Last night we celebrated my little girl's second birthday along with her little girl's second birthday. We had out-of-town family here so along with our in-town families we had a big (like 35+ people big) party for the two of them together. It was a blast watching two toddler girls remember how to open gifts (Christmas was a while back, you know!), give their best effort at saying "Thank you," in a way that we could all understand, chow down on the cake (and want more, of course!), and relish the other's gifts as much as their own.

Since I will be out of town myself on Bronwyn's actual birthday this Saturday, I thought this morning might be a good time to share some tidbits on her, my very special blessing:

--Bronwyn remains my easiest (I use this word lightly, of course!) birthing experience and holds a dear place in my heart because of this. On her birthday, I woke at 6am after a sleepless night to realize the sleepless night was not just another Late Pregnancy Sleepless Night, but labor. A little over 11 hours later, she arrived.

--from curly blonde hair to pouty full lips to loud cries and shrieks, this girl continues to closely resemble me as a toddler. Only time will tell how much she really looks like me, but for now there isn't much doubt that she is mine.

--everyday Bronwyn delights me by "reading" to herself and her baby dolls for extended periods of time. She memorizes story-lines and ideas so thoroughly that she really can re-tell the stories with amazing accuracy. Whether or not anyone but me can understand her heavy German accent is another thing!

--eating is one of my dear girl's favorite pastimes and I am fortunate that fruit and vegetables are her foods of choice. Even tomatoes and peppers disappear from her dinnerplate long before the meats and starches. Of course, if you want to make a really quick friend of her, buy her some chocolate. She has low tolerance for such "childish" candy as Smarties or fruit lollypops and will opt for a square of my Dove dark chocolate or, at the very least, M&Ms every single time!

--dresses, shoes, and purses are near and dear to Bronwyn's heart. The more the frills, the higher the heels and the more sparkly the bag, the better. Without a doubt, she can dish out the bruises as well as she can take them, but when it comes to apparel and accessories, she's as girlie as they come.

--lingering from "babyhood" is the pacifier she stubbornly clings to. Around here, we call it her "yeish." This is what she began calling them long ago and, unfortunately for us all, it's the name that has stuck. We all sound so intelligent now.

--I always had a "hunch" growing up that I would have a lot, if not all, boys
if/when I had children, so
when I was expecting Bronwyn, I figured I was having a boy. The
65%-sure sonogram prediction of "girl" couldn't sway my feeling that I
probably would give birth to another son (let's be honest: it probably wouldn't have swayed yours either). But the first time I saw her, I realized how much I'd wanted a girl someday. From that moment forward, I've not
had a doubt that she is a special gift--one I hadn't even known to ask
for--given to me directly from a good and gracious God. I love having a
girl.

Happy Birthday, sweetest Bronwyn-Girl! You are loved by many!