wake up!" She loves to love him and is constantly reaffirming her love with plenty of snuggles. Phoebe is a doer and wants to be challenged. She is eagerly learning her colors and shapes and counting. We are amazed daily and are soaking her up, tantrums and all. We simply can't imagine life without her.

Bee in the Wild: 18 Months

She calls me Honey. At 18 months Phoebe has discovered the moon, and rediscovers it almost every day in her books and outside in the sky. The wonder! Words are flowing out of her mouth at a rate I can't even keep up with now. But for the sake of documenting, Bee can pronounce and produce in context these words among others: ball, oh-oh, moon, bee, eye, nose, ear, shoes, cheese, excuse me, bless you, cookie, pizza, eat, hat, sippy, please, thank you, binky, open, windy, raining, car, truck, boots, shoes, socks, teeth, brush, comb, hair, push, pull...
Bee loves shoes and is beginning to pay attention to her own wardrobe. When she senses it's time to go, she will bring me her shoes to put on.
We have been working on our manners and Bee says please and thank you effortlessly (sometimes with a little prodding from mom and dad). By far the cutest though, is Bless You! after a sneeze. We die. She can push the red kitchen chairs all around the house to reach what she needs. Practically nothing is out of her reach now. Bee will ask for a "moothie" almost every morning and guzzles it eagerly, bringing her sippy cup back for a refill.
She can be a bit naughty all of a sudden. Mom has a lot to learn about being patient and getting ahead of the problematic times of the day, like dinner time. Phoebe wants to be in the kitchen doing whatever mom is doing. But we are quickly finding that the kitchen is not big enough for the both of us to cook in. Bee loves to twirl around in circles but then is so confused by the resulting dizziness and inability to remain on her feet afterwards.
We take long walks around the neighborhood to help burn energy before naptime. I'm really careful not to rush her, and allow her to touch and smell and sit in everything along her path.
Right now she does this "amused" face and I'm struggling to know how to accurately describe it. We snuck in on her one night and just then the neighbor's dog barked. In Bee's sleep, she opened her eyes and took a short deep breath in with an open puckered mouth. It was the cutest thing we'd ever seen. Mom couldn't keep in her laughs and fled the scene before it woke up bee.
Her curiosity is insatiable. Toddlers are into everything. Then there are some toddlers who are really into everything. And then there is Bee. Who takes it above and beyond. She is my tornado. If it can be opened, she will open it. Empty it. Then close it. Push, pull, bend. Drop, roll, throw. Over and over all day long.
I find myself fighting to keep her little yet also cheerleading every big step with anxious exhilaration.
She is Juju's biggest fan. She talks about him and says his name almost constantly and in every phrase that exits her mouth. Juju is the first word that comes out of her mouth in the morning. She is always worried about where he is, if he's coming with us in he car, and making sure we don't leave him wherever we are. She squats down in front of him and says "bebe happeeee, ah-BOO!" to get him to smile.
She can become possessive of my phone and has figured out how to turn it on and swipe to open the screen. Clever girl! Probably my most favorite thing she does right now...she calls me "Honey!" Especially when she's frustrated or needing some specific attention from me. She will come up to my legs and push them saying "honey honey honey." Sometimes from her crib in the morning I hear a "Honey Momma!" calling out for me. I couldn't possibly love it more and am honored to be this little Bee's Honey Momma.

Bee in the Wild: 15 months

Note: Bee's grandparents were a little sad when we told them her blueprints were being retired after months 1-12. We live close, but not close enough for them to see her everyday. I know these updates are enjoyable for them to read and catch a glimpse into her life they might not otherwise know. I thought about using a white wall background to continue these "blueprint" type updates, but then I pictured trying to get this rambunctious toddler to sit still against a wall while we take her picture. Not gonna happen, right?! The new "in the wild" posts will aim to capture Ms. Bee in her element, un-staged, au naturale.
At 15 months old, this little sugar bee is busy learning and playing and doing all day long. The last few months we have seen the beginnings of her imaginary and pretend play. I love it! She loves to play with bowls and spoons and will "mixy mixy" with such determination. She even brings me the spoon for a taste test of her exquisite cookies, eggs, and other "yummy nummy nums."  When mommy is wearing her apron, Bee must wear an apron too. Often it's all she's wearing. Her pretend play also involves her babies, which comes as no surprise given that we talk a lot about babies around here. She mimics the way I tend to Julian by swaddling, burping, kissing and loving on her dolls. While I'm in the rocking chair nursing Julian she will bring me her babies and blankets to swaddle over and over again. She is learning to be such a good little nurturer.
As a parent it is amazing to observe her constant education and you can literally see her mind working as she processes new material. Bee loves books. We read stories together in the rocking chair before nap time and bedtime everyday and anytime in between. She points to all the ladybugs in every book, and in fact refers to ladybugs, butterflies, bees, and other insects as "bees!" She taps her pointer finger, either in the air or on the object, when pointing at something. It's adorable, trust me. Some of her favorite books include the entire BabyLit series, Little Blue Truck, Welcome, Little One, Goodnight Gorilla, The House in the Night, and The Swing to name a few.
Bee loves her backyard swing and calls it a "weeee!" When she wants to swing she will point outside and declare "weeee!" and when she sees swings or slides with children on them within her books she will point and exclaim "weeee!" Like most toddlers, Bee loves to be outside exploring and investigating. She still puts e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. in her mouth and rocks and sticks and dirt are no exclusions.
Bee is a really great sleeper and loves being in her crib with her binky and blankey. Some days she doesn't want to get out and leave binky and blankey behind. She searches the edges of her blanket until she finds the right corner and clutches onto it with her fist, then softly rubs the corner on her face as she soothes herself to sleep. Bee is taking two naps a day, at 10 am and 3 pm (roughly).
I bought a small set of stacking cups for Bee which has proved to be the best $4.88 I could have spent. Bee worked hard for days and days until she mastered stacking and unstacking all the cups in their correct order. She concentrated so hard on mastering the cups and it was a joy to see her brain hard at work. Cups all day, in the car, in the bath, and all over the house.
We taught Bee a few words in sign language to help her communicate better with us. The two signs that stuck the most are "more" and "all-done." This is particularly helpful at mealtimes, but she has found a way to translate them into the rest of her world as well. The sign for "more" has become the universal action signal. If she brings a book and signs "more" she wants you to read it. If it opens, closes, makes a sound or moves, the "more" sign is asking to make it happen. Likewise the sign for "all done" means no more food, no more vacuuming, no more of whatever is ailing her.
Lots of words are beginning to pop out of Bee's mouth, including cuppy, hi, Juju, momma, dada, bee, and baby. She has discovered the word "NO!" and uses it often and repeatedly, especially when she is doing something she shouldn't, such as stealing Julian's binky. She will snatch it from his mouth and run it over to me saying "no no no no no!"
Bee loves her little brother and is constantly leaning her head towards him giving kisses and hugs. Sometimes this translates into a head bonk and both of them are sad. Usually the first word that comes out of her mouth in the morning is "Juju!" and she goes running into our bedroom searching for him. She gets very excited to show him toys and books and as sweet as that is, it's also a lot of work keeping him safe from her excitement. I pray everyday that they will become the best of playmates, but for now we are focusing on being soft and not putting things in his mouth. Let's hope that in a year she will be as willing to share with him as she is now.
Whew! I'm exhausted just reading over this update. It's only taken me two weeks during my brief nap times breaks to finish writing it. Our Bee is a beautiful, smart, strong-willed little soul and we are grateful for her life and spirit everyday.