two-and-a-half

my little bean is two-and-a-half. so cliche, but where did the time go? i blink and she's a toddler, developing her own independent personality. and so it had to be celebrated. knowing that this would be her last chance to have a "birthday" celebration all on her own before baby arrives, and loving that my girlfriend, christina, goes over the top for her daughter's half-birthday's too, here and here, i stole the idea. turned out to be quite a fun day. we had off of school for mlk jr. day, so we took the opportunity to visit a local gymnastics gymnasium for open preschool playtime in the morning. harper is energetic to say the least, so she was in her element. bouncing, jumping, trampolining, skipping, running. she had a blast. then it was off to pick up nana and head down to papa's work for a lunch and cake to celebrate his birthday a few days early. and finally back to our city for our weekly afternoon music class and after-music play date with bryce and graham. we were exhausted by the time we finally arrived home that evening, but we still had homemade macaroni and cheese (a harper favorite) and red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting waiting for us.

pardon the rest of this post, as i tribute to my little one who made me a mama.

my dearest harper,

you were made to be loved, and i am so lucky that i get to do just that as your mama. your sunshine-y personality lights up the room and everyone around you. you capture the hearts of everyone you encounter, and you have definitely captured mine. you had it from the first moment i heard your tiny heartbeat, long before i knew how beautiful you would be, both inside and out. there may be days that you push your independence and desire to do it your way to my limits, but i know that strong personality will only take you very far in life.

you are my little sprite, full of energy and bursting at the seams. you are the light to my darkest days. you are my sweet. you are the apple of my eye. and you are going to be one heck of a big sister.

i love you oodles, to the moon and back. and i won't ever stop telling you that.

love, mommy

harper at two-and-a-half:

• loves her sweets- chocolate, candies, ice cream- a girl after her mama's heart
• screams when she's frustrated, but won't hurt a fly
• is almost completely potty trained during the day
• has moved into a big girl bed, and sings herself to sleep every night
• loves to care for all of her baby dolls- feeding, putting to sleep, talking to, snuggling with
• has a passion for all things musical- singing real songs and making most up along the way, playing instruments, imitating her music teacher leading class
• has language that expands by the minute, having full conversations with anyone who will listen
• loves talking on the phone to all her family
• is quite the comedian and keeps everyone laughing
• has an imagination fitted perfectly for pretend play
• has a kind and gentle soul and captures everyone she meets with her smile and sweet talk