Leila is turning two tomorrow.  And I say IT’S ABOUT TIME! I welcome her second birthday with cheer and fireworks. I am not going to lie and tell you that time flies and I can’t believe how fast she is growing or that I miss her chubby baby cheeks. Nope. I am the kind of mother that throws away her kids art-work as soon as they go to sleep. A monster to some, smart and practical to others.

The last 20 months have been the most trying months of my life. I survived and lived to tell the story of colic, baby who hated her car seat and her stroller, was afraid of people, hated going out, cried when somebody sneezed in another room, got hurt at least once a week by falling on flat surfaces and didn’t sleep through the night until she was 14-months old. I do not miss that. Yes, there were about a million beautiful and adorable things that she did and I documented them thoroughly in my pictures; and I know that in ten years from now I will burst into tears looking at them. I know I will. And that’s ok. But today? Today I am fully enjoying my little big girl who knows the words to all my favorite songs and sings along in the car, climbs out of her crib, opens all the doors, plays with her brother and brings him toys when he cries, loves going out, understands when I am joking and when I am serious, calls me a “silly girl” when I tell her it’s time for her nap, says she stole a car when I ask what she did at day-care, asks “why you do ish to me?!” and covers her face with both hands, gives me hugs and tells me she loves me. That? I miss already.

Now excuse me while I go in search for a cake that possibly looks like a frog, because at the moment frogs trump Teletubbies and even Elmo. I’m just glad she doesn’t know you can have them as pets…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvEc_Qw2lQk