2 Years?!??!?!?!?! 2 seems like such a small number. Until you add YEARS to the end of it and apply it to your own child!! I can't believe it was 2 years ago that we came home with Elsie! SO CRAZY! Elsie is the light of our lives! She is such a joy!! We are as grateful today as we were this day 2 years ago for Amanda! We owe her a lot!! I took Elsie to the doctor this week for her 2 year checkup. Here are her stats from the doctor:
- Weight: 26.46 lbs. (47 percentile)
- Height: 2'9.5" (39 percentile)
- Head Circumference: 19.5 in. (93 percentile)
She is definitely growing folks!! I can't believe it! For the past 3 weeks or so, Elsie has had a green, goopy nose. I ruled out anything serious (somehow, I think I am a doctor...) because her only symptom was her gross nose. Josh agreed. Her nose didn't get any better. I decided that at the first sign of a fever I would take her in (my first guess would be that she had an ear infection, but I knew they were accompanied by a fever and "fussiness" but she never had either of those), but until a second symptom appeared, she was fine. So I did nothing. At her 2 year checkup, I asked her doctor about her possibly having allergies. As the doctor was continuing her checkup, she looked into her left ear. "Looks like she has an ear infection in her left ear." I immediately felt like the WORST MOM EVER!!! She looked into her right ear. "Looks like she has an infection in her right ear." WHAT?!? I couldn't believe it! I think I am a good mom. I would never let my child suffer with a double ear infection for 3 weeks! (Do "bad" moms let their kids suffer?....probably not, but I seemed to think so at the time). I was so surprised. "But, she hasn't even had a fever! Her only symptom was her gross nose. Don't ear infections cause a fever too?"
"Some do not cause fevers. Most do, but not all of them." Pretty sure I felt like the worst mom ever at that moment! Elsie has been so happy. She has been completely herself. Either she has a high pain tolerance or her ear infections weren't that bad. I hope the latter. She is now on an antibiotic. She actually likes it. When I give it to her (every morning and night) she takes it, smiles and looks at me and says, "awl-'bet'r" it is so cute!
I know we aren't supposed to think our kids are "perfect" but Elsie is close. (I know that this paragraph is going to backfire at me at some point in Elsie's life....) I think she looks perfect. I love her perfect smile, her perfect teeth, her nose, her beautiful curls, those stunning blue eyes, all of it. I love everything about her! I think of other things that make me think she is perfect...she sleeps well (even though she still sleeps with us...she never "fights" sleep), she is so easy-going, but she still has an opinion. She lets me brush her teeth, she never fights it. She likes it. She actually loves to brush her teeth! She loves other people. She is polite (most of the time...well, she is as polite as a 2 year old can be...) She is still 2, but she is definitely a pretty easy 2 year old (ok, so she has only been 2 for a week...) I am sure our battles are coming, but as long as we, as parents, can keep a "level head" it is easy to see why she is "fighting a battle" or throwing a fit. Most of the time her fits are pretty entertaining. The only time they are not entertaining is when we are out in public :) But in public she is entertained, so most of her fits take place at home. Did I mention I think she is perfect?
Elsie talks SO MUCH!!! She can say anything you ask her to! I love asking her to say words. Some days I wonder if she hates it, but she keep saying everything I ask her to, so I guess not :) My favorite word she says right now is "flip flops" I need to get her saying it on camera before she can say it right :) I don't even know if I could type it out the way she says it. I'll try. She says it with a lisp (there aren't any other words she says with a lisp...) and slobbers/drools and spits as she says it. It is hilarious! She puts a bunch of 's' in it - it sounds like "s'lisp'sh'-sh'lopsh" That's the best I can do. It is so funny!!! I "belly-laugh" every time she tries to say it (I am laughing right now as I picture it)!!!
Another thing I love that Elsie says right now is when you ask her where something is and she sees what you are asking her about she says, "Eh-ar'" meaning "there you are" it is so cute! She says this all day long. When we are reading her books (which she now LOVES) and ask her where something is on the page, she says, "eh-ar'" I love it!
My favorite phrase is when she says, "I-dOn'-lIk'IT" or "I-dOn'-wAn'It, _____" then she will fill it in with whatever I am trying to give her. For example, the other day I was getting her ready and putting lotion on her and she says, "I-dOn'wAn'It. (very short pause) lo-shun." Makes me laugh every time.
Elsie is at such a fun age. She is learning and growing so much every day! She mimicks Josh and I all day long. I love it. Although, I have to think twice about how I do EVERYTHING!! ....and what I say! One day I was telling a story and I was getting kind of "dramatic" imitating what someone else had said and not a second later, was Elsie putting both her hands in the air, trying to say what I had just said. It was so funny! She is way smarter than I think. She surprises me every day!
Elsie still loves movies. or "boo-vees" any and all cartoon movies. She has gotten better at playing with other toys, so she doesn't watch as many, but if we let her, she would watch them all day long :)
Elsie is so fun to watch play with her toys. She has quite the imagination. She sings to her toys all day long. It is so cute. She plays really well with them. The other day she was in her carseat and I was listening to music. She had 2 of her princess dolls and she said, "Pre-t-Zel? Ch'Ps? Oh.kay" then she "danced the dolls on her knee, then said, "bee-ns? Mi-wk? Oh.kay" then she took both of the dolls and tipped their bodies so their faces were touching the top of her sippy cup of milk. It was so funny. I am amazed at her memory of things.
Elsie loves people. Friends. Kids. Everyone. She loves to be "out-&-about" no matter where we are. I think she knows she is cute. She will look around to see who is watching (when we are in public) before she does something "cute" or she will watch someone's face until they make eye contact with her, then she will smile and pull the "shy-face" so they will smile at her. I love it. She is so entertaining to watch.
I love the attention she draws. Complete strangers. All the time. I will just be walking in the grocery store or somewhere else and complete strangers will be talking to eachother (like I can't hear them) saying, "look at those curls" or "oh my gosh, did you see that little girl" or "look how beautiful (gorgeous, pretty, cute....etc.)" or "that little girl is so cute" or I get the ones that say the comments to me. One lady came up to me in Targeet while I was holding Elsie while she was asleep (she fell asleep in the cart - which she does EVERY time she is in a shopping cart between the hours of noon and 2 pm) and put her hand on my back, and said, "Tell me those are natural curls?" "Yes. they are." She said, "They are gorgeous, what a beautiful girl." "Thank you." Most of the time I tell them she is adopted. I think it is fun. I love telling people she is adopted. I love talking about adoption. I love telling people how blessed Elsie is to have so many people to love her. I love telling people about Amanda and how selfless she is and how much we love her. I love knowing so much about a topic that is "foreign" to most people. I love educating people. I love Elsie. I love Amanda. I love Amanda's family. I love adoption. I love how people that see Elsie a lot (like people at church...) say "I can't believe how gorgeous she is. She is so pretty" even though they see her a lot. I love being a mom! I love Elsie.
I love watching Elsie and Josh. Elsie is so lucky! Josh is the best dad! He is so cute with her. He teases her, loves her, kisses her, hugs her, plays with her, understands her (words and actions), he is so good with her. I love listening to their conversations. They are so simple, yet so funny! She got a baby Ariel doll for her birthday and he asks her what her baby's name is, then he gives her ideas of what it should be and it is always names of other babies she knows. Right now, every baby Elsie sees is either, "E-LL-a" or "Ke-NN-zee" it is so funny. So Josh will hold her doll and ask her, "Is this Ella or Kennzie?" and Elsie will tell her which name it is. It changes each time. He is just so cute. Maybe it is only cute to me because I love both of them so much! I love the dad that he is. I love the husband that he is. Thank you for being so great, Josh!!
Elsie's favorite food is probably pizza. Anytime I ask her what she wants to eat, "Pee-tza" If I make suggestions, she also loves eggs (if I say, "Elsie do you want eggs for breakfast?" She always says, "t'ost" she love eggs and toast for breakfast, but she only wants it if I suggest it), cereal (fruit loops), pasta (she eats pasta so well! The meals she eats the most, it is always a homemade pasta - she does better if it is a noodle she can get on her spoon - she gets frustrated with spaghetti or fettuccini), chicken (mostly she just likes the ketchup or "d'ip-it" as she calls it, thanks to Josh), french fries, quesadillas (or "kay'sa" as she says it) and black beans - or any beans. I don't think she is picky, but she kind of is. But aren't all of us? She also loves grapes, strawberries and apples. She isn't much for vegetables, do you blame her?
I love everything about being a mom! I was trying to explain it to someone the other day. It is kind of like seeing the world all over again. Elsie notices things that I realized I take for granted. Elsie loves to look for the moon every night. When was the last time you looked at the moon? When was the last time you looked at the moon and thought how beautiful and amazing it is? When is the last time you looked at a bird and wanted, with EVERY FIBER OF YOUR BEING, to touch that bird??!!? When? Everything to Elsie is new? Everything about being a mom to me is new. I learn so much from Elsie every day and she is only 2 years old. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for Amanda and for my Heavenly Father's trust in me to be Elsie's mother. I am so grateful I got to be a mom at the time I did. I fear that if I would have gotten to be a mother sooner, that I wouldn't have been as patient, or as good of a mom (even if I let my daughter suffer for 3 weeks with a double ear infection...) I am completely aware of what an honor it is to be a mother. I am truly grateful. Elsie is such a joy and I love every minute of being her mother. Thank you Amanda for being in tune with the Spirit as you chose us to be Elsie's parents. We will be forever grateful to you! We love you more than any words could ever say. We love Elsie more than any words could ever say! We are so lucky!!!!!
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| Perfection. |
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| She loves sunglasses, even if they are upside down :) |
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| She just needs her shoes, she's ready to go :) |
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| I told you that she knows she is cute :) |
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Priceless.
She is eating a grape. I love the expression on her face :) |
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| Airplane rides! |
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| Elsie thinks Josh and I are human jungle-gyms :) |
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| The other day I told Elsie we were going to leave. She came running out of her room where she had been playing as I went in to get her shoes. I saw this....I have no idea...it is a bed with just Belle's dress on it (no doll) with a cat by the bed and Eric is under the bed...all in a diaper. Hilarious. Did I mention she has quite the imagination :) |
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| My students BEG me all the time to let Elsie come to school (I a sure it has everything to do with the fact that I talk about her non-stop and that I show them a "picture of the day" EVERYDAY. This was at my school. She was pretty excited to get to play with the guitar :) |
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| I think she is ready for a nap :) |
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| Happy Valentine's Day!! |
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| She LOVES pizza!!! |
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| She really does fall asleep in the cart a lot! |
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Elsie loves to play with Abby :)
All of these pictures are so cute! I love it! |
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| FROSTING!!! |
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| MORE FROSTING!!! |
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| She's a mess! |
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| Helping me make sugar cookies! |
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I gave her some of her own dough so she could do what I was doing.
I think more of the dough ended up on her, on the floor or in her mouth than were actually made into cookies :) |
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| She loves helping Josh and I in the kitchen :) |
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| She especially loves eating all the sugar!!! |
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| PASTA!!!!! |
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| She ate 2 bowls of this. This is her favorite!!! |
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| Priceless. |
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| Every time Josh is working, Elsie will say, "Da-dee. W-erk. F'ire" and if we go see him, she always says, "Tr-uck" she loves to sit in the firetrucks :) |
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| "Make yourself comfortable, Elsie." |
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| Daddy drawing pictures for Elsie on her Aquadoodle |
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Family night at Texas Roadhouse. They were doing free face painting. I didn't know if Elsie would hold still so I told them to do a simple heart. Elsie didn't move the entire time the girl was painting her face. The girl could have painted her entire face and Elsie wouldn't have moved. I was impressed.
On the menu for the night....Ketchup! The fry was just a means of transportation for the ketchup :) |
I love this girl so much! I can't believe it has been 2 years! I have to be the happiest mom on earth!!!
