The Hodges Family: Caroline at Two

I’ve been wanting to post some things about Caroline and what she’s been learning and doing at two years old while it’s still fresh on my mind and before things get really crazy!

She’s talking SO much and speaking more in sentences. We’re still working on her speaking in first person rather than third and she’s doing better. Everything used to be “Caroline’s running” or “Caroline did this or that” or “Caroline’s toys,” so we’ve been practicing “I,” “me,” and “my,” etc. Also, she’s getting better at answering questions in the affirmative, “yes” instead of just repeating what you said when she agrees or wants something (and I’m trying to turn that into a “yes, ma’am”).

I had been working on teaching her colors and shapes since I’ve been off work, and it seems like it’s finally “clicked” in the past couple of weeks. She knows red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, and white, but still gets confused with brown and black and gray. She also knows her shapes: circle, square, triangle, heart, star, moon, oval, rectangle, and her personal favorite hexagon. Now we’re starting to work on her letters, particularly in her name, using her name puzzle she got for her birthday.

She is OBSESSED with Veggie Tales now! We’ve moved on from Sesame Street and Elmo’s World and now all she wants to do is watch Bob and Larry! Her favorite is the Easter movie, “Bunny,” but now she really likes “Josh and the Big Wall,” which she calls “Jericho.” I got her a board book with the characters and she carries it around the house and we read it at least 5 times a day. So for her big sister gift, I got her a Veggie Tales coloring book and Bob and Larry plush toys and we’ll give them to her at the hospital so she’ll feel special too!

She also loves listen to music and sing and dance! She’s been a dancer for a while, but just recently started to sing along here and there. It’s hard to catch her doing it because she gets a little shy, but I recorded this the other day during lunch:

Caroline singing

In case this needs interpretation: at first she’s singing “Cheese and Bread” to the tune of “Deep and Wide,” then sings a little “Deep and Wide.” Then she asks for “Joy Down in My Heart” and sings a little of that. Next is an attempt at “What a Mighty God We Serve” then she asks for “Saints” which is “When the Saints Go Marching In.” These are all songs off a Precious Moments Sunday School songs CD I got that we listen to in the car A LOT. She even knows the order of the songs and tells me which on is coming up next!

Another obsession of hers is anything electronic (she takes after her daddy). She LOVES playing games on Chris’ iPad or iPhone! She can sit still for hours playing on those things! Her favorite game was Monkey Preschool Lunchbox which involves matching shapes, doing small puzzles, and Memory games. Now that she’s mastered that, she enjoys Angry Birds, flashcard programs, and various kid videos from PBS. We do try to limit her screen time, whether it’s TV or games, but it is nice when we need her to wind down or sit still for a while (like at the doctor’s office) to have these portable devices!