Miss M is 2!

As Madelyn grows up, I doubt she'll look back on her 2nd birthday and remember it all, but I have to say, I had the BEST day with my family! We started the day singing happy birthday to her and then a special breakfast of whatever she wanted! After that, we went to her 2 year checkup.  She weighed in at 29 lbs, and is 36 1/2 inches tall! She's been tall/long since she was born (20 1/2 inches) but as our doctor explained, their height at 2 years old, pretty much predicts their height as an adult. So, Miss M, will always be tall :) She handled her blood tests like a champ and didn't even make a peep, When she got her flu shot, she let out just the smallest little whimper, so it was a smooth checkup all around. Then... it was off to lunch! We took Madelyn to a diner in town, where she munched on grilled cheese and fries, colored with crayons, and shared a milkshake with Mommy :) Halfway through our meal, our waiter and another waitress suprised us with a sundae for Madelyn, complete with a serenade of Happy Birthday! She LOVED it! Well, not so much the sundae, which Brian and I proceeded to share, but the singing and blowing out the candle!

The birthday girls afternoon consisted of a great nap, some time playing outside, and a chat with Gamma and Grandpa before we had dinner, cake and presents at our house with Mimi, Pop-Pop, Auntie Sara, and Uncle B. I knew the difference between the 1st and 2nd birthday celebrations would be significant, but I wasn't sure how. This year was a completely different, and fun experience! Madelyn sang happy birthday all day long, and was full of smiles! She's a happy girl and smiley anyway, but she seemed to really understand the day was all about her, and she LOVED it all! It was so much fun to spend time together, dote on her and of course, give her presents.

2 years old for Madelyn, is all about talking, exploring, learning.  She loves to play with her toys, especially anything that makes noise, and does really well playing on her own. Madelyn loves to be applauded.  I noticed that she would follow intructions really well pretty early on, maybe around 12 - 15 months. She grasp that if you asked her to do something, and then gave her praise, it was a good thing, and she'd gladly repeat the action. Now, if you don't clap or say "Yay!" right away, after she does what you ask, she'll say "Mommy - clap!" It's pretty cute. As much as Madelyn does well playing on her own, if you are not in the same room, she'll quickly call out - "Mommy, where are you?" to make sure we are nearby. One of the things that I find so amazing, is that she understands her routine. She knows the days that we're going to Mimi's and the days that are school days. We are so lucky that she LOVES her time at each place so much. She gets so excited to get dressed (herself) each day for school or Mimi's house. Not that I'm surprised, since Brian (especially) and I love music, but Madelyn absolutely loves music. She has always enjoyed listening to it, or dancing, but now her singing is non-stop! Twinkle twinkle, Old McDonald, Ba - Ba Black Sheep, are a few of her favorites, in addition to Most People (Brian's current favorite song - by Dawes  ) and I Will Wait by Mumford and Sons. She asks to listen to these two in particular, all-the-time! She really is such a mini-us :)

We have about 5 more months with Madelyn as our only, and I'm very much looking forward to all the time with her. All the playing, all the exploring, all the cuddles, all the funny conversations, even the tantrums :) This age is so much fun, she amazes me every single day!

Here's to you Miss Madelyn Jayne - the happiest, sweetest, smartest, prettiest little girl in the world, I love you with all of my heart! Thank you for being YOU!