YEAR TWO: LET’S CELEBRATE!

We made it through another year. Another milestone. Ellie is two years old today. Whoa, I now have a two year old. When I look at her, it just seems like the next step and it’s not a big deal. But when I say it out loud, “two year old,” it sounds momentous. It has so much weight to it. Two year old. That’s major.

This past year was quite a contrast from last year. From birth to year one, everything was new for everybody. Diapers, teething, crying, sleeping (or shall I say lack thereof), crawling, walking, story times, everything. It was all foreign to me and Aya, and of course to Ellie. And she went through so many changes and different phases. It seemed like every few weeks, something major changed. And despite how active we were and all the excitement that went on, it did not feel like it went by fast at all.(contrary to what everybody kept telling us about time flying) When she finally turned one, it felt like three years had passed. But from year one to year two, things went a little different.

Although Ellie was still changing, the frequency had slowed down. Instead of every few weeks, it was more like every couple months. We’d have longer stretches of the same routine, which was good and bad. We were also much more social this year. Between Macy Monday, story time, Japanese school, the zoo, the art museum, and play dates, we were pretty busy. And the days we were at home, Ellie was much busier than before. With her being an active explorer, she definitely made me work harder. But it was also more fun because I could actually interact with her.

We also slept more this year. All of us. (Maybe not as much in the past few weeks, but we are working on it). Which was a big accomplishment in itself. And now she’s off and graduated to her own toddler bed and still becoming more and more independent every day. Wanting to do things on her own without anybody’s help. She really grew into her own this year and it was very exciting to watch and be there every step of the way.

I was really looking forward to celebrating Ellie’s birthday this year with a small family gathering. I really was truly excited. This year I wanted to embrace her Japanese side. I was going to make a Japanese dinner, and then make Totoro cake balls for dessert (That’s a whole other story). I wanted to get balloons, a banner, and a #2 pin for Ellie. Two years old! Yay! But unfortunately, her birthday got off to a rough start.

Ellie had a really rough, restless night. And then she woke up with a very stuffy nose. She was a snot factory to be exact. Noooo! No one should be sick on their birthday! It wasn’t fair. She hasn’t been sleeping well in general lately, then she had molar pains, and now this. On her birthday!

What could have been a miserable day for everybody, ended up being a great one. Ellie, with snot dripping down her face all day, loved playing with her aunt and uncle, grandma and grandpa, and had a blast opening her presents. She wasn’t cranky, fussy, crazy, or whiney at all! She ate great, she played wonderfully, and still managed to be her charming, smiley, dancey self. She got tons of sympathy from all of us too, so I imagine that helped a little. Oh yeah, and presents. I’m sure that helped a lot. From the Mr. Potato Head to the toy kitchen, she seemed thrilled with everything.

Ellie’sone year birthday felt more like a milestone for Aya and me than it did for Ellie. But this year felt different. This was Ellie’s year and she earned her celebration. With snot all over and a big smile on her face, I couldn’t have been more proud of her today. Welcome to your twos Ellie! They’re gonna be awesome!

Happy Birthday Ellie! Mom & Dad love you!