Daddy Tree: Tiny Footsteps

Willow, and a bruised Daddy, climbed to the top of Nashville. On Wednesday, Willow got Daddy all to herself for a few hours, and the time included her first trip to the Adventure Science Center in Nashville. Even though the place was a bit "big kid" for Willow, she loved it. Willow loved three attractions above all others: the tower, the ambulance and the giant water table. She also liked watching other kids, big and small, zipping around the exhibits. The tower. Willow discovered the tower early on, much to Daddy's chagrin. I liked the tower, but if you've been to it, you might know why it was hard for me to keep up with a 2-year-old climbing to the top; tight crawls abound. But I tolerated those tight spots and kept up with Willow the best I could, and we made it to the top (and I didn't suffer too many bruises). Willow didn't want to leave that tower, but I practiced patience and persistence and eventually got her to go exploring elsewhere. The amb...

Willow turned 2 on Monday, and she'll proudly let you know how old she is by chiming, "Two!, then throwing up four fingers (and sometimes her thumb too). Our little tot is getting to be a big girl now. She can use the potty, and she can sleep (rarely still) in the big girl bed. She can push herself around on a tricycle, and she can climb the ladder up to the slide in the backyard. Of course as a toddler, she's Miss Independent and Miss Frustration, but she really does pretty well at tackling those "No, I do it" tasks and in communicating with us (though we had a tough time understanding each other today when she asked for "Nemo shoes," and all I heard was "No more shoes!" She toddled around frustratingly in bare feet for a while). I took her to the zoo for her birthday, and she showed sure signs she was growing up. She preferred walking over rolling around in the stroller (this made it tough for me to keep up with her little butt when she s...

I'm a bit sad. I'm happy Cherish and I have a new tot coming to the world in the next few weeks. I'm elated, actually. But I'm a bit sad my time all alone with Willow is coming to an end. This party during most of the day has just been the two of us. Now a third party is coming. This is the twilight of Daddy-stay-home-with-Willow. Soon it will be Daddy-stay-home-with-Willow-and-Baby-Code-Name-Olive. But time marches on. And Willow and I will adjust to life with a new little one. We will love Little Sister. With all our hearts. We will welcome her to the party. I will make time for both of them. And soon Willow will forget her time alone with this Old Dad. But I won't.

Willow's second birthday is on Monday, a day that has been approaching quickly, both on the calendar and in the tot's development. Willow is the size of an average 3-year-old girl. She wears 3T clothing and size 8 shoes. As for other developments, Willow seems to be bright (she can say her ABCs through "Q"; now I have no idea if this means anything to her or if it's simply rote memory, but I'm impressed). She's also climbing all over the place, up the ladder to the slide and up to the changing table top (gasp!). And that brings me to two big milestones we've been working on intermittently: potty training and big-girl bed training. Cherish and I have tried to not be too pushy on this stuff; we want Willow to learn at her own pace. This week, though, Willow has really taken off. She has been taking off her pants and diaper and climbing the footstool to get to the toilet. A few times, she has even tinkled! The bed has been a bit tougher because Willo...