Second birthday

This time two years ago I was miserable.  I was wide awake after my Stadol had worn off, I was having back to back contractions that barely gave me any relief in between and a doctor had just given me my millionth painful cervix check, only to find out I still had no dilated past 3cm.

I was about 12 hours away from meeting my baby girl, and I was scared.  Scared I wouldn't know what to do, scared I wouldn't know what she would need, scared I wouldn't be any good at, or like being a mother.  Twelve hours later when I saw her for the first time, that was it, I was in love.  My sweet baby girl turns 2 today, and I cannot believe how fast the time has gone.

It feels like just yesterday that I was laying in my bed in the L&D room, wondering how much longer it would be.  It seems like a minute ago we were celebrating Em's first birthday, thinking about the following year and not being able to imagine my little baby as a toddler.  These past two years have been the best years of my life, I just love that little girl so much.

Milestones & Memories:  Em has been talking way more than ever.  Once she started talking she spoke a lot of words and just get gaining new ones quickly, but now she is starting to string them together to make short sentences (though not a ton) and she knows words that I never taught her, she picks up on every thing.  Unfortunately there are some bad ones in there too.  She is officially off her nap bottles.  Her bedtime bottle will be going soon too.  I think this week we'll cut it down to a bottle while I rock her and then go to bed without it, and then take it away next week.  She's starting to show a lot of signs that she might be ready to potty train.  She takes her diaper off a lot, lately she loves to get a piece of toilet paper when she is in there stalking me while I go, pretend to wipe and then throw it in the toilet.  We currently have a large stash of diapers, but when those are gone in a few weeks we're going to start training.  She can walk up and down small stairs by herself, just holding on to something and she is getting much better at feeding herself.

Sleeping habits:  Her naps haven't been going as well since we took away nap bubba, but after she cries it out for a couple minutes she settles down and goes to sleep.  Most days she still takes a two hour nap, but a few times a week she takes shorter ones, an hour to an hour and a half.  Bedtime is only slightly more difficult.  I read her a story or two before bed and no matter how many I read her, she always cries "stooooory", wanting more.  Unless she is really tired, she often fights going in her crib, begs for me to pick her up and cries.  But again, she usually settles down within 10 minutes and goes to sleep.  She sleeps from about 8pm till about 8 or 9am and rarely gets up in the middle of the night.

Eating habits: They are still the same as they were a few months ago.  Still not a big fan of meat, she loves to dip food in sauce and lick the sauce off.  She loves Go-gurt (she calls it go go), grapes, raisins, bananas, mac n cheese, oatmeal, black olives, and whatever you're eating.  She is pretty good at using a fork, spoons are harder and it helps if the food is thicker like oatmeal.  She can drink from an open cup as long as I only put a tiny bit in there at a time, otherwise she spills it.  She loves juice on the rare times I give it to her, and she has a huge sweet tooth.  She loves cookies.

Favorites: She still loves Minnie Mouse, Mickey, Sheriff Callie, but now she is also very interested in princesses.  If she sees one she gets excited, she loves the movie Enchanted.  She still isn't a fan of getting her hair done, but if I tell her I will make her look like a princess she is more apt to let me do it.  She loves Kayla bear, but she loves all her stuffed animals.  She goes through phases as to which ones she has to carry around and take places with her.  We got her a stuffed killer whale in SeaWorld, she loves to sleep with him and cuddle, and take him places.  She calls him shampoo (instead of Shamu).

Discoveries and accomplishments: She can go up and down small stairs on her own, she can make it all the way up a full set of stairs as long as she has something to hold on to.  She likes to sing along with TV shows, and she now say "oh toodles" on Mickey's club house.  Her diapers stays dry for hours now, and she often tells me when she has pooped.  She loves to copy and mimic things that she see's people do.