Happy birthday Promise

My darling daughter,

I can hardly believe you are two years old today. Time is flying by with you. I blink and you've reached another milestone. I close my eyes for a second and you have learned something new. What a joy it has been to watch you grow these last two years. You have transformed from a tiny baby, held in my arms for the first time with overwhelming joy, to the precious little girl before me today.

You are spunky and happy and have a twinkle in your eye when you laugh. You smile and giggle easily and when you laugh it's infectious. You also get angry easily but cool off quickly. I see so much of myself in you, personality and features. I marvel that you are my daughter, it is such a strange sensation to see myself in another person as I see myself in you.

You like to help me with whatever I'm doing, especially baking and putting away laundry. You mimic my facial expressions and follow me like a shadow quite often. You're always checking to make sure Mommy is nearby. But when it comes to laughs, it's all about Daddy. He gives you rides, makes you giggle with hardly a pinkie finger's tickle, and brings out your wild side. Mommy is best for cuddles and Daddy is best for play and it's a good balance for our family.

You like to sing, dance, listen to music and move around like the house is your personal jungle gym. You push your physical boundaries and emulate Isaac. You've recently learned to jump and it's just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. You bend way down and almost leap then quickly step down. If you jump on flat ground, you bend down and lean up quickly on your toes. You're practicing walking up and down the stairs holding the railing or Mommy or Daddy's hand. You also sometimes scoot down the stairs on your bum, faster than we're comfortable with but you definitely have fun doing it!

You love to play with Isaac and like to take part in whatever activity he's doing. But you also have a say in what toys you want out for playtimes. Your favourites right now are your big red car, Mr. Potato Heads and various puzzles. But you'll pretty much play with any toys around you. You can be found playing cars, trains, buses or firetrucks. The other day Isaac was upstairs and you were pushing Mack Truck around the kitchen, making various car sounds as you went. You like to stack blocks, pretend with play food and dress up whenever I bring the dress-up box out.

You are becoming a great little artist. While I try not to compare you and Isaac for many things, in this area there is such a big difference. Isaac liked playdough when he was two but really had no interest in colouring, painting, doing crafts etc. You, on the other hand, already love doing all those things. At Strong Start you always do the craft (especially the gluing part!) and you like to paint. You are finally starting to play more with the playdough and eat less of it. And you like putting stickers into your sticker book. We did a painting activity a couple weeks ago. You leaned as far forward in your chair as you could to make sure a small patch of paper that was blank was covered with paint. I was impressed you were aware of it and worked to cover it with colour!

You definitely have opinions on what you want to or don't want to wear. We noticed it when you were about 16 months old I think. You had to pick out your coat. Now you tend to pick out your own shoes, your coat and your pjs. Some days you need to pick your own shirt too. Sundays are especially trying as you have strong opinions about what church clothes you do not want to wear but don't always provide us with an alternative you're happy with! You love wearing necklaces and have a few strewn around the house already at the tender age of two. Teenage years with you will be interesting.





You're a great eater. There's not much you don't like other than mushrooms. But if you had your way, we'd eat a huge bowl of blueberries with every meal. Or cheese. Or tomatoes. You like lasagna and hot dogs and cheesy noodles and anything with dip. You love pizza movie night (we all do!) and want to help with pizza prep, or at least to help test out the cheese, meat, veggies and olives.

You like to walk places now so we are using the stroller less and less, though it's still very convenient. We'd love you to start riding your Strider but you've only sat on it a couple times and we finally got you to walk forward with it a bit last week when Grandma and Grandpa and their special friends were over for a visit. You love your rocking horse on the back deck and will occasionally motor around in Isaac's big deck car too. You enjoy nature and are a good little walker when we're out and about.

Your absolute favourite thing in the world is Owl. Nothing compares to the love between you two. That little stuffie immediately calms you and we don't go anywhere without him. On Tuesday we had a scare we'd lost him and we searched diligently until he was found. You do have a backup owl "Fuzzy Owl," but he's just not the same as "Special Owl." You've even laughed when you've asked for Owl and we've given you Fuzzy instead of Special. What a joke that is! You also love Teddy and he makes a great pillow / cuddly toy for bedtimes and just after you wake up. He's special but not to the same degree as Owl.

You're wonderful with bedtimes. You know your evening routine by heart but you work well if we mix it up too, like read with Isaac and then no personal storytime. Sometimes we sit outside of your room and sing a few songs to reassure you before you'll settle for sleep but mostly you're easygoing and just stick your two fingers in your mouth, cuddle Owl and Teddy and go to sleep on your own. You still have a naptime every afternoon for about an hour to an hour and a half. You have missed your nap on occasion when we've been out of the house and you manage splendidly. But I'm glad you still have an afternoon snooze. It gives me a chance to relax or spend time with your brother.

You and Isaac are becoming fast friends. It makes me so happy to see you two play together. Two days ago was the first time I saw you two happily roughhouse together (tamely). You both had so much fun, chasing each other and giggling as you would grab Isaac's shirt and he would turn away, pulling you with him. Lots of times you fight over toys but lots of times you play together too and I love that.

Well my daughter, this is a long letter already. I could keep going but I could write all night and still not capture the wonder it is watching you grow. I feel incredibly blessed to be your mother and call you my daughter. I love the personality you have shining through already, I love watching you learn and grow and become the girl God made you to be. And I love being your mommy and caring for you through all the moments that make up our days and lives.

Happy birthday Promise!
Much love,
Mommy





This is one of my favourite moments with you recently. We were standing above a marshy area. There was a tiny path leading into the marshes. You decided to just walk right into the thick reeds, heading off on a grand adventure without worrying about what anyone else was doing. It showed me your adventurous spirit and your willingness to try new things, both wonderful qualities to have.