Happy 2nd Birthday Miss Grace Elizabeth!

Dearest Gracie-girl,

Wow! I can't believe you are two today.... It sure doesn't seem like two whole years have flown by since you entered our lives. As I'm writing this, two years ago, you were about 13 hours old. And now, today, you are one spirited little girl who makes me laugh all the time.

Grace Elizabeth - Hours old

To sum it up, you're pretty darn cute. I love the way you toddle about...it's kind of like a really fast bouncy sort of waddle, if that makes any sense. You're a pretty happy kid, and I can tell your mood just by the way you walk and run. When I come pick you up at day care, you run over so fast with your arms up in the air; if I don't pick you up right away, you usually cling to my legs for a moment before running over to your boots and doing your best to put them on yourself. You're really quite independent - I don't remember exactly (I suppose that's what old blog entries are for), but I'm pretty sure you can do a lot more "big girl" stuff than your sissy did at age two. That's what happens when you have an older sister to mimic I guess. Just this weekend I commented to your grandma Linda that there's no way Olivia knew the word "glitter" at your age! I guess you could say I've become more relaxed in the messy art project department since you're bound and determined to do everything your sister does with just a little more mess. Speaking of, you don't particularly like having dirty hands or a dirty face. When we finger paint, I think I spend more time washing you off then you actually do painting. You're starting to get the idea though - hard not to when Olivia covers herself in paint as an example to you!

Back to your cuteness.... Lately, you've taken to asking for "piggy tails" in addition to your typical pony. Your hair is twice as thick as your sister's and a lot blonder too. I think you've got my fair skin so be prepared to be slathered in sun screen and banned from tanning of all sorts for the rest of your life - sorry in advance. You've still got your blue eyes, and lately, you've started telling me that they're "pretty." And, since I don't really say this to you (although I certainly agree), I wonder where you learned that. You've got the most expressive face - totally happy or totally cranky - it's definitely easy to tell! As of two days ago, you started mimicking a sour expression of your dads - biting your top lip with your bottom teeth... It's a bit scary to see so much of your dad in that one expression! :) Speaking of who you look like...I'd say that more often not, people say you take after your mommy. You're a petite little girl but, boy, do you have one big belly. After you eat, your tummy stick out a good five inches or so, and it's rock hard. It sticks out so far that you have to press it in to find your belly button since it's on the downward slope! You're a flirter - you like to smile at those you don't know well from the safety of your mommy's arms, but once you know someone well enough, you're quick to try to involve them in any game you're playing. You're not hesitant but you're not out-going - I suppose cautious would be a good word. Well, it's only a good word for situations that are new to you. In our normal routine - I'd say you're pretty vivacious.

Your vocab is expanding on a daily basis. You love to repeat words and have a decent amount of short phrases that you say consistently. You get much more frustrated than your sister every did in the communication department, and I often have to have you show me what you want and constantly remind you to use your words. I think by summer we'll have gotten through some of these communication issues. For now, I'm happy I can understand, for the most part, Gracie-speech.

Happy 1st Birthday!

You and your sissy get along fantastically. Sometimes you're not nice to one-another, but most often your best pals. Olivia is pretty protective of you, and, at day care at least, gets you absolutely whatever you want. This, unfortunately, has resulted in some tantrums when I'm not so quick to give in to you and your various demands. Olivia still talks to you like an adult sometimes, calling you honey and sweetie while giving you pats and hugs. You and Liv love to play babies and jump in the trampoline. You've got great balance and love to do somersaults and to attempt jumping on one leg. You frequently ask to do "jumping-jax" and like to listen to music as you race in circles around the trampoline. You also love to play hide-and-seek, and you can even count to ten--well, sort of. You hide in the same spots - favorites being the downstairs shower, an old cardboard box, behind the curtains, in a bed with the covers pulled up, or behind a chair. When you get playing with your daddy, you often run to me telling me that "Monsters getting me" - a favorite phrase of mine that you take quite seriously and use whenever it's dark somewhere. Sometimes you say "alligators" instead of monsters, but you do it when you're afraid or uneasy for some reason.

Hmmm...what else do you like to do? You like to color and draw on the white board. You love taking baths and typically want to do this right after dinner. You still point out the swimming pool in the garage every day saying, "Me swimming pool," and you had a blast at your pool party this weekend. You love swinging high at the park and being twirled around or held upside-down. You enjoy Dora and have become obsessed with the Disney movie Tangled. You like to suck the two middle fingers on your right hand while rubbing your upper lip and cheek making them all red with your pointer finger. You like to sit on the counter, you like to play with your piggy-bank, and you like playing with this animal game on my phone (which you navigate to with no help from me - scary that you'll know so much more about technology that me!). You are actually pretty good at Hungry Hippos, and you try really hard to play memory and do puzzles, but you really don't know what you're doing yet. You really like your mommy mostly, and while this makes me feel good, you should give your daddy less of the evil eye these days - he doesn't really deserve it, you know! You love fruits and vegetables; you eat a gigantic breakfast but barely anything for dinner. You're fairly obsessed with applesauce and will eat a sweet of any kind. Because of you, Olivia has started (in small amounts) to eat bread, but you have not, because of her, started to eat meat. Oh, and how could I forget, you like to do every activity I've listed in this whole entry naked. You are a nudist. Within five minutes of getting home, your clothes MUST come off (you can do this mostly yourself these days), and on the weekends I'm lucky if you stay in your clothes half the day. Sigh...let's just hope you'll outgrow this in the near future.

For awhile, you and Olivia slept in the same room - initially even in the same bed. You were so good, going to sleep without causing a ruckus of any kind for about 2 months. Then, one day, all that stopped, and you became quite the pill - even Olivia was annoyed at you! So, back into the crib you went - but that seems to be where you want to be. You usually like to be in bed by 7:30, and you'll sleep till 6:30-7 most days. I can't remember the last time you got up at night except when you got the flu a couple months back; it says something that our monitor is set on Olivia most nights! You sleep between 2-3 hours every afternoon.

At bedtime you love to read books and become quite distraught if you don't get to sit in my lap while doing so - again, Olivia always gives in to you on this. Your favorite books are a Dora Valentine book, "Pinkalicious," and "My Name Is Not Isabella." You've recently started taking various items to bed with you - a stuffed animal, your McDonald's toy, and, tonight, your new Dora microphone. You often sleep completely on top of your pillow, still liking the feel of the bumper pad against your back. You pull the blankets over your yourself during naps but like me to cover you up at night. Sometimes you say "Luv you Mommy" but not every day yet. You always say "Nigh, nigh" to everyone and kiss the air while leaning in to put your forehead against whoever. You're still not much of a night-time cuddler, often diving for your crib, but during the day, you'll cuddle up by me on the couch if we're going to watch a show, and I love that.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Well, my Gracie-girl, I suppose I could go on, but now, as I re-read and proof-read, I'm getting all teary about the fact that you're not really a baby any more, and think it's time to stop before I officially start crying. Plus, I suppose if you ever read this when your older, you're going to think I'm too long-winded. Mostly, what you should know is that all those details just mean I don't want to forget what a sweetheart you are. We're so lucky to have such a beautiful little girl who enriches our lives in so many ways.

Lots of love, hugs, and kisses,
Mommy

PS - More birthday party pictures to come!