TWO!

 Hello my sweet Eleanor <3 

I am writing this on New Years Day 2023 at 8:30 in the morning. You got up maybe 30 minutes ago and have been kind of a train wreck since ;) You are just not at your best right after waking up. Every day in the morning and right after nap, you have a very hard time for a little bit haha. You also stayed up pretty late last night, so that wasn't helping your cause. We had 2 NYE parties yesterday...the first at the Kukis house with 5 other families (19 kids total). You always take a while to warm up when we get to a new location or even at home whenever someone comes over, but after a bit of being held, you went and played and had a great time! We did our countdown at 7pm and people popped things with confetti and you found a toy mop and were just going to town trying to clean up hahah you love to clean! We got home and had to video chat with Grandma Sandee cuz she had been calling during the party. They were with Oma&Opa and the Huchels and they all sang to you and you immediately asked for more when they finished! So they sang to you again ;) Then we went upstairs to the giant party Ita was having- all the cousins and aunts and uncles and Ophelia and her family and Tia Sandra and her family whew. You were pretty hyper so you spent some time with Zeke just running up and down the hallways and jumping off Ita's couch in her room over and over- I was impressed with your jumping skills! Ita had bought you a cake so everyone sang (and you asked for more again ha) and we had cake (your 2nd slice that night after having one at our first party!) and Ophelia brought you a little baby doll gift! And then we whisked you off to bed! Before all the party craziness, we had spent your birthday morning relaxing at home- Johanna got you out of bed to balloons and a disco ball and your birthday party playlist that she had been working on- your sister loves a good party! Then we tried to go get donuts, but our drive-thru donut place seems to have gone out of business boo. So we got some McDonalds goodies and went to Dad's work to celebrate you. The golf course was flooded so no one could golf and it was empty- saw 1 customer for range balls the whole 45 mins we were there. Then you played with Zeke in your room- building forts and playing with your box choo-choo train that you guys made while I reorganized my room ;) It was a good day! We plan to celebrate you a bit more on Sunday 1/8 when Grandma Sandee and Grandpa Rick are home from their trip and we will have a smaller family only party with all your favorite things-berries and dancing ;) 

Here we are 3 weeks later...sorry kiddo, life is flying! This past year has been so fun. and my goodness, it has flown by! You have grown into your personality so much. you are full of life and spunk and certainly know how to make your voice heard as a 4th child. You adore your siblings, but also if they touch you when you aren't in the mood, watch out. Last night, you found some bedsheets on the stairs that were going up for your sister to put on her bed and you said, "pillow" and were laying on it and Zeke came and took it from you to use as a pillow too. and you straight up bit him on the back- left pretty nasty marks! It was like you turned 2 and boom you turned into a stereotypical toddler! Your favorite things to say are "No" and "I do it self!" and I know someday, that will be hilarious. For now, it is exhausting, but you are pretty fun too so i'll let it slide ;) You have recently gotten picky about food and love to throw your food on the ground if you don't want it. For so long, you loved milk and only milk. You were obsessed with your bottles and asking for them all the time- like 5x a day we would let you have a bottle (morning, mid morning, before nap, after nap, before bed) but it was too much so we would water it down- half milk, half water and only fill it a little so it wasn't a crazy amount of actual milk...but boy after we weaned you your appetite shot up! You started biting the nipples and then it was leaking all over so right before you turned 2, we threw the last bottle away and you were done. It was a rough few weeks! We try to give you sippy cups, but you aren't a huge fan and your milk consumption is way way down haha. I'd never done bottles like that before, because I had just nursed until almost 3 with June and Zeke and Jo had just given up nursing when I got pregnant so it had never been a thing. but from the start, we had needed to supplement you with donor milk and formula and you clearly preferred bottles over the breast and by a year, you were fully weaned from the breast. Anyway, you haven't been a great eater, but are starting to do ok. You generally love meat and cheese! and you've started eating bread pretty well.

June says you are a little goofball. You have the best laugh- almost evil sounding- and it is my favorite ever. The other day at the girls' gymnastics practice, you climbed up behind me and put my jacket hood over my face and you started cracking up. You did it like 10x and were laughing so loud and heartily I was almost quieting you because you were distracting the gymnasts haha. You love to GO. anywhere. anytime anyone is going bye-bye, you grab some shoes and want to go too. I bring you to all of the girls' gym classes because you are so much better behaved in public than Zeke ha. You will just kind of hang out, eat your snack, jump off the bleachers and climb up and down and talk to me. You point out everything- look at that mom, dad, that boy has a mad face, they're playing a game on their ipad, etc. It is really cute. You had some teddy garahms and you kept pulling your shirt all the way up and saying, "tummy" and I finally figured out you were telling me the bears went in your tummy. and you said, "bears raaar. i eat it. in my tummy. all gone." and the lady in front of us was like, "oh my goooooodness, so cute." haha. your toddler talk is really the best. you talk a lot and are just starting to put sentences together- precious! 

You love to sit on my lap. actually anyone's lap. you say "uppa lap" and then are pretty content to just hang out. most of the time when I am working on the computer, you are hanging out on my lap. when possible, i unplug the keyboard and you "type" away. You also love to say "no thank you" and 'gracias"- very polite little lady ;) You love to dance! Dura by Daddy Yankee has become your song. so much so that we had a dance party for your 2nd birthday celebration. it was just family, but we got a little disco light and dad made a playlist and you loved it. we had some berries (your favorite) and i tried to make cake-pops because you love "lolli-top" so much! and just pizza. it was adorable and casual and fun. Let's see... you love the dog and cat. Yesterday, I gave you some ground beef and you straight up put your bowl on the ground and invited Cece to eat it haha. you love Starlight and are quick to let me know when you think she is hungry or when she wants to come inside. Starlight often sleeps in your crib and we have to get her out when you go down for a nap- so sweet. 

Your birth mom came to visit you only 2x this year, which was a pretty big change from the first year. We miss her! Your Ita wants you to call her "tia Maria" which is fine i guess, but I also always want to be clear about her relationship with you and make sure you know how much she loves you. She walked away from working and living at the farm and while we were sad about it because we wanted her to be set up for our vision of success for her by offering her a steady job and free housing, she just didn't want that. she wanted some separation. She seems to be doing well! This last visit she came to wish you a happy birthday and she brought you these really flashy light-up shoes and you really like them! you often choose to wear them and get very excited about the lights! She has given you lots of little trinket gifts before, but this is the first one you have been really excited about! I guess there is also a doll she gave you that you enjoy now, but were too young to care when it was first gifted. We are hopeful that she will continue to come visit a few times a year and that she always feels wanted and welcome <3 

You are obsessed with your Ita right now. We took the stair guard down for a while, but had to put it back up because you just kept helping yourself to going upstairs and then you would rummage through everything. The other day I found a stack of business cards from Ita's desk on the floor with a sharpie and sure enough there was sharpie scribbled on a few of them. naughty! You got to sleep in Ita's bed with her for the first time last month and you would do it every night if you could! Your siblings do it quite often and you know it isn't fair and ask for it a lot... I am sure this next year after the busy season, it will be your turn to start on the rotation too! You haven't had a sleepover at Grandma Sandee's house yet, but soon! I hope anyway. You love her so much and talk about her often- and when she comes you yell her name and run out to her! you also ask about Grandpa Rick and Aunt Alisa a lot. You love prima Alinah and you really enjoyed reacquainting with primo Sammy over the holidays when he flew home. 

You love to sing and have recently shown me that you know the words to certain songs and will sing along- i love it so much! you hate having your hair up and will always take it out when i pull it up so you constantly have hair in your face and it gets so sticky and gross ha. you enjoy baths once I get you into them, but it is kind of hard to get you in...your sisters really enjoy bathing with you so you will often go if they go in with you though! I am trying to think what else... I don't know. you are a gift and  treasure and I am so thankful to get to be your mama and to get to have you in our family! You are going to become a big sister this year and I can't wait to watch you fill that role! We thought you would forever be our baby, but the Lord has other plans. You love babies and so I know it will be precious watching you step into the nurturer role. You often carry your babies around with their blanket and bottle or push them in the stroller or put them in the toy high chair and give food. you will rock it! I will try to write more often- you deserve more than 1x a year! i love you so much my sweet princess <3