I will hold you till my arm falls asleep

My little Everdeen turns two a month from tomorrow.

She is no longer a baby.  She is a sweet little soul that loves on you and needs you just as much as you need her. Her latest saying is, "I need my mama" with which I reply, "I need my Everdeen." Because it's true, we need her and she needs us.   

She waves to the cars passing in the parking lot like they're old friends and says thank you to the cashier at the grocery store. She asks for hugs and gives you kisses when you least expect it. But lately, she has been the most clingiest she's ever been.  I feel like I hold her all day long.  I lower her to the ground so I can maybe put the dishes in the dishwasher, but her little legs wrap around my waist with such strength and a "No! Not right now" is yelled very clearly.   I always try to stick to the books when it comes to routine and structure...but sometimes you can feel when change is about to happen. When I can tell Everdeen needs a little more of something I let it all go and follow her lead.  I figure she'll go back to our normal when she's ready.  

We've had a few long nights since I got off of school.  I brought her into bed with us and instead of falling right to sleep in the middle she crawled into my arms and wouldn't let me put her down. I couldn't remember the last time she had fallen asleep on my chest...it was almost like we both needed this.  With her two year birthday approaching fast maybe it was a much needed reminder of how life used to be not that long ago.   My arm began to fall asleep, but I kept holding her, because that's what us mamas do for our little ones.