It's official....she's two!

On Thursday (7-5) Sarah experienced her first American birthday celebration. Our baby girl who couldn't walk, talk or even crawl 10 months ago is now a full-fledged toddler....and showing all signs of being two. :) We had some friends and family over last night to grill out and eat cake. Sarah, normally a very social and happy child, didn't quite no what to make of a full house last night. A series of events (out late on the 4th, spending the day away from home with grandparents having fun, eating dinner over an hour late, and having to share toys with other children) made for "the perfect storm" so to speak. But, we all still had a very nice time. After dinner Sarah had fun running around with her friends. It was hard to get her to sit still to open gifts...or to even understand that they were for her. Not until bedtime did she really notice her new stuff, and then we had the task of getting her to go to sleep. She got some really cute toys, Veggie Tales videos, books, and a few pairs of new shoes. Now she and I have a matching pair of Mary Jane Crocs. Michael and I bought her a kid-sized stuffed, slipcovered chair and she loves to sit in it with a blanket and a book.

You can't get through an adopted child's birthday and not think about the woman who first gave her life. I'm mindful that there is a precious woman on the other side of the world, for whom this day may possibly be filled with pain. We are forever grateful to her for our beautiful Sarah. I also thought a lot about the stark contrast between July 5, 2006 and July 5, 2007. From spending a most likely uneventful day in the orphanage on her first birthday, to having an abundance of gifts and love, friends, family and parents on her second. One of Sarah's sweetest gifts was a donation made in her honor (by her grandparents) to the children still living at the orphanage in Ninh Thuan. Our agency does such a great job with humanitarian aid - tying to make the lives of those not yet home, or those who will never know a mom and/or dad, a little bit better.

Here is a list of some of the things that Sarah can do, likes to do, and doesn't like to do as a two year old.

Can do:

-Walk, run, climb, spin around, and "dance"
-"Talk" using these words: mama, dada, baby, bow, ball, boon (balloon), eat, duck, hat, bug, a-shh (shoe), rain (we've seen enough of it!), hi, bye, and she is really working on saying "I love you."
-Use a fork with accuracy...still working on the spoon...
-Take off all her clothes (that would also be something she loves to do)-Buckle car seats and baby swings
-Give the best kisses and hugs-Blow bubbles in the pool and go under water without inhaling water
-Bring the baby his bottle, pacifier, and blanket-"Answer" the phone
-Get into lots of mischief :)

Loves:

-Her two favorite shows are Sesame Street and Veggie Tales. She imitates the Count's laugh when he does the number of the day on SS.

-Her favorite song is the ABC's. I used to sing it to her to make her go to sleep. Often times it will cheer her up right away if she is about to lose it.

-Food! The better question would be, "What food doesn't Sarah love?"

-Playing "Where's Sarah." The game where Sarah hides under a blanket while we ponder aloud all the many places she could be. Then she appears and we make a big deal about it.
-Doing somersaults and "flips"

-Snuggling in the rocking chair, reading books, brushing her teeth, rough housing with daddy, picking flowers, wearing jewelry, chasing the dog....

-Helping mommy "clean the house." Her favorite toy right now is her Dirt Devil mop. She is also quite fond of my Swiffer duster.

Dislikes:

-Touching grass with her hands

-Putting on her clothes

-Having her hair fixed

-Being told "no"

Well, there is so much more, but I think I'll stop there before the list gets obnoxious. I just know that if I don't write it down here I'll forget it later.