The birthday weekend endeth

Her Dora cake (with two hand marks where her cousin Madee decided to eat cake early - LOL!)

Group shot

Playing musical chairs for the first time

Coloring and eating cake with DeeRee

Nanny and Sophie and Daddy

Mommy and Sophie and Daddy

I'd venture to say that Sophie had a pretty fabulous birthay weekend. On Saturday we had a great kid party for all her little friends at the Please Touch Museum. It was really fun and so neat to have all her friends there to help celebrate. After the party proper, we got to explore the museum and she had a blast. It's been about a year since she's been there and clearly I need to take her more often because she was just loving it. We literally had to chase after her to get her to finally leave. Afterwards, some family who couldn't make it to the museum came back to the house for yet another little party with more cake, more presents and more fun. Overall Sophie's 2nd birthday-palooza will go down in the books as a very memorable birthday for sure!!! My goodness what are we going to do for her 3rd birthday???

Oh Happy Day

Here was the Birthday Girl leaving the house this morning to go get some party supplies. Notice the gorgeous new sweater handmade by Grandma Kathy as well as the purse and sunglasses (which she now doesn't leave the house without).



Sophie had a great 2nd Birthday today! The day started out sort of usual enough (out for errands with Mommy followed by lunch and a nap) but then Daddy came home early, Uncle Rob brought her a chocolate Easter Bunny from Ireland, she helped make her own cake and got to lick lots of chocolate batter, Mommy and Daddy gave her their birthday gift (a dollhouse!), Dee Ree and Pop Pop came over and they gave her more wonderful presents (including a super cool umbrella and backpack and lots of other neat toys), we had Sophie's favorite dinner (spaghetti and meatballs) and then more playing with new toys and finally cake AND ice cream followed by even more playing and a bath with Dee Ree's help, too. WOW! What a birthday, huh???

Our Birthday Princess

So we had the Birthday Girl's birthday/Easter photo shoot on Wednesday. Sophie was really cute in her birthday outfit and Easter dress. When I gave her a cupcake to eat as part of the birthday photo shoot, I really wasn't thinking (have I mentioned that I've been waking up at 4am a lot lately??) and I put a big "2" candle in the middle of it, unwrapped the cupcake paper and handed it to her. She took a huge chomp right down on the "2" candle - it was a riot!! I wish the photographer had captured that for us but we were both laughing too hard, I think. Poor kid. I'm sure she didn't actually ingest any wax. Even with the cupcake, she was a little sedate and shy and had her hand in her mouth a lot. Still the photographer managed to get some cute shots and we got these great 2 year Birthday Princess photos to show for it now!

Sophie also got to see the Easter Bunny that day and again, she was very very shy with him. We've actually been doing dry-runs where she wants to see the bunny, gets up real close to the bunny but won't actually sit near him or sit on his lap or anything. She knows the bunny is for good because he gives out lollipops (or at least one bunny did though she still wouldn't go near him) and will bring her jelly beans on Easter but the hesitation and trepidation are very real this year. Quite a difference from last year when she couldn't get enough of the bunny and was pushing kids out of her way to get to him.

Some birthday packages have been arriving in the mail and now when Sophie sees any package arrive she excitedly says "presents???" She tears through them now and then is ready for more! Jim and I were reminiscing about how not so long ago we were saying, "Oh we can't wait until she really gets it and can open presents herself and understands." Well, she gets it now alright.

Tomorrow the REAL festivities start with Daddy coming home from work early and a special birthday dinner with Dee Ree and Pop Pop. Then Saturday more birthday fun with her big kid party at the Please Touch Museum. We're looking forward to all of the fun and the cake and celebrating with so many of our family and friends.

On the eve of our daughter's second birthday, I have powerful memories of being in very rapidly progressing labor (oh, right about now). I simply cannot believe how quickly these two years have gone, how big our little baby has gotten, how smart and sweet and kind and loving she is. I find it astonishing what we have already gone through together as a family in these two short years and how much we have learned and yet also how little we know still. We are forever amazed by the depths of our love and adoration for our little Sophie-girl. She surprises us and blows our minds multiple times daily with how quickly her mind works and how funny and independent she is already. I am often equally amazed by how much we still have to learn about patience and letting go and also dealing with the agony of worrying about the health and well-being of our sweet angel girl. These two years have been such a wild ride and now we're about to make the ride even more interesting soon. All I know is that every sleepless night, every moment of gut-wrenching worry and concern, every gray hair added is worth it a million times over when you have been blessed with a daughter as sweet and funny and smart and beautiful as our little Sophia Grace. And to all of our family and friends who have so generously lavished our little girl with love (and candy and dresses and "presents!!!!") we are so grateful to you for making her feel so very special and so fully loved.

Let the Birthday week begin

In honor of Sophie's birthday week, here is a little video for you. We have been enjoying the nicer weather whenever we can. Here she was getting some time on the swing.

The week in review

It's been another busy week here. Sophie (and Mommy) started feeling much better by the weekend which was good because Daddy started a big bathroom renovation project so we sort of had to get out of the house so he could work.

On Saturday we went to Smith playhouse for craft making, a play and a dance party. Sophie enjoyed all the kids and toys but could have cared less about the play or dance party pretty much.

Then Sunday we went to the mall with her Dee Ree, Aunt Theresa and Cousin Liana. It was fun to hang out and shop just us girls and then Daddy met us and we all had a nice dinner together.

On Monday, Mommy had a prenatal appointment so Sophie got to come with me and she got to listen to Emily's heartbeat and even her own heartbeat. This is always a big hit. Emily is growing big (the size of a head of lettuce now!! - 18 inches long and a little over 3 lbs) and everything is right on track.

Tuesday was supposed to be library day where we go to the little local library here and have a story time and see our library friends but Sophie decided she didn't want to do that - she wanted to go to the Zoo. So, off to the Zoo we went to enjoy the gorgeous weather. Then on Tuesday night, Sophie had a "virtual playdate" via skype video with her friend Kiera in Petaluma, California. The girls talked and sang and played (they were shy with each other at first but then by the end we couldn't hardly stop them - they were showing each other their favorite toys and singing songs and trying on hats and sunglasses together).

On Wed. for St. Pat's we went out to Pottstown to see Nanny Pat and Aunt Pat (appropriate, right??!!) and Caely and Sophie finally got to meet her cousin Billy. On Wed she started to have a runny nose again and by Thursday she was sneezing up a storm and her nose and eyes were running so I guess she got another cold (sigh - poor kid). Thankfully, no fever with this one as of yet so some say maybe it's allergies and part of me wonders if it's her two year molars coming in (because she also has her hand in her mouth non-stop!). Who knows... At least (knock wood) she hasn't been kept awake at night by this cold so far. So we're trying to take it easy again and just lay low so she can rest up and get well for all the birthday festivities next week... Lots of excitement in store for little girls turning 2!!

What a week, huh???

At the Zoo

Having a virtual playdate


The cutest little leprechaun


Shoe shopping with DeeRee and Baby Liana


Loving my rain slicker and hat!

Spaghetti Night at the Oxenford House

There are many spaghetti nights in our house. If there's one thing you can count on it's that Sophie will ask for spaghetti and meatballs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And, I have indeed fed her meatballs for breakfast upon request. Little girl loves her spaghetti and meatballs.

Visit to the Brandywine Zoo

We took advantage of the warm weather this past weekend and had a nice little outing to the Brandywine Zoo during their free admission weekend. Sophie had a wonderful time petting and feeding the pygmy goats and climbing the stairs around the otter exhibit. She also asked for a hot dog for the first time in her life. Of course, she got one and even ate a few bites before moving on to the next exciting adventure (like sticker books and a lollipop at the gift shop).

Where to begin???

Sick but still gotta have my dress and beads

28 Weeks!

Well, it's been a busy week here. Sophie used the potty yesterday morning for the very first time. I moved a little basket into the bathroom near her potty and put some books in there for her. She was naked and had a seat and we read some books. Next thing you know, she got up and well - success!!! We were very excited and proud and she was a little freaked out (probably by all the praise and high fives) but it was a big big step. I'm not really pushing the toilet training but I also want to make it conducive to hanging out in there if she is so inclined.

I also had my 28 week prenatal appointment which included my glucose tolerance test. So far, I've not heard back that it came back positive so that is a very good thing. Fingers crossed that I don't get the call (like last time) that I had to go back for the extended three hour glucose tolerance test and drink the nasty drink every hour for three hours followed by the oh so fun blood draw. I am also simultaneously excited and a little nervous to report that Emily is "in position" - her head is down, her butt is up and that would explain the simultaneous kicking on both sides of my belly - her arms and feet!!! The midwife said she could still turn around but at least she knows how to put herself in the right position.

In other news, Sophie had a real tough cold but is definitely on the mend now. Unfortunately, now that we're not giving her benadryl at night* before bed to help with her congestion, she seems to have gone right back to the sleep terrors and night waking. We'll see how tonight goes - fingers crossed we can get her back on track soon.

* Sophie was so badly congested for the first four nights of her cold that she was awake every hour or two miserable and crying because she couldn't breathe. When we took her back to the pediatrician, they said we could give her a small dose of benadryl an it helped her immensely.

Update on the ick

Peanut (pre-ick)

Well, Sophie's cold took a turn for the worse over the weekend and we were back at the doctor's yesterday after Sophie woke up and told us "her ear hurt." She really has been just miserable - puffy eyes, projectile nose, horrible cough keeping her up all night long. Really not a happy little monkey. Thankfully the ears checked out fine but the doctor said she had a very raw and red throat and even tested her for strep which came back negative. We did get the greenlight to give her a little benadryl last night to help her sleep and though she seemed high as a kite from it we think it did indeed help her get more rest and not wake up miserable and crying from not being able to breathe every few hours. So after five days of it, there is a light at the end of this sick tunnel for our little angel girl.