The countdown to TWO

To my sweet Abigail,

Today you are 23 months and 9 days old. Yes, we are only WEEKS away from your 2nd birthday. That also means that we are only at most 5 weeks away from welcoming your baby sister into our family. To say that it has flown by is truly an understatement. You are growing up to be such a beautiful, smart and charismatic little girl...this of course coming from your mommy but I hope that others would agree :) You have hit so many milestones and done so many "firsts" in these past 2 months that my heart can hardly handle it. I feel incredibly blessed to live these firsts with you and to watch you learn each day. Some days are so hard with raising a toddler but in the grand scheme of things, your daddy and I were given as easy task when you were chosen as our daughter. Raising you has truly been a gift Abbie and we're only 23 months in...I can't wait to see what the bright future brings ahead. I hope and I pray that they are only good things.

Since the last time I wrote, we still have our challenging moments and our hard days but I always try to remind myself that you don't know any better and it's our job to teach you right from wrong. Some of the biggest moments I will always remember:

 - You started calling us "mommy" and "daddy" as opposed to "mama" and "dada." BEST.THING.EVER. But then again, we love hearing your sweet voice say anything.

 - We took you to get your 1st haircut! We just had the ends trimmed a little bit and just took you for a fresh trim again this weekend. I can't wait to see your hair in long, beautiful tresses.

- We still take you to your Gymboree classes every chance we get. You still enjoy them so much in Level 5 and it's nice to see some of the same kids who started going with you when you were just a couple months old

- Your vocabulary has grown extensively. I think this has been one of our favorite things to date. your daddy and I can actually communicate with you now and to think that the conversations are soon to follow makes my heart swell with glee. I CANNOT wait. You are speaking 3-4 word sentences and it's the best thing ever. I'm sure I will want you to be quiet down the road when you're asking a million and one questions or when you start to talk back but for now, I am enjoying every minute of your sweet voice.

 - We transitioned you into a toddler bed! This was huge. Since I was set to start potty training you, I wanted you to be in your toddler bed to make night bathroom trips easier. More importantly, I wanted to transition you with enough time before your little sister arrived. You loved your crib and slept so well in it every night so I didn't want you to resent your sister for "taking it away." So I made sure it was done with time. I chose your bedding carefully and wanted to make sure it was something you would love. The first time we showed it to you, your reaction was just that...you LOVED it. You were so excited! I wanted to cry with glee. Your first week sleeping in it was a breeze. I didn't understand the big fuss about making the change since it was so easy for us. Nowadays, well...it hasn't been very easy since you've figured out that you can climb out of bed anytime and as many times as your little heart desires. So you still go to sleep without any issues but lately for the past couple weeks, you've been waking up in the middle of the night and walking down the hall to me. Before it was easy and I was simply putting you back in bed. The past couple of nights it's like you've suddenly developed a fear of the dark because you need me or your daddy to be next to you so at 2:30 in the morning, we cave and just sleep on the floor in your room. We're hoping it's just a phase you're going through. I have to admit...it's new territory for us since you've always been a great sleeper but it's like mom says...it's the small price parents need to pay to have children. She's right...we have gotten through worse...we will get through this together.

 - Another big milestone...potty training! I wouldn't have been so anxious to get you potty trained if it wasn't for baby sister making her big debut soon. Mommy would love to have just one princess in diapers as opposed to both of you! So I looked into the 3 day potty training method and prepared: I let your daddy in on the plan, I bought your underwear (Minnie mouse of course), puppy pads and I put daddy in charge of your rewards (he did SO good with them!). We were ready! I have to admit it was pretty torturous to be at home with you for 3 days, behind your every footstep making sure I didn't miss any accidents. It could've been worse but boy were there accidents! You definitely made some strides over the course of the 3 days and if someone were to ask me today, I'd tell them that this was totally worth it! I can't say you were potty trained after the 3 day method but today, you definitely tell me when you need to go! Yay! We still resort to nighttime "underwear" for peace of mind and when we're out and about but I am SO proud of how far you've come. Another big milestone to check off the list!


Well my almost TWO year old...we've come a long way baby girl. You have taught me so much throughout the course of your short little life...the most important is unconditional love. There have been days where I am literally exhausted to the core yet if you need something, I will take what little energy I have left in me and do it for you. You and daddy are my everything...and very soon, your little sister will expand our hearts with LOVE even more. I adore you Abigail. Daddy and I love you to infinity and beyond...