I Did It!

On a five-minute car ride yesterday, Maeve apparently achieved one of her main life goals.  We were singing Itsy Bitsy Spider and doing all the hand motions, and Maeve, for once, was keeping up with the words and motions, and when we hit the end of the song, she lets out a great whoop: Hooray! I did it!!!  because she had done all the hand motions and sung the song in its entirety. 

Hooray is one of her new words, and it adds a lot of spice to our lives.  I like setting her lunch down in front of her at the table while she wiggles excitedly and says Hooray, my lunch is ready!  It echoes the hooray I have in my heart every time she guesses what letter a word starts with, or counts the faux pearls on my hairclip, or volunteers to hug me.

Yes, we seem to have entered a period of time that involves more voluntary hugs and kisses on my cheek, and proclamations of love.  Or wuff, as Maeve usually pronounces it.  Not to mention that if I sit next to her on the couch, she cuddles up to me.  Maeve has not always been an overly cuddly or affectionate child, so this has been a welcome change for all of us, and I really hope it sticks around.

Anyway, I'm proud of Maeve, and her various accomplishments, both the ones that matter to me and the ones that matter to her.  Itsy Bitsy is no small thing.  And yesterday she started making up lyrics to Aiken Drum, adding in other food items of which his body might have been made.  It's pretty fun to listen to your two-year-old make up lyrics to a song, so if you hear suppressed laughter from afar off, it might be me trying not to giggle at her.