Charlotte turns 2!

Charlotte Grace!

You are now two years old! You are officially a "big girl" and you are so proud of yourself. You have changed so much over the past year.

-You are so sweet and sensitive. You look out for others and you aim to please.

-Your favorite color is blue. Even before you could label colors, you preferred your blue pacifier.

-You no longer use a pacifier! We had one rough nap, you were rewarded with a lollipop and that was the end of it. I haven't actually thrown out the pacifiers yet...not sure why I'm holding onto them but it saddens me to know you're growing up. You are very proud of yourself though and often tell people "No binky! Green lollipop!"

-You generally nap for a couple hours each day. Since Blue Binky has disappeared, there have been a few napless days. You hang out in your crib waiting for the clock to turn from blue to yellow, indicating time for freedom. Before falling asleep today, you did a somersault in your bed and yelled "I flip! I did it!" Whatever it takes Kid.

-You love to travel. Hotels are your favorite part. Thanks to the cookies, Double Trees are your favorite hotels. Unfortunately they're not Starwood, so we don't have points there.

-You enjoy long walks along the beach at sunset.

-In the morning and evening, you run around the house screaming "Naked Time!" You don't protest getting dressed, but you often need to be distracted (or bribed) if we have somewhere to be.

-Your favorite food, still, is noodles. You like lo mein which you request by saying Daddy should "bring home noodles". More frequently though, we have "messy noodles", ie spaghetti. I have a feeling you are always going to be a messy eater. Not sure what to do about that at this point.

-Eggs give you egg-zema. Your legs were covered in "boo boos" for so long and we finally figured out the cause. We don't give you eggs at home but the allergy is minor enough that you can enjoy friends' birthday cakes.

-Your new favorite television show/toy is Thomas the Tank Engine. You have learned the names of a few of the trains and you insist they come with us in the car whenever we go out. The goal is to not lose them before this fad fades.

-You wholeheartedly love your baby sister. You defend her, you look out for her, you give her toys to keep her enteratined, you says "it's ok baby sister, go ny-night" when she cries in the car, you read her familiar books, you sing "Twinkle Twinkle" to her at bedtime, and best of all, you say prayers with/for her at night.

-You were very sad to move away from your Arlington friends but you are adjusting well to our new home in VA Beach. Dada says our next move will be into a house we'll buy so we're almost done. Allegedly.

Big Girl, you are so loved. We cherish you for who you are and we look forward to who you will become. Happy second birthday Charlotte Grace!