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Crazy Tessa,

You're calling everyone crazy these days, including yourself. Well, crazy town, you're two. TWO!! I can't believe it. Just the other night Daddy got home from work and you were climbing and jumping all over him, telling him you were jumping and climbing and I heard him say, "Where did my baby girl go?" I couldn't help but think back to the day when dad and I took you on a walk to the Montage, you were just weeks old, teeny tiny and this little toddler, probably two, a cute little girl ran by and your dad and I looked at each other and then tiny you in your Quinny bassinet and said, "I don't ever want her to get that big." And now look, you are that big and I just can't figure where the time went. I still tell you to stop growing, let's freeze you right here, and yet the bigger and smarter you get.

Big is a relative term I suppose...you're still a peanut. Just the other day I put your starfish swimsuit on size 6-12 months. You weigh a measly 23 pounds, Fletcher down the street is not yet one and outweighs you. You're shrimpy too, still a head shorter than many of your buddies. That's your parents doing, sorry. But petite is ok if you're a girl and you are and you're cute as a button. You're hair is getting long and still has some great little curls in the back. We can put it into pony tails now which you happen to think is the coolest. "I see my pony's!" and then you shake your head back and forth to make them move. You seem to just be getting your legs back underneath you since your 'boot' came off your broken leg. You're running (kind of) again and jumping (kind of) again. Bless your heart, but coordination and speed are not your strong suit. You still like help up and down the stairs, but are getting much better and more confident. Dad and I are talking about putting you into a little gym class to see if it won't help. You however don't seem to notice one iota, which I suppose it just as it should be. Your clumsy run is one of the cuter things I've ever seen.

I'll tell you what your strong suit is. Your vocabulary. You are wicked smart Tessa Jane. I tell you a word once these days and it's stuck for life. You can repeat anything, and I mean anything. Words like, "delectable" and "exhilarating" you have zero problem getting out. And then to top things off, you use them in context. You can count to 20, know your ABC's, can sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Sunbeam, Open Shut Them, and a few other songs from your Musicmaker's class. You can recite "The Lady with the Alligator Purse" verbatim with very little assistance and will finish sentences when reading any Fancy Nancy, Where the Wild Things Are, A princess in Hiking Boots, or any of your other favorites. You can communicate very clearly what you need or want, and on the rare occasions we can't figure it out together, you'll just show me. And anytime you're through with something, or done, you just hand it to me and say, "Here ya go mom", like I am dying to take your trash or book or princess or dirty dish. I am ever the humble servant. Sometimes this skill makes me crazy...like when you suggest in a somewhat mocking tone that you go to time-out after hitting or throwing food. Or when you go to time-out and like the other night, when dad was talking to you about why you'd just gone to time out, replied with "Neh, neh, neh, neh." Seriously, you did that. And seriously, I laughed in the other room. Other times you call me Katelyn, like the other day in the pool when you suggested it was my turn with the kick board, you very nicely cheered me on and said, "Good job Katelyn!!" "Wahoo Katelyn." Hysterical, you are hysterical. You can talk many of your peers under the table and I can not lie. It makes me rather proud.

Other funny things you do at two? Wake up and stand in your crib and yell, "Mom. Mom. Mom. Dad. Dad. Daaaddddyyy." Try to convince me you need your jammies on for nap time. Dance. You still love to dance and it is still really funny. Tickle, tickle, tickle. Give blow kisses on mom and dad's tummies. Tell us you want to go on big potty, only to get up there and sit and look around for awhile. Also dang funny, but potentially dangerous is for you to sometimes call, "rotund" persons "chubba bubba". So far you haven't been caught, someday you will be and I will be mortified, but until then it's mostly just really hilarious.

You are an observer...this seems a consistent character trait. You watch others closely and decide if you like what they're doing or not. Sometimes you choose to mimic, other times not. You are cautious and seem to evaluate risk factors and whether it's worth giving it a try. You rarely jump into something without first giving it a good, "I check it out." You are friendly, but play your cards close if you're not comfortable with someone. You often take a little time to warm up before chatting it up. You have an engaging smile and you have an evil eye and interestingly enough seem to pull them both out at appropriate times. You are aware, well beyond your years. You are sensitive to others feelings and are quick to say I'm sorry when anyone, including you gets hurt. You reassure them (or yourself) over and over with an "I'm sorry, it's ok." You have a sweet disposition and unless provoked, usually play nice and fair.

You love to look for snails and roly-poly's. You also love to stick your fingers right into the snail and then say, "Yucky s-imey." Truly. You love to be with Jake and Luke and talk about them frequently. You love your cousins and grandparents and no offense to anyone...but you really love your Aunt Ninny. Who doesn't? When you're talking on my phone, it's usually her you tell me your calling. You LOVE to swing, this is a new development, you didn't like the swing until rather recently and now it seems you are making up for lost time. You'd stay in that thing for days if I didn't suggest you get out now and then to slide, which you also love. You are still a fish. Some things have remained consistent since birth with you and this is one of them. You love to swim and there are few things you love more than your swimsuits. You'll play contently on the stairs for a bit but then it's time to swim. "I'm swimming!" We'll kick and kick and jump and ring around the rosie and humpty dumpty and motor boat and jump until we're blue in the face. Dad is ready to sign you up for the Mission Viejo Natadors, I hope you want to be an Olympic swimmer! You also still love music, your piano, your songs in the car. When you're upset and I can't seem to solve the problem, music always can. It makes you happy. You have maintained your love for books, you love to be read to, to look through them on your own, or read them to yourself. You know your favorites and can recite portions from all of them. This love makes my heart soar. You love to color, paint and do stickers, you are quite artistic and have an unbreakable focus and concentration when working on your masterpieces. You are often times pretty pleased with the finished product and there are few things that make a parent more proud, then seeing you proud of yourself. You have an obsession with ban-deds. i.e. band-aids. You have one on virtually ALL the time whether you need one or not, usually it's not. You love to be outside, you love the beach and your sand toys, the park and going for walks. You love cheese quesadillas (and yes, cheese quesadilla, rolls off your tongue without a hitch), fruit leathers, cheerios, eggs, french toast, banana's and most anything sweet. I fear you have inherited my all consuming sweet tooth. Right now you particularly like marshmallows and sour treats (sour watermelons), but you never saw a cookie or ice cream cone you didn't like. The other night at the fish fry at the beach you had your first hot dog. You called it a sausage and you ate every. single. bite. Nearly broke my heart. I resigned myself because you are an American. You still love your mommy and daddy. You still give us big squeezes, are liberal with your kisses and hold our hands. You still let us hold you every night for stories and songs and let us scoop you up when you're hurt and sad. These moments are still our favorite, surely there will come a point when you won't let us snuggle you or some pre-pubescent boy will take our place in holding your hand. Cringe. But for now we all still love it, so let's keep doing it, what do ya say?

While mostly things are flowers and roses with you, you have your moments of pure exasperation. You're exasperated, I'm exasperated and dad looks at you like you have three heads, like what in the world could be that big of deal. I'm told it's your age...I'm hoping that's true. We usually just walk away while you scream and flail yourself about on the floor. You recover, you always recover. Let's keep that drama to a minimum shall we as you get older? I don't do drama. I shut down.

But just like sleepless nights and spit up, we will take a tantrum or two for all the rest of you. You continue to bring us a level of joy and laughter and pride we knew not before you were around. We thank our Heavenly Father every night for the gift of you. For the delight of your existence, your health and your happiness. And then we pray hard we will not fail you. That we will know when to step in, when to back away, when to encourage and support and when to let you fall. We pray to teach you the right things, the true things, the things you deserve to know to make you your best person. And you T. Jane, Punky Monkey, Butter Cakes are a great, great little person. You are smart and witty, clever and beautiful. You are bound for great things and Dad and I are grateful to just be along for the ride and hope we don't get in the way.

Two. Wowsers. I swear I just wrote you a letter at one. This next year will be a big one for you. You'll move to big girl panties, a big girl bed. Maybe a new house and you'll take on the role of a big sister. You are going to be great. I imagine you'll be even better at three than you are at two. So that seems the trend anyway. Let's not rush it though, ok? I love you Tessa Jane Hunt. So does your daddy. We are proud as peacocks we were able to create something so magnificent. Happy Birthday.