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