september twenty-first

my baby is 2! i've never had all of my kids over the age of 2 before...this will be new for me. i don't think she really got it that it was her birthday until we had her presents in front of her and sang happy birthday to her. i guess she probably still didn't realize it was her birthday, but she got really excited and tore into her presents. of course, the $4 stackable cups were the biggest hit. she also got a baby doll with a binky and a sit-n-spin.

we also had a party for her and Clate on saturday with adam's family. grammie and pa came down, casey and jack came over, and andrea and michael came too. it was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun together.

chloe got this backpack from grammie and pa. soon after she opened it she put it on. she's worn it everywhere for the past 3 days.

she even wears it during nighttime prayers. luckily, she hangs it up on the coat rack before going to bed.

this is how chloe smiles now for pictures. i love it.

chloe at 2

• about 2 weeks ago she finally started babbling things that resemble real words. i think she finally has down "mama" and "dada". other than that, i would say her first word was probably balloon, said like "balum" or "baloo". today, she started pointing at every car and saying, "ca". she's definitely making progress in the speaking area. she also knows some animal sounds; i think those count as words too. oh yeah, she says "ease" for please.


• she loves balloons, baby dolls, purses, cell phones, going down slides, playing in the sandbox, playing in her kitchen, playing in or with water, stacking blocks, AND her binky...in fact, sometimes one is just not enough!

• she especially likes to "help" mom cook. if i'm in the kitchen, she usually has to be right there with me, watching everything i do.
• she can ride a 3-wheeled scooter
• she thinks she can do anything that clate and halle do, including drinking out of a regular cup. she melts down when i try to give her a cup with a lid, so i often let her have a regular cup...and she does fine if she stays sitting at the table, but when she gets down from the table, the drink usually ends up spilled all over the floor.
• she is a great sleeper; still takes a 2-3 hour nap everyday.
• she has the sweetest personality. i can't wait until she really starts to communicate because i think she is going to be quite funny. she has great facial expressions and the light in her eyes is amazing. she is a very happy little girl.
• she has even curlier hair than her sister...amazing.

i held her the other night in the middle of the night because she was having a hard time sleeping and i couldn't help but think, "she's not a baby any more." she was big in my arms, and heavy. i snuggled close and squeezed her tight as i sat with her for a few minutes. i just love that little girl. she has brought so much joy to me in her short 2 years here. i'm glad she's mine forever. happy birthday bo.