Tatumn, 2 1/2 Years Old!

Tatumn turned 2 1/2 last week. My little girl is growing quicker than Ican handle. My heart did a little skip when I realized she was out of her 20's in months. I know that may sound so silly but for the first10 months of her life, I was absent. I missed it. My arms do not know how it feels to hold her as a newborn. My brain does not have a mental picture of her sitting for the first time. I will never know if she was always afraid of getting her hair(head) wet or if maybe once upon a time she liked the feel of water on her head. I wish I knew why she crawled with a lazy leg, doesn't like meat, and why she has a hard time swallowing.

I feel incredibly blessed to have held her in my arms while her little life was still barely nine months old. I missed some of her firsts but not all of them. I got to watch her take her first steps, say "dada' for the first time. I was a witness to the very first glimpse 3 big brothers got in an airport terminal of their baby sister. That moment will go down as one of God's sweetest blessings to me. I was also privy to watch a love story develop between a daddy and his princess in a stuffy hotel room in Changsha, China She went from crying every time she caught a glimpse of him to getting the first real kiss and a belly full of giggles. The image of him holding her for the first time is forever etched in my memory. Written on my heart.

Baby talk has been replaced with full sentences and the occasional sassy response like "...because I said." A little, tiny bald head now proudly sports pig-tails with hair bows. A very hot milk bottle has been exchanged for a sippy cup with chocolate almond milk, from the fridge. Pink lip gloss coordinates with every outfit. Everyday. A ballerina tu-tu can be worn with any outfit. It is fun to twirl...and twirl...and twirl. Brown Bear Brown Bear is known by heart. GoodNight Moon is still a favorite. Ms. PattyCake has taken over Baby Einstein in the vans DVD player. Sommer and MariaLuna are new friends. She knows my name is Stephanie but thinks that her grandma's name is grammy. Is the best cheerleader at all soccer games, wrestling matches, or baseball tournaments. Likes to go to sleep in her bed, with the light ON and the door OPEN. Wakes up with the sweetest smile, I know this because she wakes up right, next to me.

I don't mind.