Happy 2nd Birthday to my heart!

I had THE BEST day with this little girl.

Wish daddy could have joined, but he was tied up with work.  So the two of us set out to have a very special birthday day, complete with balloons and picnics in the park...all of her favorite foods...playing in the pool and of course ending the day with Birthday cake once daddy came home!

How does time pass so quickly? She was our tiny babe like...a moment ago...and now...she is this toddler who talks non-stop, loves to sing songs like "You are my Sunshine," "Do Re Mi" and "Happy Birthday"...insists on holding the dog leash when we take walks...runs to give me kisses anytime she hears me say ouch, even if it's all the way from the other side of the house (because---of course, kisses are what makes boo boos better).  She has already learned the art of stalling (before bedtime especially), bartering ("How about just one more piece of cheese?") and so many other tricks I have lost count.

I have to say I adore this phase. Toddlers can be tough as hell at times...but geez do they know how to grab hold of your heart in a way that you just cannot possibly prepare for!  Happy Birthday sweet girl.  Daddy and I love you to the moon and back.

Our sunshine...our star...our everything

It's crazy to me that it's been a year since I wrote this post welcoming Vela Carina to the world and sharing the very special story behind her name.

When you are expecting your first child, a very common comment you hear from the masses is that 'there's just no way to explain the amount of love you will feel for your child.'  Nothing compares to it.  There's no way to prepare yourself.  I took all these words of wisdom in to the best of my ability.  But everyone was right. You simply cannot prepare yourself for the havoc that tiny little person will wreak on your body/mind/soul.  The best kind of havoc...but seriously...it's like everything that was once your reality is put into a jar...and then a whole bunch of glitter is added to it.  And then someone shakes the hell out of the jar.  The result is this swirling mass of sparkling beauty.  And even though all the swirling around makes you crazy dizzy...and a little bit slow... (and in need of a nap 100% of the time)...you don't mind the madness...the sleep deprivation...the fact that you have black roots and blonde hair because you haven't highlighted your hair in 5 months because you don't have time for you.  None of that makes the slightest difference.  All you notice is all the sparkling goodness.

When Vela was only a few days old I remember sitting in her nursery...rocking her to sleep...and weeping into her burp rag because I could already picture myself at her wedding. The fast forward button was hit the moment she entered this world and all I wanted was to find a way to press pause.  All of the things everyone had said were true, to the zillionth millionth trillionth degree.  I was talking with one of my best gals about it in the weeks following her birth, and to this day I think she summed up my feelings the best way I can think to describe it...

For me...in some ways, the feeling I had in the weeks and days following Vela's arrival---almost felt more like heart break.  You realize just how amazing a miracle it is that you have this life to love and care for.  And then you can't help but think that ... what if she needs protecting some day and I'm not there to protect her?  Or she needs something that I simply can't provide her...? Sheesh.  My heart was (is) exploding for so many reasons.

I suppose all I can do, or any of us can do...is put faith in God that he will watch over our tiny treasures.    So that's what I'm going with.

Vela Carina you are our little star...our sunshine...the greatest gift God has given us.

Over her bday weekend (July 21st) we had a big old party to celebrate her 1st birthday.  Nautical theme of course...a nod to her name and the story behind it. It was such a special celebration complete with lots of family and friends...good food and many tiny tots running around.  It was perfect.