Terrific twos, tremendous twos, talented twos, tiny twos….anything but terrible twos!!! Our Peanut is now TWO-Years-Old!!!!

Generally, people use the term terrible twos to describe the stage in which toddlers begin to assert their independence and develop skills at a rapid speed – no longer a baby, not quite a kid yet! I hate to admit that with our older three children, this was my least favorite stage – I wasted those years being frustrated and discouraged – wishing I could fast forward to an age where there was better two-way communication! 🙂 What I wouldn’t give for a do-over to revisit and appreciate Sissy’s, Potato Boy’s, and Lulu’s “terrific twos”. Since there is no going back, I will never again refer to this stage as the terrible twos! We are so grateful for each and every time one of us has to chase Peanut down from running or climbing here and there…or see her morph into a screaming, kicking little ball of energy. I’d rather have a million days that challenge our patience, than not have her here at all. She mimics just about anything she sees or hears these days….which can be very entertaining, but it also keeps us all in check with our language/behavior!

Nowadays, Peanut is in the 24th percentile for weight, and 31st percentile for height on the growth chart – these are measurement for her REAL age, not adjusted/preemie age!!! She is on NO medications – aside from over the counter Imodium, and a few vitamin/mineral supplements. Her liver function levels remain normal! She EATS like crazy: limited simple sugars, lots of fiber, veggies, protein, and of course – she is still on the green bean/Pediasure Peptide shakes for extra calories and fiber. Her stools have thickened up and her frequency of stools is at an all time low – average of 5 stools a day. This is a HUGE improvement from 6 months ago (following her reconnection surgery). As you can imagine her “hiney” is no longer raw and sore. She is running, jumping, climbing, and TALKING A LOT – she can even say her ABC’s with a little prompting! Up next – potty training! So far, this is the extent of her interest….

We celebrated Peanut’s birthday last weekend with our amazing families and some special guests who have been there with Peanut through every step of these past two years! I love looking back at previous posts and seeing how much she has overcome – in case you need a reminder, here’s a link to last year’s re-cap!

Here are a few party pics, as well as some pics from throughout the past year: