Dear Leah-
You turned 2 years old this week. Two. How is that possible? In some ways, I feel like you were born yesterday. When I saw your face for the first time and held you in my arms as a snuggly newborn is still so fresh in my head. The flip side, though, is that I feel I have known you all my life. It is as if we are kindred spirits and we just "get" each other. I felt a connection with you like nothing else I had ever known from the moment I met you, but it has grown and grown to new heights as you have grown and grown into a little girl before our eyes. When I looked at you then, I saw a snuggly newborn. Now, I see a CRAZY haired, joyful, silly, beautiful girl with incredible eyelashes and dimples to die for.
You have truly lived up to your middle name, my Love. You bring so much joy into the world with your contagious smile, belly laughs, and the cutest voice and lisp ever. The laughter and love you have added to our family are immeasurable. I can barely recall the days before I knew the sound of your voice, the tug of your fist on my pant leg, and the warmth of your kisses and hugs. You have a way about you that is, for lack of a better term, very appealing. You are friendly with other kids, smart as a whip, curious and fun, and a ball of constant, very hard to keep up with energy. Although you are starting to show more and more signs that you need to assert your independence, you still maintain a sparkling personality through it all. I love picturing how you will grow and change int a young lady, because, so far, watching you turn into a little person has been so exciting!
Right now, you have a ton of things that you love to do! You are still a fabulous eater, and some of your favs are yogurt, fruit, cereal, toast, pizza, broccoli and peas, and "special treats"- the sweet tooth is in full force! One of your favorite things to do is dance in the kitchen. Just about every night, we have a family dance party to Paul Simon, George Harrison or Chicago, and you bust out the moves. You adore singing with your off key voice, and belt out most of Abbey Road by yourself. What other kids knows a whole Beatles album? Your Daddy and I have been exposing you to our kind of music since day one, and it still cracks us up to hear your little voice from the backseat requesting a specific tune off the best album ever. Cooking is also a big hit with you right now. You love "mix-king" in a bowl and watching things chance on the stove. Some of your favorite things to play with are Isabella, Makayla and Ty, your babies, strollers, books, anything with a buckle, your tent, hide and seek, paint, play dough, your new doctor kit ("I check you make you feel better, K?"), snow, and of course, your new baby sister.
Your vocabulary is crazy, and you seem to say new huge sentences every day. People are sometimes taken aback to hear you talk. You are 25 lbs, soaking wet, but you talk like a 3 year old, stating facts and asking questions all the time. Your Daddy and I are loving being home with you to hear what you have to say every day. Watching those wheels in your head turn is so fun.
To see the world through your eyes is a miracle. I try (not always successfully, but I said try) to see things through your eyes and learn a whole new perspective on life from you, cause you sure see the world with joy!
My wish for you is that you always keep these qualities that you now possess. Stay true to who you are, always- a sweet, sunny, hilarious, stubborn, smart, curious girl. I can't wait to see what the coming years bring as your little life gets it's start. You deserve nothing but the best that the world has in store.
I love you beyond measure, my Sunshine girl.
