23 months old

Dear Ingrid,

One month from this very day, you will turn two years old. According to you, you are "already 2." You have had such a big week, one marking two big milestones. This past Sunday was promotion Sunday, and you got to move up to the two year-old class since you will be two before August 1st. I was so nervous about this transition. There has never been a Sunday that you haven't cried during nursery, so I knew you would cry going to Sunday School too. I was just hoping and praying that you would be able to get over being scared and shy and enjoy the lesson. Because you love learning. I knew you would love the story and craft and songs, if you could just get over the first scary part. I was in the room next door helping Gammy and Gampy teach the 3 and 4 year-old class and I could hear your cries. I had to put you down and run out the door so you wouldn't follow me into the hallway. When a new child would come into the class, you would try and escape to find me. It worked once. Mr. Marcus carried you back in the class and tried to calm you down. You were so upset for the first 15 minutes. Ms. Bobbie held you and you finally calmed down. I could hear the silence from my neighboring room. I was afraid to peek over at you for fear you would see me. I caught one sneak peek and you were sitting at the table with the other boys and girls listening to the Bible story! I almost lost it right there. I was SO proud of you. Since you were doing so good, I decided to leave you for the next hour during church also. This is the longest I've ever left you with anyone who isn't family. When I came to pick you up, over TWO hours from drop-off, you were smiling ear-to-ear! You ran out to me telling me how much you loved your class. You told me you had so much fun making your picture of the sun, moon, and stars. You told me about stomping your feet to the music and singing the songs. You told me you loved Mrs. Mary and Mr. Marcus and your friend Landry. I could see the growth in your confidence from that very moment! My heart just swelled with pride. This has also been a big week for you in another way, also. You decided you wanted to start potty training. I was planning on waiting until after your birthday and working the second half of the summer on getting you trained before I went back to school, but you had other plans. On Saturday morning, you woke up and told me you needed to go potty. I asked if you wanted to use the potty, assuming you would say no like you usually do, but you said, "YES! I do want to use the potty!" And you did it. Right then. I was so excited, proud, and shocked. We went to Walgreens to buy you a potty prize right then. After much deliberation, you picked out a Minnie Mouse laptop! Daddy and I did dances all around the house and voiced how proud we were of you all day. I was just in disbelief because I had been talking about going on the potty for weeks, prepping you for what was to come. And you had this exact conversation with me LAST WEEK:

Me: Ingrid, do you need to pee pee?
You: Yes
Me: Would you like to try and use the potty?
You: No
Me: Let's be a big girl and use the potty! You're going to start wearing panties soon like Amelia and you will use the potty.
You: I don't want to be a big girl. I will be a baby. Just a baby. No big girl ever!
Me: You don't want to be a baby forever. Babies can't do all the things big girls do.
You: Yes. I be a baby in diapers.
Me: When you go on the potty, Mommy will buy you a prize and you will get to eat an M-n-M!
You: I don't want Mommy to buy me a prize, and I don't want to eat an M-n-M. I want to wear a diaper and NO go on the potty!

So you can just imagine my disbelief when you wanted to go on the potty! You just went that one time on Saturday. Sunday was a big enough day already with you going to your new class, so I never even asked you about going. Monday morning, you woke up and it was a repeat of Saturday! You said you needed to go potty and you did it right then. After that you said, "I go on potty but I not get to wear panties or pull-ups..." You said it with your very sad voice. I asked you if you wanted to start wearing panties, and you said yes! So here we are, three days later. You've been wearing panties all day, every day since Monday. You wear a pull-up at night and at nap. You have only had one accident each day! And we have even gone places. I can't believe it! You have done such a good job and I really am so proud of you. But you seem so big. Like you are "already two." I want to savor this last month of you being one. I want to hold you every second you'll let me. And watch you snuggle up with your night-night and paci. I want to enjoy this last month of you being my little one year-old! I know it will pass by very quickly and I will be standing outside among all the Hello Kitty decor and you will be two. A very big two year-old who is so excited about the party she has picked. But right now, you are one. And even when you're thirty-one, you will still be my baby. I love you so much my precious girl.

Love,
Mommy