Scrunchie Turned 2!

My little winter-born darling turned two years old at the end of February. Since she and her big sister have birthdays so close together (and they're less than 2 years apart), they are having a party together at a later date.

 Here's my sentimental collage of our baby Scrunchie. Clockwise starting at the top left: newborn, 7 months, 12 months, 2 years, and about 37 weeks pregnant.

 Mama and Scrunchie. Goodness I love her to pieces. She's a spitfire, and some days she just amazes me with the things she comes up with (that are usually out of nowhere). She thinks she's just as big as any of her older sisters. She's not one to hold back.

 She looks a lot like me (most people think she's my mini-me), and she's about as stubborn as I am. We both wear our hearts on our sleeves--there's no guessing what we're thinking or feeling when you look at our faces.

 But one thing is for sure...

...she's daddy's girl. Everything in her little world revolves around daddy. Since he's been working at home, she's spent quite a bit of time with him. They seem to be basement buddies most days. I'm so happy they have such a close bond.



We started off her special day with our typical breakfast surprise. Balloons adorn her chair. A treat bag full of small goodies awaits her, as well. I think she loved her balloons.

She sat down and immediately spotted the one food item that was in her goodie bag.  So she dug in, of course. Animal crackers are something I never buy, so she was excited to see something new.

 Yeah, I'd say she was a happy camper!

 After everybody was off to school, I took the younger three to the play area at our mall. I knew it would probably be full of germs, but I chanced it. I hope they had fun because I'm just about certain this is the place where somebody originally picked up, what I assume to be, rota-virus. It (or something that resembles it) hit our family--well, not all of us, but the younger ones who have had less exposure to that crud.

Anyway, I think they enjoyed their time!

We like to celebrate with a small dinner on each kiddo's actual birthday, and then we usually have a full on P-A-R-T-Y on another date. So this year we took Scrunchie out to a restaurant with our family. I didn't have it in me to cook this year, plus I always make the birthday person's favorite meal, and Scrunchie hasn't made it clear exactly which meal that is (she is a really good eater, so I had too many to choose from). So we took her out for a good time. Following dinner, I grabbed everybody's favorite cupcakes as we headed home for presents. I chose a cookies and cream cupcake for our baby girl. Yep, she loved it!

Once we got home, Scrunchie enjoyed opening all of her gifts--and she had plenty! She received many nice gifts-- everything from a Mickey Mouse doll, to clothes, to a basketball goal. I was most excited to give her her little series of Minnie Mouse books--but I didn't capture that one on camera. She's obsessed with the Mickey ones, so I figured she'd need the Minnie ones to compliment!


At two years old, you are
26 pounds
in the 71st percentile for length (just like Bo-Bo)
super awesome at drinking from a big girl cup and eating with real silverware
kicking and throwing quite well
saying some words but not a ton, like: dada, mama, a variation of mama that means "grandma," Bo-bo, baba, down, want, I, where, ball, no, mm-hmm (does that count), ye-aw ye-aw (meow), Ho-ho-ho, Mooooo, ruff, more, It's, a, --that's all I can think of right now.

You can say two or three words at a time--usually "Where's dada?" Or "It's a Bo-bo" Or "I want down." Yeah, you pretty much stick with those.

You help with chores--you can pick things up off the floor and put them away or in the trash. You like to think you can help unload the dishwasher. You get things for Hunk. You can follow commands without us showing or pointing to things.

You still love Mickey Mouse. It (the show) will turn a horrible day into a good one for you in a matter of seconds. You aren't the biggest fan of naps--but only if I put you down. You hate it when I stop rocking you and put you down for nap, but if daddy rocks you and then puts you down, you seem fine with it. This boggles my mind.

Scrunchie, You are our fifth little girl, and what a precious and adorable little soul you are with all your smiles, quirks, and little ways of being. We appreciate all of the things that make you, YOU! Everything from the way you run across the room like you are escaping trouble, to the way you say what a kitty cat says (ye-aw, ye-aw), to those precious few moments when you'll snuggle in for a song (usually the ABC's). You perfectly complete the girl-streak in our family--enjoying your role as "baby," I'd say. You are very much a toddler. From the way you eat, to the way you talk and walk--you are full-blown toddling cuteness.I can't believe I get to be your mommy. You have taught me so many things--even the fact that I can love somebody who bullies me (haha, you just like to hit people when you disagree with them). But really, I think you're a pretty neat kiddo. You certainly keep me on my toes--making me feel young by chasing you all over. Thank you for all the times you show me your softer side--you melt my heart.