The Fabulous Fulcher Family: Charlotte's 2nd birthday

What a sweet girl. She woke up this morning in the best mood. When I walked into her room and said "Happy Birthday Charlotte!" she started jumping up and down in her bed and screaming "animals, animals!" because she knew we were going to the zoo on her birthday. Bryce and I both took the day off to be with her, and will continue to do so until she is in school. It is such a great tradition....and I would just be thinking about her all day at school any way so I might as well spend it making some great memories! We got up and she immediately saw all the butterfly decorations I put out the night before. She was so cute, running around the house to try and "count" them all. She can count up to 12 all by herself, but usually ends at 28 because that's how old Bryce and I are (were!). Then she zeroed in on her present and tore the paper off to reveal a minnie mouse purse with accessories. She is so stinkin cute. We had a breakfast of butterfly waffles and bananas and then we were off to the animals at the Zoo. All day long I kept checking my watch thinking "yup, this is when we were leaving for the hospital" or "aaahhhh, i just got my epidural!". Charlotte was in love with the zoo from the minute we saw the first exhibit. The flamingoes are a great attention getter, and she has been practicing standing on one foot since we got home. Though she does make sure to mention how stinky they are! We spent over 20 minutes in the bird exhibit. She got to feed the birds and kept calling them "Come here birdie birdie birdie!". She was laughing so loud that I was afraid she would scare the birds! She thought they were amazing and did not want to leave but we finally convinced her with the incentive to see a baby Giraffe. The giraffes were her second favorite....she loves pointing out the mommy and the daddy and the baby giraffe. After dinner we put two candles on a cupcake and she immediately blew them out. After we were done singing happy birthday to her, she kept singing "Happy Birthday to Charlotte" the whole time she ate her cupcake. Whenever someone called to say happy birthday she would tell them "I blew the candles out".

We had such an amazing day together, and I could not stop giving her hugs and kisses all day. I am simply amazed at how much she has grown in the past year. She is so articulate now and can communicate so well. She is very loving and constantly wants me by her side to share whatever she is doing. "Come on Mommy" might be her most used phrase. That little baby I held in my arms two years ago has changed my life in so many ways. I honestly cannot remember what we did before Charlotte. That life before her seems so empty now. She is the perfect child for Bryce and I and we feel so incredibly blessed to be her parents and help watch her grow. I love her so much my heart hurts.