She's Almost 2!

Mention her birthday and a myriad of images of the last two years flashes through my mind.  One of my favorites is the memory of holding her in the hospital with a feeling of utter bliss and relief.  Hers was a fast and furious delivery - in retrospect it was my easiest, though "easy" is but a relative term here.  The labor was 100% natural - ouch.  On the other hand, I was supremely proud of that fact, and the euphoria that followed the traumatic event remains unparalled.  I finally had my little girl, and my body did what it was supposed to do.  But, this post was not supposed to be about me...

Little Madeleine is quite a chatterbox.  She counts to ten and beyond, sings Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star as her big brother practices it on trombone - I have never seen or heard a cuter duet!  She also sings the alphabet and has added in the word "Ryan" as one of the letters.  (I find this precious as I added a "KH" to my alphabet at about the same age and then insisted my younger brother sing it the same way.)  She has also picked up the word "stupid" from Sponge Bob.  Of course she knows when to use it as well.  Today, for example, when she couldn't get her leggings on she threw them on the floor and said, "Stupid, stupid pants."  What can you do?

I will be turning my kitchen in a cupcake bakery next weekend and having the whole family over.  I am really looking forward to all the festivities, and I am glad she is turning two. Mostly, though, I am thankful to have so many wonderful memories already.