I suppose it's time to admit it to the world.
My baby turned two on Friday.
Poor girl. We had an outside engagement on Friday night, and by the time we got home we were all too tired to proceed with cake and presents, so we decided to wait until morning. It was most unconventional for us to have cake during the day time, so when we lit the candles she demanded we 'Turn the light!' She expects we can just turn the sun off for her.
Kateri is still very spirited in a very loud sort of passionate way. It seems as though she's been practicing being two for about two whole years now. She's very good at it. She is so spirited and so loud and so sweet and so smart and so dear and so, so, so cute she just amazes us all, all day long. She sings and talks and dances and plays, interjecting often with vivid sound effects like a miniature Tom Keith. (You should hear her ask for a squirt of whipped cream on her finger - kwwoosherooush as she deftly spirals her pointer in the air.) I chuckled when I read Lissa's declaration, "My toddler has decided she is morally opposed to sitting in her carseat." Kateri has been 'morally opposed' to many, many things in her little lifetime. She had her check up on Monday morning. It took both of us the rest of the day to recover. Let's just say it was very loud. (Did you hear her, where ever you are?) My doctor pronounced that I never have to worry about her being kidnapped. I thought he would say because she screams so loudly, but he actually said she would beat them up. :-)
But she is just as passionate about all the pleasantries in life as she is about the difficulties. She delights in every little thing, eyes shining, mind concentrating, face grinning and curls bouncing. When a proposition pleases her she replies with a positively exuberant, Okay! And then she looks for her constant companion with whom to share her joy: Eliza! Jammie time! Eliza! Ice cream! Eliza! Go outside play! Eliza! Dance!
She's our little imp. Our little curly haired three foot high hobbit. We call her Puck. Or Chocolate Eyes. Or the Baby. She's still the littlest, after all. A million times a day I have to just grab her and squeeze her and threaten to gobble her up.
She is still at the wondrous age where you can look in her eyes and see down into the depths of her soul with just one peek. Every nuance of joy, sorrow, confusion, embarrassment, hesitancy, contemplation, intelligence - it's still all so accessible and available for reading in the chocolaty depths. It is such a joy and privilege to share in her passionate world. She loves us all so fiercely. She is such a treasure. Every morning I wake up and roll over and just stare at her sleeping deliciousness, her absolute lusciousness. I finger her curls and stroke her pink pudgy cheeks and nuzzle into her soft yummy neck. She is such a blessing, such an incredible gift.
Happy Birthday, Kateri! We sure do love you!
