JEB: 23 Months Old!

We still have one month to go before the big day, but June is already acting like a full-fledged 2-year-old. Independence is the name of June's game ... She is all about doing everything on her own, whether it's something she can do (e.g., put on her hat and mittens) or something she is not yet physically capable of doing (e.g., climbing into the child seat of the Target shopping cart by herself). Needless to say, we hear a lot of "No, I do it myself!" from Miss June and while she's usually pretty mad and/or frustrated when she says it, it mostly just makes us laugh. Here's what else Miss Independent has been up to lately:

• Staking her claim on everything. However, instead of saying "mine" like most toddlers, June says, "That's special to me!" to deter you from taking or even touching whatever it is she has deemed important to her. We're learning that lots of things are "special" to June, including toys, forks, articles of clothing, the wet diaper she's wearing ...
• Exhibiting generosity. June likes to offer things like toys, napkins, etc., to others by saying, "A [item name] for yooooooooooooou."
• Going to "school." June and I recently started an ECFE class, which has been great. June has fun washing her hands, eating snack like a big kid and playing with her teachers and friends. June especially likes circle time where we sing songs and dance. She loves to tell everyone she encounters (most recently the sales associate at Hirshfield's), "I go to schooooool!" while throwing her arms up in the air in excitement.
• Galloping. It's June's new preferred way of getting from point A to point B.
• Giving compliments. In addition to her frequent "I love yous," June showers me with compliments like "Pretty hair, Mommy," "Pretty eyes" and "Pretty pink slippers" all day long. She sure knows how to warm my heart!
• Requesting to use the toilet. June's success rate isn't the greatest, but June likes to give the whole potty toilet thing a lot of practice.
• Gearing up to ditch her paci. We've been talking to June a lot about not needing her pacifier anymore since she's a big girl. The first thing June says when we get her out of the crib in the morning is, "I don't need a paci; I'm a big girl," but we're still working on putting this sentiment into action. Hopefully we can kick the paci habit before June's birthday!