No Day But Today: Our two year old.

Miss Madeleine.

Maddie.

Mada.

Squish.

Sugar.

Grinny.

Little dove.

My sweet angel girl...you are two.

And I can hardly believe it. It seems like only days ago we were welcoming you into our family, embracing our 'sleepless nights' nights and cuddling you close...and now here we are, two years later thanking God that you are part of our family, embracing our sometimes still sleepless nights, and continuing to cuddle you close.

You are our grinny girl.

We joke actually though because often times it seems like you have two emotions: happiest kid on the planet, or most frustrated kid on the planet. It's one or the other. No in between. I love that about you. You always know where you stand and you share your emotions with everyone around you. You wear your heart on your sleeve.

I'd say the only exception to your two emotions scale is when you enter a new setting. You are cautious at first, taking it all in, staying close. But eventually you get your footing and you soar.

You are curious. An explorer. A climber. Physical. Opinionated. A tad rebellious.
You love music and dancing. And coloring. Mostly painting though. The messier the better.
You put your babies to sleep with the best of them.
You love your friends at school, and are excited every day to see them.
You like to run. Everywhere. I call you twinkle toes because your pitter patter run is just the sweetest.
Your laugh is one of my most favorite sounds.

You are often a mama's girl. Sometimes a daddy's girl. And always a big sister's girl. Your favorite person in the entire world is Charlotte, or "Aiya" as you call her. Anything and everything she is doing, you want to be doing. If she likes it, you like it. If she has one, you want one. And this past year of watching the two of you grow in your sisterhood bond and begin creating your special world together...well, they have been some of the happiest moments of my year.

You have been finding your words at your own pace. You are so smart, and you don't miss a thing but communicating it all in words that we understand has been a bit slower. And while my mama heart still sometimes worries about that, I know that we all have to be allowed the time to grow and find our way and our words and the freedom to do that in our own unique way.

And perhaps it's because you are still finding your words, or that you are my little pip squeak, or that you still get a bottle at night (cough cough, no comment) when I rock you to sleep...but you are still my baby. I know that you are two... and you are growing and learning and changing everyday.

But you are still my baby.

But here's the thing- it's not that I'm pining away for the yesterday's, because each day with you is better than the next. The thing is Madeleine...you'll always be my baby.
And I'll always love you with everything I am.

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Your party this year was Little Pumpkin theme.
We gathered at the party room at Trophy Cupcakes with family and the Lovik's, who let's be honest, are pretty much family.
It was a wonderful celebration of the wonderful YOU.