Finding out I pregnant was one of the most exciting time in our lives. For one, I was grateful for answered prayer, as we had suffered a miscarriage three months prior. I was grateful God opened my womb to be able to create life again.

Second, I was even more excited when I found out our baby was a girl! There's a lot of men in my husband's family, so I just knew I was going to have a boy first.

Fast forward two years later and let me tell yall! Little Leilani Renee is one of the best things that ever happened to me! I literally didn't know my heart could feel so full by just looking at her beautiful face! She's also in her second year and is definitely living up to the Terrible Twos.

My husband and I used to say she entered into her terrible twos around seven or eight months old because that's when the tantrums started. She was extremely fussy when she didn't get her way and she made sure you knew it! But there really is a difference between her terrible stages at 8 months to her now being a full on twonager.

For one, the child can talk. And not the cute "goo goo gaa gaa" stuff, although she does mimic her little brother every now and again. She can say full sentences and phrases. She can tell me what she wants. She laughs at her own jokes and cracks herself up, just like her mama! Does pretend play with her baby dolls, which is the absolute cutest thing ever in life!

She's also very sassy and can be feisty at times. She's also a parrot, so we make sure we're very careful with what we say around her. My husband and I don't curse, and when we're around people who do curse, we ask them to be mindful of her being around. The last thing we want is for her to walk around dropping F-Bombs!

But little things like "Oh, crap!" she has definitely picked up. And what gets me is she knows exactly when and how to use these phrases the first time! It was cute in the beginning, but she's at an age where she definitely knows right from wrong, so we're teaching her to express herself using other words like "Oh, no!" instead of "Oh, crap!"

Around this time is when children become little bullies and don't really understand the concept of sharing, so Leilani is being taught how to share things and toys with her little brother. Being the strong willed little lady that she is, she already thinks the world and everything in it is hers. I hear her yelling at her little brother "No, JoJo!" whenever he tries to play with whatever she's playing with, but we're constantly reinforcing that she has to be nice and she has to share.

She doesn't mind sharing food though! Well, sometimes. She's almost always willing to give me some of what she's eating and wants to feed it to me saying "Want some?"

The biggest challenge with the terrible two stage is dealing tantrums. Oh, and how they so conveniently ignore us and have selective hearing. That's an everyday battle we're fighting with this little one when she doesn't get her way, when she's told she can't have or do something, or if there's something she doesn't know how to say or do yet. Discipline is tough and it's not one size fits all. You definitely have to know your child and try different things out to figure out what works best for that child. More than anything, I really try to have talks with Leilani to help her understand that there are other ways to express herself besides just throwing tantrums. I encourage her to use her words to tell me what she wants or how she feels, and let her know its okay to be upset because mommy or daddy said she can't do xyz right now. Parenting is tough yall!

What's bitter sweet about it all is that Leilani is like a grown person in a little girl's body. She's literally a little woman! Sometimes I look at her like who does this little girl think she is lol. When she says things my mind is blown away sometimes. Like wow, she's really a whole person! Sassy, funny, independent, and determined. I couldn't be more proud of her in knowing that she is a product of us, her mommy and daddy. Though I know there will be a few bumps in the road as she grows older and discovers and learns new things, I'm looking forward to years to come. She's one of my favorite little people in the world, and I love her more than words can even explain.