To Our Dear Madeline On Her 2nd Birthday

How is it possible that you're 2? It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing you home and wondering, "now what?" You were so tiny and I will confess that on more than one occasion I worried about breaking you.

Just look at those little legs. And for the record, those were newborn socks that are just hanging off your feet.

I look back at this pic and realize just how little you were and how far you've come. This was my first Mother's Day, when you were just a week old. You look like a little doll.

We've never been as scared as we were when, at 12 days old we rushed you to the emergency room and you were admitted to the NICU. You'd managed to avoid that place at birth, which wasn't the norm for kids born early. But you were a fighter. Four people had to hold you down to be able to put the oxygen tube in your nose. You knew you didn't want to be there, and in the end it was just a case of acid reflux. But we were new parents and we didn't know that. All we knew was that you didn't seem to be breathing right and we were going to do whatever we needed to in order to make sure you were ok. From that point on, you just grew and grew and grew. You were also on the small side, but that didn't slow you down.

Want proof? Check out these pictures. I'd originally bought that dress for you to wear home from the hospital, but it was a tad too big. Within months, though, you were wearing it as a shirt.

For a little kid, you've done a lot of traveling in just a few years. Your first plane trip was in September. We flew to Dallas to see Grandma Rita and some of mommy's friends. You napped on Grandma's couch a little, too.

Then in October we went to Orlando to see mommy's family (and so Mommy and Daddy could go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Disney World). You liked flying with us and cuddling with daddy.

You also got to swim in a pool for the first time.

We stayed home for a few months, but then it was off for our first big family vacation - Hawaii. You did so good on the plane rides, even though you got sick multiple times on the way out. You liked the water, and mommy and daddy loved just getting to spend a whole week with you.

Since then we've also taken trips to Durango, Chicago and Ft. Lauderdale. We've also taken many trips to the zoo, and with each trip you're more excited and interested in what's going on around you.

You are a funny kid. You make us a laugh a lot. Right now you're into Elmo and have just discovered Finding Nemo and Minnie Mouse (pronounced Monnee Mouse). You love the projector we turn on at night that shows fishes and stuff on your ceiling. You LOVE pointing out the octopus.

You are your daddy's daughter when it comes to getting up in the morning. Your new thing, now that you're in your big-girl bed is to roll off the side and either lay on the floor next to it or roll under the bed entirely. You do not like to get up early. You like to get up on your own schedule.

 You bring more joy to our lives than we ever imagined possible. You constantly make us sit back and really reflect on just how lucky we are to have you as our child. But it's not just us that you make happy. From day one, you've been surrounded by people who love and care for you.

And we know there's a big change coming your way that you probably haven't fully grasped. But we hope you remember that we love you very, very much. You turned Melissa and Brian into Mommy and Daddy, and you'll always have a place in our hearts that's just for you.