My Little Sidekick

A strange thing has happened at our house this year. Someone took our baby and replaced her with a little girl. I'm not sure how this happened, and sometimes I wish I had our baby back...but only sometimes.

Today is Wendy's second birthday. To me, this milestone means that she has graduated from babyhood. She's now a full-fledged toddler - and an adorable one, at that.

Wendy as a toddler is adventurous and fun-loving. She is very physically active, preferring to run when she could walk, and to jump when she could stand still. As for sitting still, like in church - HA! You'll very seldom see this girl just sitting still. (And if you do catch her sitting still, she's most likely working on a diaper.)

She loves balls and blocks and books. She loves swings and slides. She still loves her Blankie, even though the Binkie has been put away for seven months now. She likes to eat green beans, tortillas, cantaloupe, applesauce, chicken nuggets, strawberry mini-wheats, and yogurt. She no longer drinks formula or even whole milk; she's on skim milk now, and doing great.

And her vocabulary...oh, her vocabulary! Just a few short months ago I was concerned because she only had about ten words and wouldn't even say "Mama." Now, I'd estimate her vocabulary is around 200 words (expanding all the time) including 3- and 4-word sentences...and the beloved "Mamam."

Wendy, you've been Momma's sidekick since Day 1, but you're truly turning into my little helper as well. You're so big, and you can do so many things! I'm being surprised all the time by the things you've figured out and the things that fascinate you. I love reading you books, I love tickle-wrestling with you, and I love running around the backyard with you. I love seeing things for the first time, through your eyes - I especially enjoyed our first trip to the zoo!

You're my Chicken Potato, my Girlie, my Kroger buddy, my Wendy Mouse, and my Cutie Patootie. You're my favorite girl, the best Wendy on the planet. I love you more than you'll ever know.

I look forward to this next year, as we grow and learn more together - what fun we'll have!



Happy birthday, sweetheart. Now let's go eat some cake!!