Somebody turned two!

Sunday was Katya's birthday. I would have posted this sooner, but I've been running into problems with Blogger. Anyway, it was a quiet day, especially as Katya was in the process of coming down with a monster cold. It is so strange to think of my little girl as being officially two. The day of her birth is etched into my mind, but it's also hard to believe it was only two years ago. So much has happened to us in the meantime--it seems like it was five years ago that we were in the hospital meeting our baby for the first time. It's a paradox: sometimes as I'm making dinner I'll glance down at her and she seems so short. I realize that she is still a really young little person even though she figures so largely in my heart. Other times when I sneak a peak at her sleeping in her crib, I can't believe how big she is. When she stretches out she seems to cover the whole mattress and I know it won't be long before she completely outgrows her crib. I remember when that crib seemed enormous and she was (to quote Louisa May Alcott) a small pea in a very large pod.

Another sign of how time doesn't stand still is comparing Katya's one year and two year birthday dinners. Last year, although she had been eating some carefully chosen mushed-up big people food for a couple of months, she didn't have many extra-special favorites yet. (Besides cottage cheese.) This year it was easy to plan a meal that I knew would be full of foods that would get her excited: a main dish that contained both noodles and chicken, rolls, peas (although corn is more favorite) and canned peaches. I made the same birthday cake as last year--a delicious carrot cake that is extra moist because it is made with jars of baby food carrots. Katya was rather full from dinner and with a slight upset tummy from her cold, she was not interested in eating her cake this year. However, she did a very thorough job of ripping it to small pieces with her new spoon and fork.

Opening her presents was the highlight of her birthday, of course, and she knew just how to tear the wrapping paper off one little piece at a time. The continually flowing river falling from her nose didn't seem to bother her. That came in the next days. It's amazing how such a little nose can require so many pieces of Kleenex. But regardless of the brewing cold, it was a happy day. Since I spent much of the day remembering how special this day was in 2005, I thought I'd end this post with a little trip down memory lane...

2005

2006

2007