Miss Pickles is 2!!!

It is so cliche to say that I can not believe that my baby girl is two, but it is totally the case.  On one hand it seems like she's always been here and then on the other she is still so clearly my baby when I look at her with her two brothers.  Miss Penny has had a long week - she started feeling puny on Tuesday evening, promptly screwing up everything I had planned for the rest of the week to get ready for her party and Jon's school party. Wednesday she just laid in my arms all day and ran fevers for most of the day.  I am not a big fan of suppressing fevers, I feel like we need to let the body do what it was built to do, but even this was too much for me.  She was getting wheezy and it continued through to Thursday. I missed Jon's science fair (he placed first in his grade) and at about 10:30pm made the decision to take her to the ER.  Fortunately it was dead and we were the stars - Penny was a huge hit with the nurses - and jumped into the arms of the x-ray tech without a second thought.  It was determined by the end of our stay that Penny had pneumonia. Awesome.  So we had a couple of breathing treatments, an oral steroid, which she promptly threw- up because of her empty stomach and we were home by 1.  Needless to say two albuterol treatments and a steroid make for an energy filled two year old - so we stayed up until 3 watching Dora.  

My knight in shining armor, Ryan, took the day off on Friday to take Drew to the dentist, drop off all the party goods at Jon's school, run errands, pick up Penny's cake and get the house picked up while I laid around with my goiter, otherwise known as Penny.  Although by Friday she was in that fantastic state where she wanted me to hold her, but not really so we played the I pick you up, you squirm and cry and get out of my arms and then scream  UP UP UP! until I pick you up again game for most of the day.  Mommy needed a drink by about 2, but held out until dinner.  We cancelled our V-day plans and hunkered down at home.  

Saturday, Penny was at about 85%, so we decided to indeed have her gathering on Sunday.  Dad came down in the afternoon on Saturday baring more candy than any three, let along one child should consume and we had a relaxing evening.

Sunday, Penny was ready for her party, she donned her new jumper I made for her and we had the usual suspects of my my dad, brother and sister in law and our local cousins, the Werts.  We ate, opened gifts and it was a great day!  Penny was HILARIOUS when we sang to her, she just kept looking around the room like, what in the hell are you people doing.  Too funny!  It was a Melissa and Doug and Dora party.  She received a kitchen and a bunch of wooden food and then the rest were Dora videos, shirts, a dress up dress, coloring book, book, did I mention she loves Dora?  We had a Dora cake prepared by my very talented friend Melanie (if you live locally, you NEED her to make your children's cakes, she's amazing!).

this is precisely why you should never teach your children to say "cheese"

It was a great day, we all had fun and best of all Penny is feeling loads better.  Today is her actual birthday and she is spending it, playing in her new kitchen, with her new toy food, wearing her new Dora shirt, while a Dora sing along is going on in the background.  It is so good to be 2!

Ooh - more Dora?

mmm, another Dora video

Happy Birthday baby girl - I LOVE YOU!

my favorite!

Thanks!*

*(for the record this was our first time taking pictures of something important with our new camera - some worked, some didn't and others I've just been farting around at a cool sight called picnik, until I can afford to buy photoshop - so bare with me as we learn to use our new toy!)