Hannah is Two!

Hannah is two! It seems as though the year passed in a blink, yet she’s done so much growing and changing that her first birthday also feels like forever ago. Each day we move farther and farther away from the baby stage of our lives, which is very bittersweet but also exciting because I now know that each year brings exciting new stages and special memories that go along with them.

Each time I do an update on Hannah, trying to think of how to capture her personality, I get stuck on one word: sunshine. She is pure, unfiltered sunshine. A bright, happy child with a ready smile and a delightfully spunky personality. She has sweetest, most gleeful little laugh and her dimples are an adorable trademark.

She is our Sister Bear, Sissy, Sissy-Min, and Squirt, doted on by her big brother, wrapped around her daddy’s finger and adored by her mommy. The perfect little caboose to our family.

Hannah may be little(ish), but there is nothing little about her personality! There is a whole lot of spunk wrapped up in her 27 lbs and 32 inches! She wants very much to be a big girl and “No, Hannah do it” is heard frequently. For example, she is very particularly about walking up the stairs holding the handrail.

She loves to talk about dogs, see pictures of dogs and point out and wave to any dogs she sees. They key thing here is distance. Hannah wants so badly to like being around dogs (or anything with four legs and fur), but gets very frightened if an animal gets closer than 10 yards.

She’s also not a fan of any small electronics, including but not limited to my hairdryer, the blender and the vacuum cleaner.

Hannah has gone through a growth spurt and is moving out of 24-month clothes. I have no idea whether to buy her 2T or 3T for summer! There’s still time, right? Socks are her favorite thing to wear. She picks them out every morning and prefers to wear them pulled up over her leggings. It’s quite the fashion statement, particularly when the infant-size turkey socks get their turn in the rotation.

She would happily subsist on apple juice, cheese and strawberries, but is a pretty good little eater and less picky than L.J. was/is. Hannah has a penchant for sauce of any kind and frequently mixes them together in disgusting combinations. (Unless, of course, you think ketchup and sour cream mixed together is tasty.) A meal is not complete without some type of sauce, and said sauce is eaten with a spoon as often as with the food it accompanies.

She can count objects up to five and recognizes the letter H – “H for Hannah” – when she sees one. She can point some of her friends’ names out at school, and surprised her teachers one day when she correctly pointed out “Neely’s diapers next to Hannah’s” on the shelf.

She’s in a new class at school and is doing well in the new room. Her two friends Neely and Vanessa moved with her, and their teachers say they play together all the time. First little best friends – so sweet! Hannah is quite popular with her teachers (past and present) and with many of the assistant teachers – we’re not the only ones who love her sweet smile and spunky personality!

She has her little friends at school, but her true BFF is her brother. She loves him dearly, always wants to be with him or near him…and as any good sister does, knows how to push every one of his buttons.

We love you, Hannah Bear! Happy Birthday!

(Post drafted in several sittings between Jan-March)