Life with a bossy 2 year old

Miss Kiya has always had an opinion and she definitely makes herself heard which is part of what I love about her. Now that she is talking all the time and in 3 and 4 word sentences she is well more dramatic, animated and bossy.

Oh and did I mention particular. Her new phrases are "Mommy do it. or Daddy do it. Or Mommy read it or Daddy read it. If Daddy tries to brush Kiya's teeth we get a prompt, No, Mommy do it. And most of the time if Mommy tries to put on Kiya's shoes, we get a No Daddy do it.

She is also very big on saying, Kiya's water or towel or doll or tee tee (blanket). Most of the time she is talking about her own things so it is fine. Occasionally, she will say things like "Kiya's car. Car go home." That car was not hers, it was her little friends....did I mention it is tough to rationalize with a 2 year old?

The word no has also become a favorite again. Yesterday and most days it is "no hat".  Today it was no socks and my favorite, " Mommy, no poop. no poop." She had pooped but didn't want me to change her because she was watching her favorite show.

Last night on the potty we got a whole round of no's. No towel, no light, Kiya no potty, no bath, etc. It was pretty cute but for sure the highlight was Kiya actually going poop on the potty. I am pretty sure it was a mere coincidence as we thought she was done and it was bedtime so we took her diaper off so she could go sit on the potty and low and behold she wasn't done yet. I will take the victory but also realize that Kiya isn't ready just yet for full potty training.

Life with a 2 year old so far isn't that bad. Yes we have the tantrums at times and the occasional timeout usually for not listening but really it is manageable. She is really a great kid. I love that I can have a real, actual conversation with her in which she understands me and I her. 

Sure she is bossy and stubborn but that is Kiya and I wouldn't have it any other way.

2 years ago

Two years ago at approximately 12:53pm, after 11 months, 2 weeks and 1 day of waiting, my life forever changed with one phone call. The call that said I was finally going to be a mom after 6 long years of infertility, domestic adoption nightmares and the phrase it's a girl made all of that pain a distant memory.

Sweet Yewibdar, was a mere 5 1/2 weeks old and a very tiny 6lbs. Here is the first picture we saw of our sweet baby girl. I to this day have this picture near me in my purse and on my nightstand. 

 Here is our sweet big girl 2 years later. I can't believe it.

She went from not being on any growth chart with lots of talk about how small her head circumference was to a full fledged toddler in the 50th percentile for weight, 83rd percentile for height and 60th percentile for head circumference.

She is a walking, talking amazing little girl. She has so much to say and can be quite bossy at times but one thing has never changed. You can see the fight in her eyes even at 5 1/2 weeks. She has that same fight today and it has served her so well and always will.

So while I celebrate the joy that came to my life on this date 2 years ago, I remember the heartache experienced by another mother. That will stay with me. I owe so much more that gratitude to this woman. Her strength made my dreams come true and I hope one day I can share with her just how amazing our daughter is.

Kiya is 2

It is official. Kiya turned 2 today. We had a family party on Thanksgiving with a Dora cake. Kiya dug right into the frosting and yet still wouldn't eat the cake. She loved the Dora, Diego and Boots figures though so it was still a success.

 And here is my big girl just this morning before she headed out to daycare to play with her friends. She was asking for her friend Lily all weekend. It was pretty cute.

In every picture we take, I see the sparkle and light in Kiya's eyes. I look at her and I see her Mama Zinash. I really see the resemblance now. I didn't always but I do now. The older Kiya gets she is looking more and more like her mother.

So today we are celebrating all things Kiya and yet we are taking a pause tonight to honor and remember a very special woman. 2 years ago some 7000 miles away, Zinash went into labor while at school taking her exams and she gave birth to Annakiya Yewibdar at a clinic in Angacha, Ethiopia later that night.

I have really no words. We are truly blessed and honored to be able to parent Kiya. I wish I could hop on a plane right now and go to Ethiopia and find Zinash and let her really see just what an amazing little girl she gave birth too. I know Kiya gets her fight and drive from her Mama Zinash. Some day we will make this happen. We have to.

Someday when Kiya reads this I want her to know just how much I love her and just how much she inspires me. She is a remarkable kid that just won't let anything stop her. She has fight and drive and silliness and sassiness. She lights up any room and can be shy or the life of the party. She loves all things music. She loves to sing and dance sometimes in the middle of the night. She loves to talk. She gives the best hugs. She loves the park and to count. She loves her dogs and her tee tee (blanket).

Her current favorite foods are bread and butter, peanut butter cups, bananas, all things chicken, fish sticks, ranch dressing, ketchup, sweet corn, cheese, mac n cheese, pizza, turkey dogs, oranges, peas and pasta.

She is a princess and tomboy. She loves jewelery and dolls and to play with cars and rocks.

Kiya is truly a rock star and I am just so proud of her. She has been given a big plate of stuff to deal with this year and she is tackling it like a champ with grace, attitude and pizazz. Look out world, Kiya is on the move literally this year and nothing is going to stand in her way or slow her down.