Happy 2nd Birthday, Lauren!

My sweet, crazy, absolutely amazing Lauren,

I know I thought you had changed so much your first year, but my goodness your second year showed me just what the word "change" means. Last year at this time you were almost ready to walk. Now you're running me ragged at every turn. Last year you were still struggling with your poor ears and had a knot on your neck that caused me numerous panic attacks. Now you are happy, healthy, and have been ear infection free thanks to those wonderful tubes. Last year you could babble, say a few words that were clear and knew several animal noises. Now you know your letters, colors, shapes and spend most of your waking hours singing one song or another. (Jesus Loves Me, including sign language, is your favorite right now.)

You may have started out quiet and serious, but that is completely gone now. You have no problem running up to new people and asking for their phone, or waving and saying hello to someone that forgot to smile at you at the store. You no longer cling to me, screaming if I'm out of sight or even act as though I'm leaving. Dropping you off at school no longer requires ear plugs. Instead, you start squealing for Ms. Kim when you see the sign for your school and run to your classroom without even a glance behind you.

Studious!

I knew you'd be stubborn and impatient (from the very beginning!) but oh my goodness you are ornery! You love to rile your brother up any chance you get and have no problems fighting back when he does something you don't like. While I'm teaching your brother to just ignore you when you're acting that way, I'm trying to teach you that your brother screaming and crying is not the funniest thing you've ever seen.

Red Dorothy slippers and mud on your face. Trouble!

That's not to say you don't absolutely adore Brenden. He's one of your favorite people and you are finally big enough to run and play and keep up with him. If he's jumping off of the stairs onto a pillow you are right there with him. If he decides to roll around in the mud, you're not far behind. You love to cheer him on when he's doing his "tricks" and are always there to make sure he's okay.

Your empathy and willingness to share always surprises me. If one of your toys falls down you scoop them up, hug them close and ask if they're okay. You rock your baby to sleep, "change" her diaper, and give her kisses and hugs before she "takes a nap". If someone is crying or hurt, be it a friend, your brother, or even me, you're always there to comfort them and offer a toy to make them smile. I hope you hold onto that caring and nurturing part of your personality forever.

Lauren, you are one of the smartest, funniest, most inquisitive, bravest, most stubborn little girls I've ever met. The words do not exist to fully explain just how fantastic I think you are, how much I love you, and how very lucky I feel to be your mommy.

Happy Birthday, my sunshine,

Love Always,

Mommy

Happy 1st Birthday, Lauren!

My beautiful Lauren,

I cannot believe it has been an entire year since you came into our lives. I can still remember seeing your sweet face the first time they placed you on my chest. My initial thought was "thank goodness that's over!" but that didn't last long. It took two seconds to fall in love with you. Your beautiful, dark hair (that caused me so much heartburn!) and your perfect features. Everything about you was a thousand times more amazing than I could have ever dreamed.

From the beginning, it was obvious that you had inherited my impatience. When you are ready for something, you're ready right now, especially when it comes to eating and sleeping. You've always had your own little personality, and it's been a joy watching you come into your own.

You may not be walking quite yet, but that doesn't keep you from getting into anything and everything. If I don't watch you closely you end up inside the dishwasher, playing in the rocks that surround our bamboo plant, or chasing the cats. Every once in awhile I'll catch you just standing, not holding onto anything, so I know you're close. I don't even want to think about all of the trouble you will get into with your brother when you're off and running.

And oh, your brother is one of your favorite people. Whatever he is doing you want to do, too. You try to help him draw on his easel, play computer games, or mess with my phone. Sometimes you even try to steal the food right off of his plate! Most of the time he loves having you around, although eventually he really wants to play or eat in peace. The first person he asks about in the morning is "his favorite Lauren" and if you are ever crying he tries to make you feel better. At first he would just make a silly noise, but now he tries to explain. "It's okay, Lauren! Mommy is coming back!" Watching you two together is one of my most favorite things. I hope that you will always have that sibling bond, even when you're driving each other crazy.

You are so curious and serious. Sometimes you sit back and watch me doing things and I can see your brain memorizing every little detail. When you picked up a spoon and immediately knew what to do with it I wasn't surprised. When you grabbed a crayon and went after the construction paper, it seemed so natural for you. Drinking out of a cup, throwing a ball, learning how to sign "more please" or "I love you"...you amaze me every day.

Listening to you try out new sounds is so much fun. You've grunted, gurgled, babbled, and even sounded like an angry cat. Every day we hear something new, like "what" or "wow" or "that". I know that in no time you'll be telling me stories and arguing with your brother.

You are just as social, and even more flirtatious, than I expected, although it took you a little while to get there. You wave at strangers and say "hi" or lower your head and look up through your eyelashes just for fun. It's hard for people to ignore you when you're beaming at them, or cracking up at something that you think is funny. It doesn't take long for you to wrap someone around your finger, and your daddy is no exception. He may not realize it, but I think you could get him to do just about anything. He loves his little girl.

You are always up for a challenge and not afraid of any new experience. Eating dirt? Been there, done that. Crawling in the prickly grass? No problem. Trying to ride your brother's scooter? You bet. I hope that you always keep that sense of adventure and live life to the fullest.

Lauren, you are the perfect addition to our family, the little girl that I have always wanted. I love you more than you could ever know and I am so lucky to be your mommy. Thank you for making me a better, more laid back parent. I hope that you always know just how special and beautiful you are.

Happy birthday, my sunshine.

Love Always,

Mommy

A Letter To My Daughter

Lauren,

You're going to be here so soon! Only 16 days until your due date! I cannot believe in such a short time you will make Brenden a big brother. I cannot imagine your daddy and I as the parents of two children. You are going to change our lives forever and I cannot wait.

At night, before I fall asleep, I imagine your face. I have had dreams about what you will look like, your hair color, your eye color, the way you will smile. I can already see you in your daddy's arms and know you will have him wrapped around your little finger in a matter of seconds, no matter how often he may tell me otherwise. Brenden has started singing to you to "Come oooout baby Lauuurrreeenn!" and I know he will be your biggest fan. It goes without saying that your many grandparents are crazy about you, too. Just look at your closest!

I cannot wait to watch your personality emerge. I hope that you're outgoing and friendly, although it would make me very happy if you were more like your daddy and didn't take everything so personally like I do. I hope you share your brother's love of animals, especially since you'll be surrounded by them from the moment you get home. I hope that we can raise you to be confident, happy, dependable, honest, and polite.

Most of all, I hope that you grow up knowing you were loved from the moment we knew you existed. You are the piece of the puzzle that makes our family complete. You are not even officially here and already I cannot imagine our lives without you.

We love you! And if you'd like to hurry up and make your debut, I would appreciate it very much!

Love, Mommy