Two.

Well, what can I say? She's turning two tomorrow. Two years ago today I was in the middle of a 36 hour labor (25 of them drug free mind you), assuming I was having a little boy we were going to name Jackson. Todd and I studied and took 12 weeks of Bradley Method classes, so he was the one who pulled her out of me, after Dr. Valenzuela made sure the baby's head was out.

I still remember the sight of this long, long baby body coming out of me. I saw the umbilical cord and my first thought was "OMG His penis is blue" but then the doctor announced "It's a GIRL" and we looked at each other in shock. Then I said "Your mother is going to have kittens" because she had been dying for a little girl ever since Todd's brother Scott was born a boy.

She was perfect in every way. A head of black hair, steel blue eyes, 9lbs even and 21.5" long. She took to the boob like a champ, and when the nurses bathed her and washed her hair, it dried into a perfect fauxhawk. I remember putting her to my breast after giving birth to her, and looking down at this little creature I had met only moments before. It was a marvel. It felt so strange, and so lovely.

Ok, so this is lame to quote an episode of Friends, but when Rachel nurses Emma for the first time and is asked how it feels, she says, quite accurately, "weird" and then when asked for further clarification she says "Wonderful weird" or something similar, and that's precisely what it was.

 Anyways. That was two years ago. Now she's this little lady running around the house, ordering the dog to "LIE DOWN" and asking for "Baby pickles" and letting the kitten outside every time she opens the screen door. She tells us when she has a poopy diaper and asks to "cime in?" (climb in) when we put her in her car seat that is now forward facing because oh my GOD she is turning two tomorrow.

She likes to scribble but loves ordering us to draw pictures of animals and princesses. Todd's princesses are better than mine, but WHATEVER. She had her first bubble bath on April 14th 2012, and her first home pedicure last week. I want to get her a tricycle and a finger painting set, but when I told Todd about the finger painting set he had what can only be described as a small stroke or a hissy fit, perhaps. So we'll see.

She's tall and lean and has a birthmark in the same exact place asTodd's birthmark. Her hair is long and braidable. She ate about three ounces of parmesan on Sunday while running around the house so I definitely know she's mine. Sitting in my lap, while I ate my pasta, she gave me a kiss on my cheek out of the blue.

Alexandra, you're two tomorrow. You're two, and I'm hopelessly in love with you. You have made me the luckiest woman, the happiest mama, on this earth. Your daddy and I are so, so, blessed to have you as ours.

Also I'm sorry I left my Bumble and Bumble shampoo pump dispenser out last night and I'm sorry you thought it was lotion and rubbed it all over your face and got it in your eyes and I'm sorry we had to hose your face off in the backyard in the middle of daddy teaching a kung fu lesson. I LOVE YOU