24 Months!

There are moments when I look at her...

And I honestly can't believe David and I are lucky enough for her to be ours.

When she is smiling her coy little smile, or intentionally trying to make us laugh, and then saying, "Annie silly."  Or when she sees me walk back in her bedroom after one of her not-as-effective-as-I-would-like time outs, and she smiles at me, seeming delighted to tell me the required, "I'm sorry" before she can get back up and play.  Or when I see her flirt with her daddy, pretending to run from him so that he will chase her, catch her, and tickle her, before the series starts all over again.

Two years ago, in the very first moment I saw her, I felt like she had always been with me.  And I knew that I loved her with every single thing I have in me.  But wow, I had no idea how it would feel to do just that every day from that precious moment forward.  Oh, the privilege.  Nothing in my life has ever been so monumental.  And I don't say that lightly, because finding David was a pretty life-changing experience! 

At 24 months old, Annie is sweet and sensitive and funny and empathetic.  She is smart and clever and, well, beautiful.  She gets girlier every day, as she develops a love of bracelets and purses and swirly dresses.  But she gets a little tougher every day too, crying less when she falls, and getting up a little faster every time.  She loves dirt and puddles and getting messy...she just asks to be cleaned up right away when that happens.

Having fun playing dress up at her friend, Audrey's, party.

She sings and she looks at books and she mothers her baby dolls and makes us all meals in her play kitchen.  She uses our phones or the remote control to have telephone conversations with Gaga or Nana and Papa  or with her friends that are always some version of: "Hello, Gaga! (pause) Talk to you later. (pause) Bye!"  She loves to paint and do art projects, occupying herself for a long time with a creative burst of color.  She remains just as busy as she ever has been, running from one project to the next, always eager to find something new to do.  And the bubbles, oh her love affair with bubbles right now.  She's obsessed.

At her 2-year doctor's appointment, she weighed in at 29.4 pounds (76%) and was 35 inches tall (also 76%).  So she continues to be a tall girl, which I suspected by the rate at which she is outgrowing her clothes...not that I mind the excuse to buy her more.

Simply put, she continues to make me feel so incredibly blessed.  Even on the days when she is grumpy or whiney (and yes, there are those days...I don't want to paint a picture that denies that), she still makes me one lucky momma.  And I adore her even more today than I did on the afternoon of June 29, 2011, when I met her for the first time.

Two!

On Saturday, we celebrated two special years with our little girl.  I've given a lot of thought over the last few days as to the best way to commemorate that day on this blog.  And I'm not quite sure I have reached a decision.  But every time I think about what to write about what having Annie in our family has meant to me and to David, the words of Annie's current favorite song come to mind.  I think because in their simplicity, these words capture the very essence of what she brings to our lives.  I know it sounds sappy.  I know it sounds cheesy.  I know it sounds very rainbows and unicorns and fairy dust.  But it's true.  Annie is our sunshine...and there's no better time to say it out loud then on a special occasion like a birthday. 

"You Are My Sunshine"

You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine.

You make me happy
When skies are gray.

You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.

Please don't take
My sunshine away.

We love you, sunshine...our sweet Annie Cakes.  We can't wait to continue this family journey with you.

All photos courtesy of my very talented husband and father-in-law.  A huge thanks to them for capturing the spirit of our little girl.