My sweet Murph-Murph,
Two years have flown by in the blink of an eye. My heart is so full of the vivid memories - the big things and the small things and the sheer amount of love that has flooded our house in the last two years. And I quietly rejoice in the fact that your new 2T jammies appear to be many sizes too big; like the fact that you still fit in clothing described in months sizes means you retain your baby status.
You are the most strong-willed person I have ever been around - an enduring and frustrating trait bundled in one very cute little package. You have changed a lot in the last year - from the chubby baby with new walking legs inspecting a little owl cake; a kid of few words and new understanding.
You are learning colors and to count - you sing alongside the tune of the ABCs and beg me to sing You are My Sunshine on repeat, most especially when you are winding down before naps.
You love books - that's something I have treasured about you and your sister. You have recently started pretending - you and Ruby can be found playing "dogs" quite frequently, and you also change your voice in order to make various figures converse with one another.
You have calmed quite a bit, though we still consider you quite high maintenance -which we mean in the most loving of ways. You have moved from being almost solely a mama's girl to accommodating the many people that love you and want to snuggle. Much to your daddy's delight, you have taken 2013 to surprise him with choosing him over mama for nap time a handful of times. (We're thinking about working on the whole sleep in your own bed thing, but right now it's not something I want to push and I'm slightly obsessed with watching you drift off to sleep each morning).
You function best when something is done on your terms - I have become quite adept at fooling you into thinking you it's your choice with selective wording. Spirited. Another loving term, and I truly mean that. I admire your persistence and passion.
Your vocabulary expands with each and every day - I love the choppy sentences that are coming together. Tiny chubby hands that hold my face in their hands - Close. Eyes. Mama. And I laugh. And you repeat it again in your most serious of voices, squeezing my face a bit more to make sure I'm listening closely.
You love to do everything your big sister does. The relationship dynamic between you two changes daily. You try so hard to mimic her - you call for her often and you very obviously miss her when you are apart. The times where you two hold hands, chase each other, and play silly games, or the times when you sit in a tiny-sized rocking chair and read books together - oh, my heart pounds with such fierceness of love, I can't even explain. I hope you two are always so crazy about each other.
You have a hard time sitting still unless you have countless entertainment options - certainly not one for watching TV, though you have been known to watch Daniel Tiger quite intently.
We often refer to you as our sweet little tomboy - the one that will tackle for a kiss, throw something at the wall, or run up to hit someone just to see what happens. Spirited. And opinionated.
A big change lately has been your sleep - while we have been interrupted with insensitive germs, you have had the best nights of your life. Prior to the turn of 2013, we had seen a handful of nights that were slept from start to finish without waking.
You are not a big eater; never have been. Much too busy for stopping to eat. Your favorites are cheese, noodles, and fruit. I also happen to think you'd live on crackers if I allowed.
You tolerate the car, but that has never been a strong suit either - there are times where you cry for many minutes, because you simply don't understand the need to sit still for any period of time.
Princesses, babies, Pippi, shoes, electronics, and junk food stand atop your favorites list. Cinderella and the rest of the Disney Princess gang fell into a sudden obsession last fall, and has since only grown stronger. You talk about "Lella" and the princesses daily - you have known their names for months. There has also been a time or two (or forty) that you have been caught with a cookie or piece of "chocky" (chocolate) that you knew good and well that mama wouldn't have let you have had you actually asked.
My favorite thing about you is your passion. You can go from full blown giggles to sobbing, overly dramatic tantrum is 2 seconds flat. Just ask the people at Target.
Actually, I'm joking about the shopping part - you are mostly a very good little shopping companion. But I am most certainly not joking about your passionate emotions. Dimples to waterworks; likely with a break to tell me, "Eisley cry." And I also happen to love your many facial expressions. And the way your tiny arms wrap my neck and you pat my back. The way you demand kisses. Really slobbery, wet ones. The way you could eat cereal all day long and be happy.
We say everyone needs a little it of Ruby and a little bit of Eisley in their lives. The comedy that comes with you, the love, and the treasured hugs and kisses; I find it all so endearing.
Two years, and a lifetime ago, I held you for a hour after your were born - you screamed off and on, and looked wide-eyed around the room. That was so you. Into what the world has to offer, and disappointed with something--not afraid to show it. Also? That lip pout that showed up right at 10 seconds old? It's still here, and slightly more dramatic if that's possible.
I once had a fleeting worry that my heart couldn't have space for two - that I would turn Ruby's life upside down forever and that I might not love a second baby as much. I simply couldn't see how my heart could be further divided. It wasn't - and instead the love was multiplied. You have changed my life in the most unexpected of ways - you are humbling, rewarding, difficult, and so dang lovable, I can hardly keep from squishing the last evidence of your babyhood between my fingers. Those precious cheeks - the same ones that crinkle when you smile, dimple when you laugh, and frown beside that pout.
Two years old; I can't get over how old that sounds. You will always be my precious baby. My sunshine, my laughter, and my love.
I love you to the moon and back, sweet girl.
XOXO,
Mama
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