Dear Delicious Little Girl,
Two years ago yesterday, you came peacefully into the world, and immediately began howling. It was a day joyous beyond description for the people who love you.
Since then, we’ve learned a lot about you. Some things we learned right away:
- You like to be snuggled – but not every second.
- You are unafraid to use your voice to express yourself and your needs.
- You have a strong set of pipes.
- Your beautiful eyes can break hearts.
Other things it has been our privilege to watch developing:
- You love music and dancing.
- Your smile and your excitement are infectious.
- You are really into books and stories.
- You learn fast – when it comes to things you care about.
- Your verbal skills are, quite literally, off the charts.
- Your dramatic skills are also pretty stellar, especially the trembling pouty lip + tragic wilting combo.
- You know exactly what you want (even if it’s the opposite of what you wanted three seconds ago), and you will furiously stand up for it.
- You will try any new food that’s going – in fact, you insist upon it.
- You are independent such that if we weren’t watching, you would just wander right off without us.
- You are determined, and you really, really, really want to do it yourself.
- You are very observant of people, and somehow, you already understand how to be compassionate.
- You adore your big brother and want to do everything he does.
- Your cheeks are so kissable, we can hardly stand it.
- You give wonderful hugs.
There are many moments every day when I just marvel at the fact that we are the family who gets to take care of you.
Here is a little video to celebrate you. It includes many of the people who love you – but I wish it could show all of us who know the heartrending gratification of loving your adorable little self, and watching you grow. So fast.
Happy birthday, Sweetie. You’re the best.
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Aw, man. That was an excellent movie! Precious treasure baby. I like how many hats there are! I like the one where she puts on the dark felt hat and crawls away. Like, “I’m all set and dressed – time to go!” Also, I like the part where she leans on E in a sort of mattress-rumpus-looking area. If you want to, you can give me a print of the one where they’re under the umbrella – and the huggy one from the end. If you ever felt like it. I love you, and I LOVE AB!!!!! <3 <3 <3
That moment on the mattress with E I’d completely forgotten about. The full clip is great – he spends all this time getting the blanket just right, in that way he has.
Re photos: Roger that. 🙂 We love you too!
Wonderful! Tears, giggles — from me, that is! I miss some of those little outfits from – oh, months ago.
The hat moments are The Best! …followed closely by boots, trudging, and dancing. The event at 2:50-54 is right out of Auntie Em’s babyhood.
Love that tiara!
As for stories, there’s a drill – probably different for each of her designated readers. For Grammy, it involves Rocking Chair, invariably (if it’s at your house). And I MUST sing, not just read, Baby Beluga and Barnyard Dance (and there’s another one, probably also Sandra Boynton, that has to be sung). And Bear Hunt must be done with patching to match the reading in the right rhythm. Do not try to get away with anything else!
I note that she goes up to eleven.
Love and all kinds of dreamy delicious wishes to our little girl as she starts her third year!
Grammy
I know, it was glad there were so many of the great outfits in these clips. I get really nostalgic about the clothes. (Did you notice there was a particular very vintage shirt in one clip?)
That tiara was a birthday present from her first party; when we brought it to your house for your party the next day, she methodically removed all the pink flowers! I didn’t know whether to be chagrined or proud.
She DOES indeed go up to eleven! I’m pretty sure her ribs are green inside, too.
What a wonderful kid and video! What did you use to make it (the video, that is 🙂
BIG HUGS to A and family, and the happiest of birthdays!!!
I used iMovie on my MacBook. I’ve found it very intuitive and easy to use.
BIG HUGS to you and your lovely hubby too! We miss you.
WHOOOOOEEEEE, that is one awesome account of one fabulous 2-year segment of one splendidly stupendous kiddo!! Happy birthday, niecelet! you are wonderful!
It felt indulgent to make such a long video – but I couldn’t seem to make it any shorter! So much drama/cuteness in only two years.
OHEMGEEOHEMGEEOHEMGEEEEEEE! SO GREAT! It goes up to eleven and then back again and then all around the block!
How did you even MAKE that video. I think I would have keeled even before 6 months, let alone 2 years, I mean, I basically keeled just watching it.
SO many classic videos – I know I took a lot of them (with your phone I guess?) but I think a lot of them you took and I just watched repeatedly. AhhhhHHHHH good times. I love that you have Hugged by a Blanket! And the watermelon! And Kids In Luggage! And saying Hello on my phone :). (Which was prior to the current era where whenever she sees my phone she wants to Text Auntie Beth)
It’s so weird – she is so much herself now that I forget that she used to be that little short-haired crawling giggly tyke, but watching the videos, I can’t believe that tyke is gone! Surely she is just in another dimension, giggling and waggling for the delight of others?
I love that umbrella photo too, and the huggy one at the end, and ACH the one in the yellow high heels!
Basically I was already heart-breaking from the beginning; that music has never not made me cry ever since I first heard it in Anne Frank, so it’s perfect for a video that is going to make me cry anyway. ACHHHHHH. So great! Kudos.
Haha, I was for sure keeling. Grinning my face off at the computer screen.
That Hugged by a Blanket moment is so amazing. And Kids In Luggage is one of my favourite things ever.
You say all the things I’m thinking, like how crazy it is that so many very different stages have already gone by! Sighsighsigh. And as for the music – it was the only possible music to use, in my mind. <3
(Also speaking of food: tonight she really REALLY wanted to eat my chocolate bar and kept innocently asking as if we might forget everyone had said no. She asked again when she came into my room when I was on a break, and I offered her my dinner instead (eggplant parmigiana of sorts). She said “I think that’s too sour for me.”)
Yep, she is a persistent little monster. She will keep asking. Case in point: this evening at bedtime. She must have asked for side at least fifty times, no exaggeration.