Clayton is 2...tear!

2 year Old Claytonisms:

• Clayton loves to say, "Hey Dada!" or "Hey Momma!" when she comes in a room and finds us or just for no reason.  She uses her upbeat, cheerful voice with an excitement that can only put a smile on your face.  It's one of our favorite things she is doing right now.  We usually respond with "Hey ClayClay!" (which is our family-only nickname for her.  I specify family because I really don't want it to stick.  Hey "Tay-Tay" sounds ghetto.  So no 10 year old ClayClay running around.)
• We have a nudist on our hands.  She frequently likes to strip naked and especially when she is supposed to be going to sleep.  Try to put at least a diaper back on her and the chase is on with her giggling all around the house running.  We frequently will go in her room to check on her or put a blanket on her before we go to sleep for the night and find a diaperless baby or completely naked bambino.  We have perfected putting a diaper on a sleeping baby.  In that case, she goes nude and hope a blanket keeps her warm through the night.  Most intelligent parents know not to wake a sleeping baby unless there is a fire.  Although there have been a few times where she is all wet and then we sadly have to wake her to put her in dry clothes, new sheet, and a diaper.  No cold, wet babies allowed at this house.
• When we go places and I open the door to unbuckle her out of her car seat, she is mysteriously asleep all of a sudden.  Eyes closed, head slumped over and breathing heavy.  I usually say, "Oh, she's asleep!" or just tickle her and she giggles.  I have no clue why she became stricken with narcolepsy.  
• Clayton's hair is extremely long.  It goes half way down her back.  It makes her look much older since most children her age don't look like they are about to donate their hair to Locks of Love.  It is currently the subject of a stand-off between Ma-ma and Da-da.  I think it needs trimmed (an inch) and Harris says absolutely not.  I certainly don't want to lose her curls and am rather apprehensive about cutting it but she is beginning to look rather "red".  Normally I would just do it without his permission (cause it's always better to ask for forgiveness) but I don't want him to miss out on this milestone if it means so much.
• We have a cd player in our den that has the Michael Jackson Number Ones cd in it.  Clayton loves to turn it on and dances like crazy when the first song, "Don't Stop til you Get Enough" starts blaring.  She dances and dances and then tries to make whomever is around dance with her.  This includes Sadie as well.  If Harris and I aren't able/feel like dancing, we tell her to get Sadie and Sadie sweetly just stands by her as she dances wondering what the heck she was summoned out of bed for if it doesn't involve food.
• Clayton is a condiment connoisseur.  She loves to put salt, pepper, sugar, spicy tails, aka anything extra on her food.  We had to hide her seeing us salt and pepper our food during dinner or she would insist that she has some and her food ends up inedible by the amount of salt she pours on because moderation isn't in her vocabulary quite yet.  Harris remedied this by putting rice in a Parmesan cheese shaker and taped the holes from the bottom so it made noise but nothing comes out.  She she doctors away at our food each night.
• Give her a wipe and she is going to town cleaning- the walls, windows, coffee table, you name it.  Clayton is a cleaning fool.  No complaints from her mom although it's usually her mess that needs cleaning.
• My little water baby enjoys her 30-45 minute morning bath.  I'll usually get her hair washed and then let her play while I take a shower in the shower next to her.  (Yes, I'm watching her the entire time I'm in the shower....I'm not an idiot to leave a baby unattended in the bath.)  Then I'll do my make-up and hair while she is still playing.  She is all wrinkly by the end but she sure has fun playing.   
• Still a great sleeper but recently she prefers to snuggle with mom and then go to bed.  Becoming less and less fond of the baby bed which is sad and scary because I said I wanted her to stay in there as long as possible so she was contained at night.  Seems much easier to get her to sleep when she is imprisoned.  
• Slowly getting potty trained.  Clayton is pretty much poop potty trained but not completely tee-tee.  She likes to do things her way so takes the "difficult" one first to tackle.  She will tell us she has to poo-poo and then we always jump up and it's a game of us all saying, "Hurry, hurry, hurry, ah, ah, hurry" while she crazily runs to the bathroom acting like she is in a panic but knowing she controls when she potties.  She loves to flush and says, "Bye-Bye poo poo" as she sends her poo to another place.  I swear once the new year begins that we are going to get serious about it.  It's just so hard over the holidays being gone from home.  
• Huge love bug.  She loves to snuggle, cuddle, hug, kiss and love on us and Sadie.  No complaints here as she can continue this forever and I'll never get sick of a Clayton snuggle.  She loves to go around the room and will give us all a hug....never leaving out Sadie.  
• Wearing size 2T and 24 months in clothes.  Has a 7.5 foot that keeps outgrowing all her footed pajamas.  Size 5 diaper (had been buying size 6 for awhile but figured since you still could wear size 5 and there are more in the package then I may as well just buy the 5's) 

To My Dear 2 Year Old, Clayton:

Oh, Clayton!  In just two years, you have transformed our life more than I could ever imagined.  The quote, "A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for" hits it pretty close to perfect.  You have a zest for life that is contagious.  You find fun in the smallest of things.  Everything is exciting to you which means that it has a renewed excitement for us.  You keep us on our toes, you test our patience, and you give us a new reason to wake up smiling.  You warm my heart, make me shake my head while grinning, and know what true love truly is.  The love you have for your big sister, Sadie, ensures me that you have a love that extends beyond humans and a compassion that you were born with.  I have loved every minute of the last two years and look forward to many more of your little busy self.  I know there are great things in your future.  You will move mountains, I'm certain of it.