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A Stupendous Second Year
The Joy of Having a 2-Year-Old
By Shannon McKelden
The candle has been blown out, the cake eaten. You've made it through your baby's first year, and you're probably sighing with relief that you survived. So many amazing "firsts" happened this year that surely this next year can't be as much fun, right? Wrong! Year two is jam-packed with new delights and discoveries.
No longer content exploring his world from Mom or Dad's arms, this next year your baby will seek more on-the-move fun. Most 1-year-olds start out the year grasping furniture – or the nearest hand – to move around, but by the end of this year, they'll be steady on their feet and loving it.
Andrea McCann's daughter, Hannah, is nearing her second birthday. "When I think about all she has accomplished in the last year, I am amazed," says the mom from Norfolk, Neb. "When she turned 1, she was just barely toddling around. Now, not only is she a very accomplished walker, but she can run almost as fast as her 5-year-old brother, climb, jump, get into everything and even spin in graceful (for a 2-year-old) circles!"
The thing that is so fantastic about these very young toddlers is their determination. Nothing keeps them down. Every step they take brings them more and more freedom, and they aren't about to give that up.
"What courage it takes to keep trying!" says Kathleen Hayes, a former preschool teacher and current editor of Highlights High Five magazine. "And that's what toddlers do day after day. They fall down, brush themselves off and get up and try it again. It's a marvel to watch and support their move toward independence."
This move toward movement happens amazingly quickly. "I was surprised at how quickly [my son] developed during his second year," says Kelli Estes of Woodinville, Wash. "He didn't even walk until he was almost 17 months old, but by his second birthday he was running."
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