Two Years Already!!!

I can't believe I am already writing this blog post! It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing our long awaited bundle of joy home with us. It was of course bittersweet. We were so overjoyed to finally be bringing a child of our own home with us. We didn't even stay any longer than one night because we wanted to get her home and be a family. Yet, we were so sad that we weren't able to share that moment with our firstborn. Watching Jesstine grow has been the same; bittersweet. I have really enjoyed seeing her grow up to this point. I never realized how amazing it actually is to watch your child learn and grow! At the same time, I watch her and see what I am missing with Babe B. It is such a joy to have both of them as a part of our family!

One of Jesstine's first days home from the hospital.

Jesstine is two as of last Saturday. She is so girly, but loves things like cars (McQueen and Mater especially) and Buzz Lightyear! But she likes to wear pink and purple. She likes princesses and can name each of the Disney princesses including the newest, Princess Tianna. She is a smart cookie too! She is still laid back for the most part although we have certainly seen our fair share of the infamous "terrible twos" rear it ugly head. She has certainly been a joy and even through the hard moments we have enjoyed every moment of her life!

Not even close to what I have to clean up each day after she goes to bed each night!

Jesstine has grown quite a bit since we brought her home. From 7 lbs. 3 oz. at birth to 26.6 lbs. We hear all of the time how tall she is, but I don't think she is really any taller than any other child her age. As a matter of fact, my doctor would tend to agree! She has grown from a mere 19 inches to now 34 inches (just under three feet). Even her hair has grown! Her birth was so highly emotional and the first thing I wanted to know was that she was okay. Instead of saying she is okay, the doctor said, "She has no hair!" You can even see a major difference from her 18 month pictures to her two year pictures.

One year picture! How did I ever get that bow to stay in???

18 months, a little bit more, but still not much there!

Two year, a LOT more hair! It curls in back when wet or when she gets sweaty!

Jesstine is a sponge. She picks up on so many things whether it be things that we say or do or things that she hears. And her memory is pretty good to boot! She is always so eager to learn...if it doesn't interfere with what she is doing at the moment! She can recite her alphabet by singing it or just identifying different uppercase letters. She say her numbers in order from 1 to about 12 although we are still working on counting objects. She can identify just about any part of the body you ask her to. She can identify just about any color and most of the common shapes. She is really fascinated with puzzles right now and is getting quite good at them. We are so proud of our girl! Her eating habits are still an interesting topic. She seems to like most fruits but only the green veggies (mainly peas and green beans) although it is hard to even get her to eat those consistently. Her favorite food is about every 2 year-0ld's favorite, chicken nuggets. She doesn't typically like beef, although we have been lucky she has eaten it more often lately. She will even eat a cheeseburger sometimes. She is pretty much a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast though. It is always Cheerios! She LOVES them! She always has a fruit with her Cheerios, but that seems to change day by day. Below is a rare picture of her eating one of her least favorite food options, sloppy joes.

Jesstine likes all things TOY! It can be a car or a doll. But perhaps her favorite things to play with (besides her pal Dumpty) are actually books! Quite often we have been unable to find her and when we do, she has a book in her hands! For this reason, I have created a reading nook of sorts in her big girl room. She is going to love having a comfy place to just read to her hearts content!

Last week Jesstine was playing with her dollhouse stuff. She kept asking me to "Hewp Mama! Nee Hewp peas!" When I looked up she was trying to shut the trunk of her van for her dollhouse. This is what I found...everything AND the bathroom sink. I guess her dollhouse family was moving somewhere.

A book worm in action.

Jesstine is not interested in potty training despite what she told the doctor at her two year appointment last week! When ever I mention it, she is always too busy doing something else and emphatically tells me "NO!" She has graduated to a toddler bed though after nearly climbing out when the babysitter was here and actually falling out when she should have been napping another time. We tried it about a month earlier and she just thought of it as a toy. It is still a transition though. I have had to really work to get her to sleep at naptime and even since the switch naptime has only been the usual 2 hours about a handful of times. In any case, she is in a toddler bed for now. Since we borrowed her toddler rail and her aunt needs it back, we will soon have to transition her to her big girl room and a big girl bed.

This was after our first attempt at the big girl bed. The second one wasn't NEARLY as difficult. It is still a huge challenge at nap, but we are working on it.

Jesstine, you are delight to be around. You are so loving and affectionate toward your mommy and your daddy (who you have recently taken to calling "daduh"). We love you so much and you truly are a ray of sunshine in our lives! God blessed us beyond our imaginations when he gave you to us. His timing was perfect! We enjoy seeing your little face and hearing your little voice first thing in the morning. May you always keep God first in your life and follow Jesus' example in your life. We love you Princess! Here is to many more years with our best girl!

Love Always,
Mommy and Daddy