The Quickest 2 Years

The last thing I remember doing last night was laying my baby into her crib.
When I woke up she was a toddler.
The last 2 years literally passed in the brief moments between laying my head down on my pillow and waking up.
She was just a baby. I was just swaddling her. Just nursing her. Just carefully propping her on her back to sleep. And just kissing her soft, chubby cheeks. 

And then I woke up….

The closest I can get to swaddling her is when my body is forcefully holding her still while I wrap a shirt over her head. She nurses all day on frozen Go-Gurts (and she literally eats them by the caseful). I don’t carefully lay her in bed anymore either, she’s normally screaming and flailing her arms as I drop her and run out of the room.

But I still kiss those soft, chubby cheeks.
Constantly.
As in every second she is within the reach of my lips.

2 years ago I celebrated one of the happiest days of my life 
 

And again today I celebrated one of the happiest days of my life. Because since her birth, each day has been happier than the day before.

My little sunshine!
   

She’s not the easiest person to take pictures of (it runs in the family). After 100+ pictures I was able to capture only 2 of her smiling. She’s a serious girl, and prefers her Mommy holding her most of the time. Who am I kidding, I’m not her ‘Mommy’. My 2 year old baby calls me “MOM.” And it breaks my heart every time she does.

I don’t even call my mom “Mom.” She’s still my ‘Mommy’. Okay, maybe that’s weird. But a 2 year old certainly shouldn’t call me by such a formal name. And she certainly shouldn’t yell it, which is normally what she’s doing. She holds both of her hands up to her mouth and hollers, “MOM” as loud as her lungs can blow.
It’s so endearing

Can you see them? Those little horns sprouting from her head? She’s getting her little personality… one that disagrees with mine.
But she’s still part angel.

Some things about her at age 2:
Favorite Food: go-gurts, brussel sprouts, refried or black beans
Favorite thing to do: Draw on her body, pound on the piano, play on the ipad
Hates: diaper changes, flies 
Loves: her siblings, taking a bath
Watches: any cartoon
Plays with: Reagan, shoes, dollies  
 

Happy Birthday Baby Girl
I love you
The past 2 years have gone by faster than I imagined they would. I’ve been trying to soak in every moment with you, but you are growing too fast. I fully expect you to stay a baby forever, but each morning I get you out of your crib, I realize you are only getting older.
And more beautiful
and more adventurous
and more outgoing
and more sweet
and I realize, maybe you growing up isn’t such a bad thing.
I’m just falling more in love with you each day