still something about her

my baby turned 2 today.

it's hard to believe.

not so much that the time has passed quickly,

it's more that she is exactly the same as when she was born.

her spirit is distinct,

charming,

free,

determined,

and overwhelmingly familiar to me.

we made her a life slideshow video for her birthday,

and i was stunned to see that the vibe she sends today was the same exact vibe as the day she was born.

everything so much the same that  i could've just re-posted this post and this post from her birthday last year.

i think the only things that are different now are...

she now has a lot more hair & it's a lot curlier,

she talks a little bit more.

she now says mama, dada, bubba, baby, bubba, uh-oh, bye-bye, no, peeeese (please), & go.

her nonverbal communication is the same.

she can communicate anything she wants & understand everything you say.

now she just does it by tapping your leg & pointing.

her clothes are bigger.

she's growing out of 2T into a 3T,

but she still has a petite stature.

she still won't wear anything in her hair,

but she loves picking out bows everyday.

she still loves books,

but now her favorite is brown bear brown bear & the zebra book (she likes the babies).

she doesn't eat much at all anymore.

other than milk, strawberries, pancakes, & peanut butter balls i couldn't tell you what she eats.

babies are still her thing.

she likes real ones & doll ones.

now she just knows which doll she likes.

it's always the same one.

if you try to sneak another one in she throws it out of her bed and says "no! baby!"

she still loves being outside,

more than my boys ever have.

she still plays independently,

except for when she's trying to jump on the tramp with her brothers.

the main difference now is that she can let herself out now.

she can push a kitchen chair to the door,

even unlock it,

and out she goes.

she can get her shoes herself,

but she mostly prefers to be without shoes.

and a shirt most of the time.

now she's not just crawling in the grass.

she is riding a tricycle or toy motorcycle down the hill

or going in & out of the playhouse.

but she's still swinging.

she still loves her daddy but maybe more than last year.

truth be told, i think he loves her more this year, too.

i know it by how protective he is of her & by the light in his eye when she is around.

from the time she wakes until the time daddy gets home she is saying "daddy go bye-bye!"

she will tell that to anyone she talks to during the day.

she knows the sound of daddy coming in the door,

and she runs to him as fast as she can every time.

she squeezes him tighter than she did last year and smiles & kisses him more, too.

and she spends more time with him,

especially if she can go on the motorcycle.

anytime she sees a motorcycle she calls it a "go".

if she sees one going down the street she screams "daddy go!".

she didn't do that last year.

she is just as easy to manage as she was last year.

she's still a dream sleeper & nowhere near giving up the nap.

she gave up her paccie though,

only because we lost them all.

no adjustment period needed.

she won't stay in the shopping cart anymore.

that's different than last year.

she can climb out of the strap,

and she does so within the 1st 5 minutes of being in the store.

now going to the store can be trouble with her,

especially the beauty supply store.

she runs off,

she throws fits, 

she knocks stuff off the shelves,

and she tries to steal nail polish.

that's definitely different.

she still thinks will is the funnest boy.

he can still get her to laugh like crazy.

he can make her scream now, too.

sam protects her more than before.

she loves her brothers more than ever now,

and she thinks she is one of them,

she is just as tough.

she can get herself a drink out of the refrigerator dispenser now.

at one time it was nice that we had a lock. 

that kept the water out of the floor for awhile.

now she has figured out how to unlock it.

she can clean up now,

so she does.

she just gets herself a towel & does it.

little assistance needed.

she likes cleaning. 

she  can pick up anything out of place.

she didn't have an indoor birthday party this year

and no decorations other than the canyon walls.

that suits her better.

still had cupcakes though.

this year they were white with strawberry frosting.

she decided to ride a scooter at her party.

she couldn't do that last year.

perhaps a few things have changed,

but she is still MAGGIE,

and we hope she always will be.