I have decided I can’t put this one off any longer.  I have been waiting to write this post, and am so busy getting caught up with other posts that I keep postponing this, but no more!  

My beautiful baby girl is 2 years old now!  Wow!  I knew those last few months would really fly by after Charlie was born, and they sure did.  

2.  Can you believe it!  I still remember the day you were born.  Every detail, every emotion.  You have grown and changed so very much.  I am so proud and amazed every day by the things you can do and the things you have learned.  

In the last year, you have been talking up a storm.  Now you speak in full sentences and even string some of them together.  I love listening to you talk!  Although, if you could lay off of the “I wanna snack cup” bit, I wouldn’t mind.  You aren’t going to starve, I promise!  I know, it’s one of your comfort things, especially when we are in the car.  

Some of the phrases you say – Where’d he / she go?  Where’s Charlie?  I wanna ride in daddy’s truck.  Mama – get in the shower (followed by you opening the shower door for me).  And you order the dog around all the time!  Lady Jane, get it, lay down, go away, move (you hate when she lays on your toys).  You call just about everybody besides me, dad and Charlie auntie.  Even Grandma.  You won’t call her grandma, just auntie.  It makes me giggle. 

What do you like to do?  You love books – you are so much like me!  You read and read and read and read…..as soon as you wake up, you are searching for your books.  Just the other day, I went in to kiss you goodnight when I went to bed, and you stirred a little, felt around for your book, then sighed and went back to sleep.  It was so adorable!  You love to play with blocks and are really good at building tall towers with them.  You love to draw.  Especially with pens, but crayons or markers will do too.  If I leave a scrap of paper around, you look for something to write with.  You play with your baby dolls a lot too.  You take care of them just like I do with Charlie.  You read to them, put them in the toy highchair to feed them.  Put them in Charlie’s swing, wear them in your ring sling.  You bounce a bit with them to calm them down if they are crabby, you pay the babies little butt just like I do to Charlie.  You especially love your Elmo that Sam got you.  It stands up unlike your baby dolls, so you make it go every where with you.  You even hold it’s hand as you go up the stairs so he can walk with you.  You haven’t even tried coloring on Elmo yet <---going to regret typing this I'm sure.  

We have taught you about God, and you understand praying.  When we eat, sometimes we sing our prayers from some that I learned when I was teaching, but sometimes I would just say dear God, thank you…and name what we are thankful for.  You picked up on this really well.  You fold your hands and it’s so cute!  Now, you make me fold Charlie’s hands too.  Then you pray – Dear God, thank you, and you are so animated as you thank God for things.  When we sang happy birthday to you, you put your hands up above your head, folded them, and belted out your prayers as we were singing.  I would love to redo that moment and video record it.  Everybody got such a kick out of it.  

You have become a bit of a stinker lately.  Some of it is you needing attention, some of it is you pushing boundaries.  You are learning what you can and can’t do, but you sure like to check and see if I am serious!  I love you so much for being an adventurous little girl!  It may make me crazy, but I’ll get over it.  

You are such a great big sister!  You want to help and touch Charlie all the time!  He loves to watch you though, so it’s okay.  You two will be such great buddies forever!  

I really could go on and on talking about what you are like.  You are such an amazing, beautiful, funny, silly, and adventurous little girl.  I am so blessed to have you in my life!  

You still wake up a few times at night.  Usually only once and it’s to come to bed with mommy.  A few months before your birthday, we set up your toddler bed because you were protesting the crib so much.  You love it!  You were excited to go to bed and just want me to pat your back.  You still nurse before bed at night.  When you are really tired, you just say you want to go nurse.  Well, your exact words are I want booby.  Highly inappropriate I’m sure, but I think it’s kind of funny.  I love that we still have that special time at night.  

Think she has changed just a little bit in the last year???