more wishes

ellie gracen--

i am so thankful that you joined our family 2 years ago today. what a perfect addition you have been. you were the most laid back and happy little baby. you allowed your 2 older sisters to love you and try to mother you even though they were just 1 & 3 years old. you have always loved watching them and letting them lead you. you now are really starting to participate in play with them and it warms my heart to watch you 3 together.

you have a love affair going on with your crib. i have never seen a baby long for their crib like you do. if we mention the words "blankie" and "crib", your eyes light up, you bop up and down then practically dive head first into it. needless to say, we are allowing you to happily stay in your crib as long as you want.

you also are our first blankie baby. you call it your "B." most of the time it stays in the crib waiting for you, but i do believe you'd happily carry it around all day if you could. i love when i'm about to lay you down to sleep: i put your blanket over my shoulder and you cuddle your face into it and my neck. you are at such peace.

your favorite things right now are books, baby dolls and chapstick. at any given time, you can usually be found with one of those in your hands. your favorite book right now is The Eye Book. your favorite baby doll is Maya. and despite me willingly giving you any number of other chapsticks, you are most content with my medicated Chapstick.

while you have been our most easy-going baby, you have recently earned the nick name "Jack Jack" from the Incredibles. when you discovered around 18months that you could actually have a say in things, but that it was hard to with 2 older sisters and parents, you took to some serious tantrum throwing. you instantly throw yourself to the floor into a super flexible yoga/stretching pose and cry. you then peek up to see who is watching and seriously bat your eyes. this is followed by throwing your hands over your eyes and some more crying. you also have decided that scratching and hair pulling work really well for you. you don't try it often, but when something sets you over the edge, you are serious about it.

i know it is hard to be turning 2. i appreciate the frustration that comes with knowing exactly what you want, but either not being able to verbalize it or not being allowed to have it. we will have fun getting through this together, elle...you'll learn that sometimes persistence definitely pays off and that sometimes obedience is even more rewarding.




ellie--you are so loved. thank you for adding such joy to our days...and such challenge at times. i enjoy my days with you so much. my wish for you this year is that you'll continue to enjoy your life in the moment, just as you do now. happiest birthday, punky.

first and last photos used w/ copyright permission of samantha uphold photography