On this day, two years ago....

...my baby girl Caris was born.  Many of you know the struggles we went through to have a baby.  I was practically into my seventh month of pregnancy before I dared to buy anything for her for fear of jinxing everything.  Her birth is a blur for me, as I was very sick and sadly don’t remember much from that time.  The prominent memories are those of worry because she was so tiny, and that she wasn’t warm enough, or eating enough.  I was worried about the heart murmur that kept her from being immediately released, and most of all, I was scared to death that I wouldn't know what to do when we got her home.  That notion was tested a few times in the middle of the next several nights, but lo and behold, she has made it to two years without too many issues. 

Experienced moms will tell you all those thoughts are normal and will never cease, and indeed today I am still worried about those same things.  However, now I’ve added her falling down the basement stairs, getting stung by bees on the way to the chicken coop, or simply getting hurt in any fashion whatsoever.  But, with the worry, comes the happiness.  Caris is very talkative and insists that water is called bubbles, and that our dog’s name is dog-dog, and not Blitzen.  Bears are dog-dogs, chickens are chickieeeessss, and that the rocking chair on the porch of our cabin in Gatlinburg is most definitely “her chair”. 

So, in light of Caris making the transition from babyhood to toddler hood, I’m taking the rocking chair out of her room before she attempts to climb on it, and the baby toys that she has outgrown will be put away for another baby, or given away at some point.  Oh, and like any good mom, I’m making cupcakes for daycare tomorrow, and throwing a Hello Kitty birthday party on Saturday with party favors in abundance. 

I can’t even begin to describe where the time went, or how I am feeling today.  The last I knew, she was crawling around the living room and had very little hair.  Now she’s running around, chattering, laughing, and chasing cats with little curls bouncing at the back of her head.  I certainly hope the next years are just as fun-filled and exciting as these last two have been!