She's 2, She's 2... I Can't Believe She's 2!!!

How can I put into words the last two years? For a woman who makes a living talking and writing, right now I'm coming up a little dry.

My baby turned two yesterday!

Let's see... who is this little brown eyed girl today?

She loves Elmo, he lights up her face every, single time. She sings "La, la, la, la, Elmo's world" often. She asks to watch "Elmo's World" most every morning... and afternoon... and evening. She loves her Elmo T-shirt her daddy bought her at Target. But it's not all Elmo. Cookie Monster, whom she just calls monster, and Super Grover get honorable mentions in the obsessed department. Sesame Street is a pretty big hit in our home.

But there is something else Georgia loves even more than Elmo, and it's something that makes me very happy. The girl loves books. Her favorite right now is "Wacky Wednesday" and "The Cat in the Hat" and "There's a Wocket in My Pocket." She sometimes will disappear into a corner and just read and read aloud to herself. It is honestly one of the most precious things I've ever seen. And she's really good at making up a story to go with the pictures. She also is very insistent that mama and dada read to her regularly... and don't dare try to tell her your busy.

Georgia sings her A,B,C's, and she can get through the entire alphabet. She counts to at least 15 and is getting better and better at actually counting objects correctly. She knows her days of the week, sung to the tune of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Georgia identifies the colors red, pink, yellow, black, white, blue, green, brown and orange. She is always very proud when she gets a new pair of shoes and delights in taking them off herself. (Do we have a shoe-hound on our hands?) My little lovely loves to dance and loves to sing and loves to smile. She has just started smiling for pictures when I ask her to, and it's adorable! She loves to go for walks and Dandelions, watch out! She picks every one she can find.

Georgia is also a daddy's girl and sometimes fights for his attention with me. We have our squabbles and stare offs from time to time, but can I blame her? Georgia's daddy is the best. I'm glad she adores him so much.

On that note, Georgia's independent streak can be as wide as a canyon sometimes, but then like any child, it becomes as narrow as a needle. But when the canyon appears, temper-tantrums and a battle of wills become common. My daughter is not one to step down easily. I hope she keeps that with her always, to a degree. It will serve her well in life.

This year's birthday celebration was a little changed from last year. For birthday #1, we headed back to Georgia where 20 or so family members and friends gathered to celebrate the day Georgia came into our lives. Today, it was just the three of us - Georgia, mama and dada. It was perfect. A day of smiles and love and celebration.

We headed to Georgia's two favorite places. First, the aquarium...




Then we went to... come on, you know!... the beach!!!






We ended the day with cake and presents and the singing of "Happy Birthday." This year, Georgia didn't cry when we sang. I guess mama and dada's singing is just better. :) And the party was full of red, lots of red, and you can probably guess why... ELMO!






And did I mention the presents... and presents, and presents? This little girl has finally figured out what brightly-wrapped bundles are all about...





My little girl. How I hope and dream for you every day, and I know as the birthdays continue to come, one day you'll have your own hopes and dreams. I can't wait to see what they are, but my hope is that my dreams carry you a little longer so you'll stay my little girl for a time. Watching you grow up is beautiful but at times, bittersweet.

Happy Birthday sweetheart... the girl who will always have my heart.