Happy Two, Little Lyla

I don't blog a lot about my kids, mainly because I know they're not nearly as exciting to all of you as they are to Ryan and me. I keep a journal for each of them and record most milestones in there. But today is Miss Lyla's second birthday, so I'm going public today with a lengthly list of Lyla loving. You're welcome.

I could say this is a list of my two favorite things about my favorite little two-year-old, but we all know I won't stop there.

1. Lyla is a smarty pants. She learns faster than we can keep up with. Sunday—three days ago—she climbed out of her crib for the first time. She climbed out three more times on Monday. She "slept" in a toddler bed for the first time that night and learned to lock, unlock and open her bedroom door by the next morning. She also learned to open her own fruit snacks. We're scrambling to toddler-proof, but it's hard to keep up.

Update: Between the time I wrote this and the time I was ready to post, Lyla has refused to let us give her medicine (she had to do it herself) and to let us get her out of the bath (she also had to do that herself). I love hate love how independent she is.

2. She is a sweet sister. She gave Nora a little kiss on the head today without any prompting. She gives Nora a binky when she's crying. She makes sure to say "Hi" to Nora when she first sees her and "Bye" before she leaves. She is naturally selfless and loves to share. I'm sure Nora will love her as she gets bigger.

3. She loves puppies. Any time she sees, hears, senses, or imagines a dog or anything that sounds like something that has anything to do with a dog, she says "Woof, woof!" One time Ryan said something about poppy seeds. "Woof!" He teased Lyla about getting on the roof. "Woof!" I told Lyla her room smelled like updog (you get a gold star if you just thought "What's up dog?"). "Woof!"

4. She is a bibliophile. This girl has hardly met a book she doesn't like, but she's an especially big fan of Dr. Seuss and Mo Willems. She will sit still for up to half an hour of reading books if we can make the time. She loves the library and story time. This makes me incredibly happy.

5. Lyla is loving and affectionate. She gives the best hugs, complete with a nice pat on the back. She gives us kisses and plenty of high fives. She cheers for herself and for us. She is an absolute joy.

Happy birthday, baby girl! We couldn't love you more.