2 Years of Firsts and Lasts

One morning last week Tim scooped up Ada and gave her a tight squeeze. She was wriggling out of his grasp because she is a very busy toddler and he said, "Squeeeeze...I can't believe you came out of your mom's 'G-rated bleep' two years ago!" I don't think he knew I was listening - he doesn't say this stuff all that often but when he does it comes out with a flair that only my husband can deliver.

Ada turned 2 years old today. I simply can't believe it. My mind is randomly turning over the thought of what I was doing 2 years ago today. I wonder if I will do this every time she has a birthday? When she turns thirty will I be churning these same thoughts, "Oh, thirty years ago at this moment  I was doing X, Y, or Z." I have the feeling that my sentimentality will only intensify with the years.

Her birthday is also a point of reflection much like New Years Eve. Unlike NYE this isn't an arbitrary date. Rather, the moment when she was born marked an incredible life change that has reached into every single teeny tiny crevice of my existence. The past two years have marked so many firsts and lasts: hers, mine, Tim's, ours...




Her first birthday was marked by a big party - I had something to prove to the year that had so greatly blessed us and then so badly beat us up. This year, we kept it intimate: just a couple of kids we hang out with normally.

Erika's daughter Josefine loves little kids. She sweetly wanted to present Ada's piece of birthday cake to her. 

Between insisting to the little ones that they really could share the toy and providing party staples to our guests I was making a mental list of all the things I wanted to remember about who she is right now. Things the camera can't show (at least not in my hands). So sweet and special are these little things that I am afraid I will forget them and that would be a shame.
Things like:

...how she loves the playground. With no yard to speak of we make the trek daily to a playground to let her run around like a lunatic. She is unbelievably kind and generous. Last week we were outside of our local coffee shop when we saw a little girl from our nearby playground. Her mom was telling me that even when I'm not there (the nanny is) Ada is the nicest kid on the playground - sharing her snacks, bringing the other kids sand toys, and sharing openly and freely.




...how she wants to do whatever we are doing. This could be really good if we are careful and channel this appropriately!




...how she's in a pre-pre-school now. Kathi invited us to try out the one that she and some parents in her neighborhood started up. It's for a little more than an hour every week. We are so lucky to have been extended such an invitation. The parents are a delight and Ada had a great time. When she does something good or another little kid does something good she will respond with a "Niiiiice!"




...how she brings parts of outfits to her dad to put on her. When she starts picking her own clothes it will be really fun and interesting! Here, she looks like Bridget Jones in that scene at the end of the movie where she runs after Mark Darcy into the snowy street wearing only her sweater and sneakers.




...how she is creative. She also knows what she wants.




...how she loves balloons. She melts my heart when she says"bwoom".




...how she points out airplanes everywhere, "Airplane!! Bye bye airplane!"
...her little projects that she comes up with like lining up her stuffed fruits on the edge of the couch
...how she looks so free when she runs all swiveling her hips and kicking up her heels to the side and her little fists balled up as he tiny arms pump
...how when you do something she likes she will clap her hands and say "Yay"

Two years ago right this moment I was holding her and looking at her. Mothering wasn't coming naturally because this was the fulfillment of the moment I had waited my whole life for. It was only a few years previously that it occurred to me that maybe I wanted to have kids. Now that I had one I wasn't sure what I was going to do with her but I knew that I loved her and we would figure it out. She has taught me so much in only 2 short years, my Heart.