It's Scarlett's world...I just write about it!: Toddling Toward the Not So Terrible 2's...

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Sometime, when I wasn't looking, Scarlett turned 2. In fact, not only was I not looking, I was 2000 miles away. Her aunt got hitched the night before in L-A and after months of mulling over options, we chose not to subject her to a 5 hour plane ride and 4 nights stuck in a boutique (meaning, NO child friendly accommodations) hotel.

The good news? Daddy and I had a blast -a much needed getaway for the 2 of us. While there was quite a bit of obligation to keep us busy, we also managed to steal some sunshine at the beach, play tourists (in a 2 seated Beamer, no less) and indulge in many an adult beverage.

While we were only gone for days, the child we came back too..well, we may have just as well been gone, an entire year. I know age is just a number. But the daughter we came home too, was 2! And talking in complete sentences. And looking like such a child that I can't help wonder if she ever really WAS a baby.

I mean, I know she was. I have pictures to prove it. 2 years ago today, we brought home 7lbs, 7 ounces of screaming infant who gave us a run for our money right away. If I think long and hard, I can remember those first few weeks. How she didn't sleep at night-at all. How she couldn't get enough bottle to satisfy her little tummy. How she screamed for an hour each and every night at 7pm...the Witching Hour, we called it. How I tried to visualize her as a walking & talking being, and couldn't.

And now she is. She's two. And isn't this age supposed to be terrible?

But so far, its been wonderful. She hasn't had a temper tantrum. She can tell us what she wants for breakfast, dinner, snack. She can tell us why she's upset. Why she's happy. What she wants to watch.

Her vocabulary is beyond what I could ever imagine to be toddler talk. 6 months ago, she didn't say much. Now she'll tell you an entire story-and she has her mom's gift of dragging out the details. Its awe-inspiring and gut-wrenching at the same time. The more I excitedly anticipate her future...the more I miss that red-faced screaming newborn. Her independence is thrilling, yet its also taking her away from me. But if I already have a hard time with this age, how will 5 feel? double digits? 18? college? weddings? It can be too much to think about.

I feel extreme pride and some heartbreak, knowing my baby is turning into a big girl. And while I wasn't looking the moment she turned 2, I'm watching now. Because she's growing up, right in front of my eyes.