On the 2nd Anniversary of your Birth

Dear Stella,  Today is your 2nd birthday, it makes me tear up when I really try to wrap my head around it. There is something weird that happens to time when you become a parent. I really can't explain it, but time somehow moves at warp speed as well as super slow all at once. It seems so strange that it has been two whole years since you came into our lives, but at the same time it feels like you've been in it forever. No matter what anyone told me, what books I read, how much I researched, I could never prepare myself for the inexplicable love I feel for you. You are my joy! I always aspired to be a mom, it was my one true goal in life. I looked forward to it for a long time. Having you in my life as my daughter has made that dream come true a million times over. You could not be more perfect or brilliant or special. It is overwhelming to me how much God blessed me when he gave me you. I have so many things I want for you my wonderful child. I want you to be happy, I want you to know how loved you are, how funny you are and how special you are. I want you to know how beautiful you are and how your kindness can take my breath away. I want you to know how smart you are, and how we sit in awe of you every day. When I tried to imagine what you would be like while I was pregnant with you, I could never have dreamed you would be as amazing as you are. Please don't ever forget that. Thank you sweetheart for changing my life and blessing me with more happiness than you will ever know.

"I love you more than I have ever found the words to say to you."

"On the night you were born,
 the moon smiled with such wonder
that the stars peeked in to see you
 and the night wind whispered,
"Life will never be the same."
 Because there had never been anyone like you...
 ever in the world.

Love,
Mommy

Two Years

My brilliant daughter is turning two years old. I can hardly believe it. She is so fantastic and I just don't know how one human being could love another any more. I have been quite emotional the last couple of days. It's incredible the miracle that God has blessed me with. I do not ever want to live one second without her.I just wanted to talk about her a little bit in honor of her birthday! She is so smart, and hilarious. She is so amazing at singing songs, if I was to guess I would say she knows 25 songs. Not just a little, at least two verses. She has crazy song memorizing skills just like me. She also likes to ad lib her songs as she goes. She still loves to read and she really loves puzzles, both same as a year ago. She is so great at communicating, it really is helpful to me. Last night she was in her bed because she bit me while I was rocking her. She said, "I want to rock." It is no big thing, but it's just nice to know exactly what she is thinking. She is also fantastic at pretending. She was playing with Callie one day, with a bookmark, a string and two beads on the ends. Later when I got there she went over to Callie and said, "Where's her headphones?" At first I thought I was misunderstanding her, then my mom said she had been putting the book mark on Callie. :)  She stayed with Grammie and PawPaw last weekend while Jeff and I went away for our anniversary. She missed us a lot, and even on Tuesday she was still missing me. I was leaving her at Grammie's to go to work and she said, "I want to hold you really bad!" In the most pitiful voice. She has been practicing at holding up two fingers to say she is two. She is getting good at it! She is getting a little possessive of things, and if she doesn't want you to have something she has been known to have a fit. Tonight I trimmed her bangs, after I cut them she looked at the hair and said, "That's Stella's hair!" So, apparently she speaks in third person now. While I was rocking her to sleep she was saying something about her hair. It sounded like, "My hair is finished." Turns out she was saying, "My hair speaks spanish!" HAHAHA! I have no idea where she got that.

Darcie Dogs

Stella and Jeff have a dance they do, and Jeff always sings, "Do-si-do, do-si-do. Turn around, turn around!" Then one day I realized Stella was singing it too, but her version was, "Darcie dog, darcie dog. Turn around, turn around." I think it's hilarious and she totally thinks she is saying the same thing as us.
Another funny story, she was at my mom's house and she wanted to put the portable phone on the charger. My mom told her no, they were going to leave it in the counter. Stella was mad and demanded that it be put on the charger. My mom said, "I'm the adult and you are the child and we're going to do what I say." To that Stella said, "No, I am not a child, I'm Stella Rose Westenhofer!"

Ahhh Zips

Tonight I was rockng Stella before bed, and she looked up at the side of my face at a big red zit. She said, "What's on your face, Mommy?" So, I told her it's a zit. She said, "You want me to get your zip off mommy? I will get you a wipe and wipe your zip off." It was so funny and sweet. I love her so much, and I cannot believe she will be 2 years old in two weeks. That is crazy.

Funny Sh*t My Daughter Says

Ok so this will probably be the first post of many! Just going to jot down the funny stuff Stella has been saying lately.
Last night she was watching a Hello Kitty video on her Dad's phone. Out of no where she says, " I want to go to Target."
In church this past Sunday, she was very very good I need to note, she said, "Mommy I'm pooping." directly followed by, "I'm freaking out!" Which is one of her new phrases.
She enjoys saying Whatever.
In the car last night on the way home, I let her have her crayons and book. She had tried eating the crayons the last time I gave them to her. So, I told her she could absolutely not eat them, or I would take them away. She started using her fingernail to pick off chunks and eat them. I told her to stop and she would just grin. So, I stopped at a red light and turned around and yelled at her to give me the crayons. She gave me two of them and started crying. Then in between sobs she said, "I'm going to tell Daddy what you did!"

Holy moly

I am fairly certain I have the funniest kid ever! I was rocking her and she says, "aww, mommy, I love you! You're a good mommy. Give me a nose kissy." So I do, then she says, "Give me a hand shake." I died laughing, I don't know where she came up with that! She is super sweet though. She is always saying I love you or giving hugs or kisses.

Butt Paste

This morning when I was getting ready Stella came in the bathroom and picked up a bottle of hair gel. She said, "Here you go Mommy." She handed it to me, and I said thank you. Then she said, "Do you need some paste on your bottom?" Oh my gosh it was hilarious! The hair gel bottle does look similar to the butt paste bottle.
Yesterday she was on the couch looking at Jeff's Canoeing & Kayak book. I said, "Is that Daddy's book?" She said, "No, it's mine." Haha, then she was playing with her Dora looking at the book. She said, "Dora want to go on the river?" It doesn't have but a few pictures, mostly map like drawings of rivers. I was kind of surprised she put that together!