Opal at 23 Months

As much as the last two years have flown by, in my mind Opal is already a two year old.  She has matured so much in the last few months, and I am breathing a sigh of relief in many ways.  She is talking so much more, which is helping her frustration and patience levels as we can understand more fully what she wants or needs.  She is becoming less of an endangerment to herself, which helps us be able to relax more on our constant diligence to keep her alive.  We are not out of the woods yet, but she is starting to have her curiosity balanced with a healthy sense of caution.  She has a great sense of humor, and loves playing with each of her sisters in different ways.   Here Opal is below in clockwise order from top left:  Lucy, bouncing Opal on the ball which is something Opal persistently demands from us, Emma feeding Opal "bites", Lucy putting homemade lip gloss on Opal that we had just made, and Violet getting a great big hug from Opal.

 In this past month, Opal has started doing "make believe" play.  It is so cute to watch.  I think this is part of the big change we are noticing in Opal - instead of her usual destroy and conquer play, she has moved into actual playing which is helpful to all of us on many levels.  Here she is below in clockwise order from top left: driving three daddies and one little girl Barbie around (Opal loves Daddies), Opal drinking pretend tea, Opal taking her "guys" for a walk, and Opal giving her favorite two "guys" a donkey ride.

When my dad comes over he likes to play the game Othello with the older girls.  Opal now refers to this game as "Gandpa's Game".  One of my favorite things that she has been saying this past month though is after she gets hurt and we ask if she is okay, she says "Fine, fine" and moves on with her day.  She either has a high pain tolerance, or just can't be slowed down by bumps or bruises as she continues to live her best life.

Emma still has taken it upon herself to teach Opal all there is to know about the world, and now has Opal counting to 10, and naming most of the colors correctly.  At this point, I'm anticipating that I will not have to teach Opal to read - Emma's got it under control.  Speaking of read, I am so happy to report that Opal now has the attention span and desire to sit for stories.  I absolutely love reading stories to my kids, and the older they get, the less they want me to read to them.  I still do, but there is something to be said for a child snuggled in my lap with a story of their choosing.  Especially with my fourth child now, I have so many favorite books and memories from her three older sisters, it is such a bonus to be able to enjoy them a fourth time.  Here Opal is below with her favorite Daddy, playing Barbie and dress up with him, and in the next photo, taking a nap on his shoulder.  If she has a choice, she chooses Will over me when she doesn't feel good and wants to be held upright while sleeping.  I can't blame her.  I love them both, and am so glad that all four of my girls have such a special bond with my favorite guy.

Opal, you are a full-fledged two year old in our eyes already, but we can't wait to see your joy and excitement on your birthday this coming month!  We are so very glad that you joined our family two years ago, and we couldn't imagine life without you in it!  Our family just wouldn't be the same.