23 months pops up in an instant

That's right the girls hit the big 2 a month from today! The first year went by week by week but the second...WOW it's just been a blink.

The girls are really into Santa right now. They love Christmas books and we're reading them all the time. I asked Rasa what Christmas means and she said "Santa, cookies and presents" Um maybe we should run over the whole baby in the manger thing just in case my parents ask ;) When Adia sees something with a picture of Santa her face gets this glazed over star struck look and as she smiles you can almost hear the choir of angels singing "ahhhhhhhhh" as she whispers "Santa".

My parents and I brought the girls to Macy's downtown Minneapolis to see the 8th floor display and sit on Santa's lap (see yesterday's WW pic). They loved the display. Rasa kept asking to touch everything and Adia was happy perched up by her Grandpa's shoulders. They weren't too excited to see the real Santa until we were walking out of the room but they did better than I expected. We had a fabulous lunch in the Skyroom and when we got home the girls slept for 3 hours! Something they never do!

We put up the real Christmas tree last weekend and the excitement in the room threw me into Christmas mode! I almost forgot what it was like to be that excited about anything. What a joy this Christmas is going to be for our family! I'm very tired of putting all of the ornaments back on the tree five times a day but I'll get over it. I've let go of being a scrooge and telling them not to touch it every five seconds even though they are destroying all of my stuff!!

The girls are talking like crazy using sentences all the time. They are still learning new sign language, something I intend to continue with as they grow. They love to do it and Adia has gotten so good that when I forget a sign I ask her what it is and she's always right! Rasa is memorizing songs and will just start signing them out of the blue. Last week she sang a song we sing occasionally in circle time at school, "tick tock, tick tock, I'm a little cuckoo clock, cuckoo!". Toddlers amaze the heck out of me.

They're growing like crazy. I pulled out all of the 24 month clothes and Rasa is already fitting into most of them. Adia has finally graduated out of 12-18 month clothes and is just now fitting into 18 month pants (little peanut). They love to eat and eat a wonderful variety of foods. Neither one of them seem to be picky at all. In fact they compete over who can eat more broccoli (baby trees). I love sharing my food with them, things I make or ethnic dishes we pick up. I love good food and think it's great that they seem to as well.

We've had a rough fall and winter with coughs and colds. The girls had a persistent cough for 12 weeks and after bringing them in three times our Pediatrician says asthma is to blame in both girls. Royce and I both have asthma and we knew the chances of one or both girls getting it was very high since there's actually an asthma gene. Adia's tends to be worse as she gets coughing fits that last a long time. We're currently nebulizing both of them twice a day (up to every four hours) and we'll get it down to once a day once this current cold passes. They are good sports about the nebulizer which makes my job easier. The mask looks like a fishy so they get kind of excited about putting it on.

Last night as Rasa sat on my lap with the mask on I looked at her little legs hanging over mine and how she sat up concentrating, holding her hand over mine to keep the mask on her face. She's so responsible and mature. She wants to be a good girl and is always a good helper. I don't know how to put into words my love for her. Her big blue eyes melt my heart as she looks up at me with a half smile that tells me she knows way more than she can say right now. She is my classic beauty.

Adia gets swirmy and doesn't like to sit for the full four or five minute treatment. I have to keep her distracted but sometimes she cries and gets upset. It's hard because she doesn't understand she has to have it. She's good if I put Elmo on tv and talk to her about what she sees. She is a tiny sweet love. So silly and fun. She LOVES attention and to make us all laugh. She is also a snuggler and I love that she wants to be held really close and really tight. She really is my sunshine, my joy and my heart. I love her with every piece of my heart and more. Her face looks like an angel and her blond curls are as soft as silk.

Right now I can say that the past two years I've spent raising my daughters full time has been an experience that I will look back on and remember as the best time in my life. Cheers to the next year and the excitement, joy, frustration and change in store for all of us! May I still be standing at their 3rd birthday!