Adventures with our little dude and little misses: Kinley is TWO years old!

My baby girl is TWO years old now! I'm feeling sad that I didn't get to do a post for 22 or 23 months, although I took pictures, a post just didn't happen. I know I keep saying this, but we have all been so sick this season with everything from double ear infections, clogged ears, double pink eye, stomach bugs, the flu, RSV, walking pneumonia, sinus infections, bronchitis, bruised ribs, chronic coughing/runny nose to random crap like hives. Seriously, check out these pictures. I'll keep the fully nude ones that show her entire legs and butt covered in these things. Poor baby!

It has literally been one thing after another since last October. And while we didn't all have each of those illnesses, several of them made their course through the whole family and we've had very few days where we've all been healthy at once. However, things have been looking up this past week! It's getting warmer and we're playing outside more. My 9 weeks of intense coughing is gone, Kinley's 6 weeks of annoying runny nose is gone and Tyler's dark/pink circles under his eyes from sinus/ear infections are gone. And I think Travis' allergies are better, too. We're all feeling much better! Bring on summertime... I'm SO over winter and all the germies that came along with it! Worst.Season.EVER!!!

Anyway, on to my little BIG TWO year old love! Despite being pretty ill lately, Kinley has been a lot more enjoyable to be around. How horrible does that sound?? But really! I have found myself many times over the last couple of months thinking about how much fun we're having instead of wanting to pull my hair out from her constant screaming. She is definitely still a turkey, but she's getting more pleasant by the day! She's communicating so much more now. It's crazy how fast her vocabulary is picking up. She repeats most things we say and while most people wouldn't be able to understand her, I completely do and it's made things a lot easier. She can vocalize her wants and needs more without just screaming at the top of her lungs while we play a two hour guessing game of what she wants or needs. She is less clingy these days. She still wants me in sight a lot of the time, but she's becoming more content being with Travis or playing by herself and I've even managed to get out of the house a few times while Aunt Andrea watched her for a couple of hours! I'm not sure how you say clingy in one sentence and independent in the next, but she's also exploring her independent nature. She wants to do everything by herself. It's always Me, Me, Me, ME. She's also entering that very helpful toddler phase. I really like this phase! She likes to help pick up toys, carry laundry to the laundry room, throw trash away, etc. It's kind of nice- when I'm cooking dinner sometimes, I'll give her a duster and she'll go to town in the living room. :-)

We haven't had any progress with potty training, but I can't say that we're really trying. It'll happen when we're both ready, I guess. She's still sleeping with me in my bed and I'm just not sure I see a transition in sight yet. I guess that will happen when we're both ready as well. ;-)

Her favorite meals are eggs and jelly toast for breakfast, corndogs and cheetos for lunch, and grilled chicken, broccoli or corn, and cantaloup or grapes for dinner. She loves cheese, any fresh fruit, fruit snacks and chips and salsa for snacks and she loves when she gets an occasional "bite" (Sprite, which is actually Sierra Mist) treat. She is addicted to chapstick, just like her mommy, loves having her toenails painted and wants to brush her teeth all the time. She loves watching Doc McStuffins, Dora, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and UmiZoomi. Her two year molars are coming in right on schedule and now I'm just hoping that she's not turning into my sweet girl just in time for the terrible twos to hit! Stay tuned for more on that......

Since I took the pictures, here's Kinley at 22 months old~