Happy Birthday, Baby!

Today our baby girl turns 2. Mikayla has been such a huge blessing to our family! I remember when I found out I was pregnant with her and we were so excited and anxious to share our news and see her grow, first in my belly and then in the flesh. When she was born, it was a very easy, simple delivery. I know our parents and sisters were so frustrated because we asked the nurse and doctor not to use any pronouns and to continue to call her "baby" until everything was said and done. The ears at the door were going CRAZY trying to determine if the cry was feminine or masculine, if the "he" and "she" were about the baby or Andy and I. Once they met her, they all fell in love, just like we did.



The past two years have been great! Mikayla has grown up and now walks, runs, and talks. She tells people off in her own gibberish, brandishing her pointer finger like a ruler and emphasizing her "NO!" She makes the funniest faces and has the most contagious laugh. She looks up to her big sisters and tries to do whatever they do. She's always available to give a hug or kiss, or snuggle for at least a second or two. She's all we could have wanted in a child, and then some, just like her sisters.

Mikayla has so many interests right now. She loves to play with her babies, shushing them and singing them "Rock-a-baby in tee tops". She dances and sings all the time. She can say her ABCs and especially loves to sing them along with her Fridge Phonics. Her favorite movies are "Monsters, Ahhhhh!" (Monsters, Inc) and "Shek," though "Ginkerbell" is fast becoming a favorite, too. On tv, she likes "Jack Show" (Jack's Big Music Show), "Fankin" (Franklin), Diego and Dora, and "Boo Coos" (Blue's Clues) the best. As each day passes, we are reminded more and more that she's turning into a little girl and not so much a baby.




Happy Birthday, Mikayla! Mommy and Daddy love you very much and can't wait to celebrate many, many more birthdays with you!

My friend Karla and I 2 wks before Christmas 06 (she had Emma on Dec 26)

Please ignore my non-existent chin, I think I was laughing at something

In the hospital, only a few hours old

First smile caught on camera, about 2 months

Sleeping in the swing, about 7 months

First Birthday! This past summer, about 18 months
October 2008, about 21 months

December 2008, almost 2!