Happy Birthday Sabrina!

Sabrina is two. I try not to associate that with the scary natural birth that occurred just two short years ago or the period of colic.  But Sabrina makes it pretty easy to separate those events from the crazy child she is now.  Sabrina is a strong-willed child, no doubt.  This past month, we've been talking a lot about her birthday and she's been insisting she is turning six.  When I say, "No, Sabrina, you'll be two silly girl!" she would always respond "No Mommy!  Six!"  (This had become the new argument.  She used to argue with us that she was a boy.)  This morning, however, when Celia and I went to get her from her bed, we said "Happy Birthday!  How old are you?" she jumped right up, and yelled "TWO!"  She understands way more than she lets on (she always has).  Here are a few events from the past week.

- After dropping Celia off a preschool, Sabrina and I were alone in the car and she said: "Music on please mommy."  I went through each of the stations: rock, classic rock, pop, and on each of the stations she would say: "No mommy.  Music on please."  When a reggae song came on she immediately said:  "Yes!  This one!  Music!"

-  Another day, after picking Celia back up from preschool, I heard Sabrina say: "No finger in nose please Celia.  Celia picking nose.  No Celia."  (As reported by both Sabrina and the primary leaders, Celia has apparently been nose-picking behind my back quite a bit.)

- Celia had broken a necklace at some point.  Sabrina found it while Celia was at preschool.  She picked it up and couldn't stop laughing and saying: "Celia broke it.  Celia broke necklace.  Funny Celia.  Celia Funny."  I think she was relieved for once it wasn't her that broke something.

In other news, Sabrina went back to the eye doctor this week and she's still using her right eye more than her left.  She sees better through just her right eye than she does through both eyes through the glasses.  So, they upped her prescription on her glasses significantly.  We'll try that until Thanksgiving.  If she still has an eye dominance, she'll have to get an eye patch.  (Now I'm worried about the decision we made to make her a pirate for Halloween this year...)

Sabrina is a hilarious child.  She is mischievous.  And no incentives or disincentives work for her.  When it's chore time, if I say, "Okay Sabrina, time to clean up.  If you clean up, you can have a gummy bear.  Want a gummy bear?"  Her response is:  "No thank you."  If I say: "Okay Sabrina, time to clean up.  You can clean up or you can go to your bed for time out."  Her response is: "Bed please mommy."  Despite her constant efforts to get out of cleaning up, she and I communicate well these days.  I've figured her out.  She's still clingy and Tom and I have gone on a few dates where we can see her poor little face pressed up against the window YELLING "MOMMY!!!  MOMMY!!!"  But she's getting better.  Her favorite show, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (an animation of the Land of Make Believe in Mister Roger's Neighborhood) has helped.  They sing a little song that goes: "Grown-ups come back."  And she sings that now every time I leave.

In the process of writing this tribute to Sabrina, I've had to tell her to put her glasses down two times (she likes to wear them on her head a lot), I've read her two stories, she's tried to talk Celia into reading her another one, I've had to redo her ponytail (which she also pulls out several times a day), she's made me help her sit on the potty (she's only ever gotten anything out twice), and I've had to refill her milk.  So is a 10-minute span in the life of Sabrina.  Happy Birthday busy girl!