Her name was Piper Lola, and she was a Showgirl.
Our baby turns two whole years old today, and she has brought more laughter and joy into our lives than I could ever have imagined. She is so spirited, loving and funny- one of the most delightful little humans I have ever met. She looks mostly like her Daddy, with a tiny twist of me, but she is definitely her own girl with her own opinions.
Right now, her Great Loves are Dora, ducks, her lamb, gymnastics, other children, and her Mummy & Daddy. A true Pisces girl, she also loves the water, especially swimming at the big pool. She’s not afraid to dunk her whole head underwater, and has always been our little fish baby. Singing and dancing are also very cool with her, and she’s usually swaying back and forth while singing off key to one tune or another. I’m not sure yet if she’s left or right handed, as she uses both pretty equally to eat, color, reprogram the DVD player, and pick her nose. Her favorite foods include cheese, raspberries, blueberries, yogurt, noodles and cereal, but she’ll try pretty much any food we put in front of her. She’s a great little restaurant diner as well. She loves playing with other toddlers, but her favorite playmates are little girls between the ages of 4 and 8. Strangers or not, she will run squealing up to them, take their hand, and gaze at them admiringly, trying to mimic everything they do, while laughing hysterically. Her friend Zoë, her cousin Aria, and her Auntie Mich are Big Fun in her book. Mich is a bit older than 8, but only physically.
Piper loves adventure, and is quite brave when it comes to trying new things and meeting new people. We do a lot of shopping and errand running together, and she is always up for a play date of any kind. She’s already been on 2 big plane trips, once to Mexico and once to Florida. Being born into a family of rolling stones, she is already used to moving. This weekend, she will be in the middle of her third move in the past 2 years.
It’s been over a year since our girl has been a full time walker, and now, she only runs. Life is too short to merely walk. She’s not a big crier either, even if she really hurts herself, it’s only a 2 second sob before she’s off to the next thing. She’s still not a big talker, although she is saying more and more all the time. She says about 40 words regularly, although some of them may be Yiddish or Dutch, but is adding to her vocabulary every day. She fills in the rest with hand gestures and noises, (it’s the French in her,) but she’s always able to get her point across. She often says, “Yeah, yeah, YEAH!” but has yet to utter the word “No.” She just shakes her head emphatically back and forth instead. She’s very good about saying “Thank you” and “Help”, which is so cute that I have to restrain myself from eating her face off. She’s also a very healthy little monkey, and has never been seriously sick, other than the occasional cold. She’s never been in the hospital, or even thrown up in her life. I thank God for this on a regular basis. She’s also a good sleeper, about 12 hours a night, plus a 2 hour afternoon nap. She totally digs her crib, and will play happily in there for as long as we let her. She likes to make a big production out of pooping, which I take as a good sign for upcoming potty training. She likes to tell me she’s going to poop, then holds my hand as she bends her knees slightly, and grunts it out with a red faced determination that I hope she applies to all important things in her future. I try to be supportive as I cheer her on while Robb usually gags in the background. He’d never make the Pooping Cheerleading team, while I’d be Captain.
She’s a pretty rough and tumble kinda gal, but she also has her girlie side. She loves hair accessories, taking care of her babies, lipstick, and has a blossoming shoe fetish. If you’ve ever left your shoes at our front door, chances are that she’s shuffled around the house in them. She’s got more shoes than I do at this point, because toddler girl shoes are impossible not to buy. Even if you try to resist, they will jump into your shopping cart and seduce you with their cuteness. Also, she enjoys talking on the phone- real or fake will do. I never thought I would be one of those mothers who always doused their daughters in shameful amounts of pink, but IT JUST HAPPENS. In spite of this, Piper’s favorite color is yellow. It’s always the first crayon, block, or playdoh color she picks.
Piper is a big cuddler, and very generous with her hugs and kisses, which I PRAY will last forever. There are few things sweeter in life than her little face in my neck and her hands twisted in my hair. My heart aches when I think of all the challenges she will have in the coming year, adjusting to our growing family. Between a new house, potty training, a big girl bed, and becoming a big sister to TWO new babies, she will grow and learn SO much. I know that these will all be positive things, once she gets used to them, but I know it will also be hard. It makes me happy that she is such a strong little soul, so adventurous, with so much confidence and joy. I know it will make this next year easier for her, and for us.
Happy birthday, our beautiful little Pippa. Daddy and I love you more than anything, and feel so incredibly lucky that you are our girl,
Hugs and Kisses,
Love, Mommy
