Little Toddler Girl

August 20, 2009

Dear Little Toddler Girl,

You pronounce your full name, "Gabbiella Wose Tompsnnn."

You will turn two next month. I can hardly believe the time has flown by so quickly. Everyone always says that you're not supposed to blink, but I must have blinked on accident because here we are, and just yesterday it seems you were born. I thought you might like to know a little bit about yourself. When you're older you can read this and smile. When you are married and have your own sweet children, maybe you will see a little bit of yourself in them.

You are a good sleeper and you always have been. You sleep about 12 hours each night and take a 1 1/2 - 2 hours nap every afternoon. Although, at this exact moment, you are happily chattering away in your bed rather than napping. You're starting to get enough self control to stay awake even when you are extremely sleepy.


You say the funniest things sometimes, and you continue to repeat anything that anyone says, especially Mommy. Daddy says you're like my little reflection sometimes. You speak in complete sentences all the time now, but once in awhile you go off in a quick-paced prattle that no one can understand. It's very cute that you have so much to say!The other day during lunch I told you it was time for some fruit. "How about some grapes?" I said when I spotted them in the fridge. "Um...," you said, "that's fine."

Sometimes when you climb onto things you want me to help you get down, even though you are perfectly capable of getting down by yourself (and sometimes do). Normally, you sort of panic and whine when you want help down, and I constantly remind you how to ask Mommy nicely for help. When you wanted help down from a stool two days ago, you said something you had never said before: "Peeeese hold my hand, Mommy?" You extended your chubby paw out toward me with a pleading look in your eyes. It was the sweetest thing!


You love to sing and be sang to. Each night, and before naps, we rock and sing some of your favorite songs. Right now you love, "It's a Small World," "Winnie the Pooh," "Jesus Loves Me," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and "Baby Mine." "Baby Mine" is our special little song that we have sung to you since you were a tiny infant and you know all the words. You know most of the words to lots of different songs and sometimes you wander around the house singing to yourself, or to your baby dolls or stuffed animal friends. You especially like to sing in the car. We used to sing to you in the car a lot when you were younger and would get fussy. Now you sing to us and we love it!


You are a little bit shy around new people, and even familiar people when you haven't seen them for awhile. I think you get that from me. You don't like lots of noise, and seem to be happiest away from big crowds. In the car sometimes you even say, "No thank you singing Mommy," when you want me to turn off the radio.

You know your ABCs and can count to 13. Random number huh? ;-) Since you have a natural ability to memorize things by just "picking it up", Daddy has decided that he is going to start teaching you some verses from the Bible because they're more important than nursery rhymes and "an early education." I can't wait for you to hide His word in your heart. Those words will always be there to offer you direction and to comfort you.

You like things tidy. You're usually more than willing to pick up your toys, and you like to take one or two toys or book out at a time to play with. You never unpile your whole toy box full of toys onto the floor like most children enjoy doing. I get the idea sometimes that messes stress you out a little bit. It makes you seem like a little adult in a toddler's body at times.


You enjoy calm activities like coloring, reading, pushing cars around, playing with your baby dolls or stuffed animals, and cooking in your little kitchen. However, if you are with a friend or cousin or grandparent who likes things a little more fast-paced, you feed off of that person's energy and become energetic yourself. However, you quickly tire of such antics after awhile and sometimes when you are playing with your friends at our house, you make it very clear that you are ready for some alone time.

You just recently stopped sucking your thumb. You have always sucked your thumb, and you loved to hold a satin blanket. In fact, for the longest time a satin blanket induced thumb-sucking...and even sleepiness in you! Then one day, about a week after we started to potty train you, I realized I couldn't remember the last time I had seen you suck your thumb. Now not only do you not suck your thumb, but you don't hold your blankets the same way. You used to rub the satin in between your fingers. Now, if you're very tired, you like to hold the satin side up to your mouth. But mostly you just like to hug your blankets, bury your face in them, or wrap them around you like a cape. When you are playing, you don't ask for a blanket anymore, whereas you used to seek their comfort almost constantly.


Your obsession with buckles has slowed down a bit, but you still enjoy buckling your high chair buckles or your car seat buckles often! In fact, now when it is mealtime, you climb into your high chair booster all by yourself and then buckle yourself in! One day you did it of your own volition and you have been doing it ever since.

You love to get yourself dressed even though you still need some help. You are getting very good at pulling up and down your own pants and underwear. Your favorite thing is to put on your own shoes! You are getting very good at this one, especially when you wear your sandals.

Right now you are a pretty big mommy's girl, but you seem to cling to whomever you spend the most time with...so after Daddy spends lots of time with you when he gets home from work or over the weekend you sometimes transform into a Daddy's girl. You love your Daddy and you like to play rough with him on the floor...when you're in a silly mood. If you are not in a silly mood, you do not like to play rough or be tickled. You love when Daddy kisses you all over, but sometimes you don't like his scratchy whiskers. However, at other times when Daddy is holding you, you can't keep your hands off of this face because you like to feel his whiskers. You stroke his goatee absent-mindedly while you two walk around together. It is so sweet! Daddy loves when you get sleepy and lay your head on his shoulder, wrap your arms around him, and pat his back. It warms my heart to see how much you two love each other. I purposefully don't give you many (if any) sweets so that I don't mind for Daddy to take you to do special things like get ice cream together. (We normally make you eat very healthily.) He loves to spend time with you, and he loves to spoil you in those special ways!


You love to eat fruit and vegetables - raw and cooked. You are still such a great eater! Nothing is better to you than cheese though. You can't get enough of it and you request it everyday at lunch. (That's Mommy's girl!) You also love yogurt and milk. You are finally growing more fond of meat. Your favorite meat is Mommy's homemade chicken nuggets. However, you like any chicken better than beef, and you will not eat fish yet. You usually don't care for casserole dishes. It seems like you like to see and know exactly what you are eating. You are so funny! You also love juice, even though we let you drink mostly just water. You pronounce juice like, "Juke!" It cracks us up every time!

You seem to have a gift of compassion. When another child or a baby cries, you offer comfort. You don't like to see people sad but their sadness does not seem to cause you distress. You rush in to help, uttering soothing, encouraging words. I can't wait to see how God uses you regarding this gift, my sweet one.

You have no concept of the word "mine." Oh you know the word and use it, but you don't understand that your toys are yours, your clothes are yours, and your even your mom is yours. I'm so proud of the way you share without complaining (most of the time). I have always taken care of one or two other kids in addition to you from before you were even born. I think this has helped you to learn to share without giving it a second thought. Sometimes I have felt badly for you, always having to share everything including your mommy. But I think you and I are both better for it and we have learned to love our special times alone together so much more than we might have otherwise.

You are already Mommy's little helper. You like to do the dishes, vacuum, sweep, wipe the table, and cook together. You also like to put on deodorant and perfume, blush and chap stick. In fact, the other day, I gave you your first pedicure at home...just like Mommy's!


You will be a big sister in a few months and you are ready! I can't wait to give you a little sister to love! You will be so nurturing and thoughtful with her, I can already tell. You call her "baby sister" because we haven't told anyone her name yet. Sometimes, I list lots and lots of random names, and include your sister's name, just because I like to hear you say it. After all, you repeat everything. (Shhhh....Don't tell anyone that I do that!)

Right now you just shouted, "All done resting, Mommy!?" and now you're singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" from your crib. Nap time is over and it's time for me to go get you up, get you a snack, and continue on this exciting adventure called life together!

I love you more than you know.

Love,
Mommy