Little Me

One of my most favorite things is when Erika mimics me. When I dance, she dances. When I play with Laurel, she plays with Laurel. She repeats what I say. She has my mannerisms. I love it! I am so glad I have another little girl who I get to see grow up to be like me. It makes me want to have 3 more girls! Much to Matt's dismay.

Rolling, Snoring, Laughing

Here is a variety of videos and pictures of the cutest little girls!

Erika was making Laurel pretty by putting bracelets and necklaces on her.

This is as far as Laurel rolls. She gets onto her side and then figures, "That's good enough!"

When our family got our first video camera, when I was 7 or 8, one of the first things my mom recorded was us sleeping. I remember being embarrassed because there was a lot of snoring coming from our rooms. Well, now I get to video record my little girls sleeping....and snoring.

Happy, although still a little sniffly, Laurel!

Mommy Knows All

Erika is sick. She's had a cold for the past 8 days complete with snot the color of green that looks radioactive and is only found coming out of a two-year-old's nose. Lovely. This is not her first bout with sickness, and probably not her last. Her first cold came when she was a mere 6 months old. Even though I now have experience nursing her back to health, I still feel quite inadequate. How was my mom so good at it? I remember growing up, whenever I got sick, my mom would immediately know what to do. She would give me the exact medicine I needed to heal, without hesitation. Her actions were always correct and she was so patient and loving while I recovered. With Erika, Matt and I discuss and debate what medicine or remedy she needs to help her get better. And, there is always that call to the doctor's office to confirm our decisions. I hope that one day I will be as efficient and knowledgeable as Mom was with me during times of sickness.

Swinging

For Mother's Day, Erika got a swing in the front yard! Isn't it true of moms that they like giving their kids gifts better than getting gifts themselves? Of course, if the girls get a gift AND I get a gift, I will not object!

Laurel is looking forward to sitting up on her own so she can also enjoy the swing!

For now, she'll just enjoy her walker!

Two

My amazing first-born daughter is now two years old! For those of you who are not lucky enough to be with her every day like I am, here is a synopsis of Erika.

She is funny. No, she doesn't tell jokes, but every day I laugh at what she says or does. She imitates certain phrases Matt or I say and it is awesome hearing it in her little voice! She loves putting articles of clothing or toys on her head and parading around the house that way. She knows what will make me laugh, and she "performs" for me. I love it!

She loves to dance and sing. Her dancing is more of a body convulsion, but it is my absolute favorite thing she does! In the past 2 or 3 months, she has really picked up on songs and sings them...constantly. Especially at nap time. Almost daily, I hear her waking up from her nap and singing to herself and her dolls that sleep with her. She also sings along at church...not the right notes or the correct words, but she is still singing!

She is very inquisitive. She will spend a ton of time trying to figure things out. Every buckle that is in our house (Laurel's car seat, swing, bouncy chair, etc.) is buckled. She examines every new toy to see how it works, and especially if she can turn it on to make noise! She watches us closely when we are teaching her new words or activities. Perhaps another engineer in the making?

She is smart. Really smart. She picks things up so quickly, at times it is scary! Her memory is amazing and at times I have to really sharpen my memory skills to figure out what she is talking about. She can recall things that have happened 3 months ago in great detail and tell me all about it...in her limited words of course.

She is extremely independent. She plays so well in her room all by herself. It is nice to not have a needy child, especially with an infant in the house. But, her independence backfires sometimes into stubbornness. Too much like her mommy....

She is friendly to everyone! She is so sweet to everyone from her family, to her friends at church to the cashier at the grocery store. She's the best big sister in the world as well!

There is way too much to list here why we love her! She is truly a blessing from God. We are so lucky to be her parents and watch her grow and develop every day. Happy Birthday Erika!

Erika Lynn Hammar - May 5, 2007 - 9 pounds 2 ounces


Erika - 1 year old

Erika - 2 years old

More Birthday

Here are some more great birthday party pictures!

Her new bike from Mom and Dad.

Jumping on the bed with her friend, Jake.

Lots of presents! Dolls, puzzles, flash cards, books, bubbles, and a tea set!

I love cupcakes!

And I love juice!

Play time with my friends.

Erika's "Doggone" Fun Birthday! Round One

Okay, CUTEST thing ever!

Erika woke up this morning, her second birthday, and I took a video of her reaction to the decorations Matt, Sarah, and I put up last night. She was so afraid she missed her party! That was not what I had in mind for her reaction, but it made for a very funny video!

Here are some pre-birthday party photos. The party is one hour, 5 minutes away!