Who's That Girl?

I want you to imagine a little wild child of a girl. Picture a bouncing head of wild blonde curls racing around on wobbly toddler legs; she looks around with excitement as she spots a new adventure or a bit of mischief and runs toward it, shooting you a grin over her shoulder. "Mahn, mahn!" She shouts. (This is the toddler version of "C'mon, c'mon!")

That is my Rachelle. She is two years old today. I like to say she's a precocious two-year-old, because she started acting 2 a couple months ahead of schedule. She's been previewing the giddy madness of the so-called terrible twos enough for me to know that the two of us are in for an adventure. She talks all the time, and now mostly with words, though not always intelligible. She mimics everything her brother does, and lights up when she sees her baby sister. She is very sweet and obedient, except when she's not. She will take full advantage of any opportunity for shenanigans presented to her. She has boundless energy and enthusiasm.
I love RaRa so much. I love how sweet and considerate she is, how eager to help she can be, how her soft chubby cheeks feel against mine, how she drags me into the living room for snuggles ("snuggos, Mommy!") and how she has become her own little person in these past 2 years.
Happy birthday, sweet girl!

Bonus addendum: In the past, Rachelle has borne a striking resemblance to her mother. But recently, she has started to take on the look of her aunt, Tia Steph. This is a double bonus for me, since Tia Steph is beautiful, and also because she is one of my favorite people on earth. I love that I get to see my dear sister reflected back at me every time I look at my daughter. Photos to follow in another post.