Happy Birthday Beautiful Girl!
Our little Anne Marie turned two on Thursday. It's hard to believe and yet I feel like so much has happened in the last two years. She's amazing. There's almost no other way to put it.
She had a good birthday, Daddy was home from work for a couple days and when Mommy and Daddy are both with her and available to do her bidding, that ALWAYS makes for a happy Anne Marie. The only blight on the day was the fact that Mommy had long ago scheduled her two-year-old check up for that morning. Our pediatrician works part time and there was an appointment available that day... so I guess I just took it. It really wasn't that bad - she had to get a flu shot (I knew she didn't have any other vaccines that she needed - so I was really hoping for no shot) but the sucker (only her second ever) REALLY did the trick... about two tears and then she was right back to her candy. She was 29lbs and 35.5" - still growing like a weed!
So after we got her doctors visit over with, she got to run around the mall and then basically watch movies whenever she wanted all day. Hey - it was her birthday. We had a small family dinner and the highlight - cupcakes! - afterward. She's not really known much about the existence of cupcakes before... but she knows now. She had no problem learning the word "cupcake". Although I think she might have had it slightly confused with an ice cream cone because she just wanted to lick the icing off like ice cream and then put the cake part aside... although she might just be an icing girl after her Aunt Paige's heart! Then she opened a couple presents from Mommy and Daddy and played - she now owns her first play-doh - which was a big hit.
She's learning so much right now and I've been collecting up some of the most fun items to document here. Last night in the car, she figured out that she talked different (and made Mom and Dad laugh really hard - and then reciprocate) when she held her nose. It was so funny. We were getting the normal chorus of "Mommy Daddy Mommy Daddy" and then all of a sudden it was higher and more nasal - when I looked back, she was holding her nose and we all had a big laugh and talked that way for a while.
She's learned her whole alphabet and was already starting to teach Eleanor her letters... she was holding up her foam letters and telling Ellie what they were and then putting the letters on Eleanor's chair for her to study.
She's known the word "STOP" for a while - it's what we use when she needs to freeze - such as in a parking lot and a car's coming or something like that. However, recently she's been using it on us. When I'm walking down the hall away from her I often hear "Mommy... STOOOP... STOOOOOOP". We are trying to explain to her that it doesn't always work the other way around.
We have to do the normal parent trick of spelling certain words in front of Anne Marie - and for those of you who know me well, you know that this is a challenge for me! What's so funny though is that she realizes that we're saying letters and often will just start saying letters herself. So if we say M-O-V-I-E, she'll just start saying things like E-R-B-S. It's also starting to be unclear if she's understanding the spellings of MOVIE and COOKIE - I think we'll have to start spelling other words for the same thing.
She is so loving and gentle with Eleanor. She loves to know what's going on with the baby almost all the time and when it's time to get Ellie up from a nap, she adores running back to the bassinet. She pets her head and talks about her eyes, nose, chin, ears, etc. She gets concerned when Ellie cries but thankfully for all of us, that isn't too often. She likes to sit and cuddle with Mommy and Eleanor when I'm feeding her. She's also started being Mommy's helper by bringing me things or carrying things for me. One of the cutest things though is whenever Eleanor sneezes, she says "Bless you Baby" and when Eleanor coughs, she says "Cough Cough" which is what I always say to her. She's such a great Big Sister!
Here are some birthday pictures. And here are some puddle splashing pictures - we finally had some rain - and Anne Marie took full advantage!
What a blessing she's been in our life. I can't wait to see what this year brings for her. Happy Birthday my sweet little girl.
She had a good birthday, Daddy was home from work for a couple days and when Mommy and Daddy are both with her and available to do her bidding, that ALWAYS makes for a happy Anne Marie. The only blight on the day was the fact that Mommy had long ago scheduled her two-year-old check up for that morning. Our pediatrician works part time and there was an appointment available that day... so I guess I just took it. It really wasn't that bad - she had to get a flu shot (I knew she didn't have any other vaccines that she needed - so I was really hoping for no shot) but the sucker (only her second ever) REALLY did the trick... about two tears and then she was right back to her candy. She was 29lbs and 35.5" - still growing like a weed!
So after we got her doctors visit over with, she got to run around the mall and then basically watch movies whenever she wanted all day. Hey - it was her birthday. We had a small family dinner and the highlight - cupcakes! - afterward. She's not really known much about the existence of cupcakes before... but she knows now. She had no problem learning the word "cupcake". Although I think she might have had it slightly confused with an ice cream cone because she just wanted to lick the icing off like ice cream and then put the cake part aside... although she might just be an icing girl after her Aunt Paige's heart! Then she opened a couple presents from Mommy and Daddy and played - she now owns her first play-doh - which was a big hit.
She's learning so much right now and I've been collecting up some of the most fun items to document here. Last night in the car, she figured out that she talked different (and made Mom and Dad laugh really hard - and then reciprocate) when she held her nose. It was so funny. We were getting the normal chorus of "Mommy Daddy Mommy Daddy" and then all of a sudden it was higher and more nasal - when I looked back, she was holding her nose and we all had a big laugh and talked that way for a while.
She's learned her whole alphabet and was already starting to teach Eleanor her letters... she was holding up her foam letters and telling Ellie what they were and then putting the letters on Eleanor's chair for her to study.
She's known the word "STOP" for a while - it's what we use when she needs to freeze - such as in a parking lot and a car's coming or something like that. However, recently she's been using it on us. When I'm walking down the hall away from her I often hear "Mommy... STOOOP... STOOOOOOP". We are trying to explain to her that it doesn't always work the other way around.
We have to do the normal parent trick of spelling certain words in front of Anne Marie - and for those of you who know me well, you know that this is a challenge for me! What's so funny though is that she realizes that we're saying letters and often will just start saying letters herself. So if we say M-O-V-I-E, she'll just start saying things like E-R-B-S. It's also starting to be unclear if she's understanding the spellings of MOVIE and COOKIE - I think we'll have to start spelling other words for the same thing.
She is so loving and gentle with Eleanor. She loves to know what's going on with the baby almost all the time and when it's time to get Ellie up from a nap, she adores running back to the bassinet. She pets her head and talks about her eyes, nose, chin, ears, etc. She gets concerned when Ellie cries but thankfully for all of us, that isn't too often. She likes to sit and cuddle with Mommy and Eleanor when I'm feeding her. She's also started being Mommy's helper by bringing me things or carrying things for me. One of the cutest things though is whenever Eleanor sneezes, she says "Bless you Baby" and when Eleanor coughs, she says "Cough Cough" which is what I always say to her. She's such a great Big Sister!
Here are some birthday pictures. And here are some puddle splashing pictures - we finally had some rain - and Anne Marie took full advantage!
What a blessing she's been in our life. I can't wait to see what this year brings for her. Happy Birthday my sweet little girl.