Isabella-Grace Turns 2!
I have a 2 year old! I cannot believe it, even now as I look at my daughter and see how grown she is, it still shocks me. I knew that for her birthday like every year, I wanted her to be surrounded by loved ones. I decided for her birthday I would not do anything too OTT, but of course I think for my daughter I will always do everything OTT! For now, she is my only child and she is my everything, so for her there is nothing that I would not do. Plus, she deserves it, she has brought me so much joy, so I am returning the favour and showering her with love, attention and things that bring her much happiness. I thank God for His continuous protection over my daughter’s life and for blessing me with her, she is truly one of a kind and the most phenomenal blessing I have ever received.
For her actual birthday, we took her to dinner at a really nice Chinese restaurant near to where we reside. The last time we had dined at this restaurant was before she was born. She enjoyed the crab and sweetcorn soup, then she tucked in to her rice with noodles. Isabella-Grace is very independent and therefore she seeks to do a lot of tasks on her own accord. This includes feeding herself which is fabulous, but sometimes she makes a bit of a mess. This is fine anyway, I appreciate her efforts and so I always praise her for trying. For some reason, she is very intrigued by cutlery and often holds them for long periods of time, she did this in the restaurant once we were finished eating. However, with a little coercion she put the cutlery down and cheerfully said, "bye bye see you soon boy!" to the cheerful waiter. As you can see from the picture above she is holding one of her forks, she still is going through that phase where she holds on to something and it's "MINE!" until she says otherwise! After our meal we went shopping, I did have an adventure playground activity for her, but she fell asleep once we got home. So, I took her to Gambado's the next day to make up for it.
Isabella-Grace is a very big Peppa Pig fan and therefore I decided to turn the living room into Peppa Pig World, there were Peppa Pig pictures everywhere! I designed and created my own Peppa Pig Poster for her featuring all the Peppa Pig characters which she loves so much! In addition, I got a massive Peppa Pig backdrop for added effect, I laid her presents underneath and she was so excited to see them all at the feet of Peppa and her family. It was really a joyous occasion, I live to make her happy and to give her only the best of everything.
Bella's birthday cake was created by one of my ever so talented best friend’s Madonna (@effesdlightfulcakes). She really puts her heart and soul into every single cake that she bakes and she brings the clients visions to life which I love! Isabella-Grace saw her mini Peppa Pig cupcakes and her Peppa Pig cake and smiled gleefully whilst taking a mini cupcake from the table and hiding to eat it! I don’t give my daughter sugar or juice, she is not fond of sweet things any way and rejects juice much to my delight. I do not want her to have a sweet tooth, simply because I have one and it is not good at all! However, she could have some of her cake and enjoy herself as much as she wanted. Even though, I do restrict her from eating certain things, I try not to be extreme about it.
I believe that birthday celebrations should be as big or as little as you want them to be. It is totally up to you and with that said I don’t think there is a right or wrong way of doing a birthday celebration for your child. After all you know your child the best and you know what they will and will not like. I decided on an intimate family dinner for my daughter, just because she is still very young and does not understand the whole concept of party games such as musical bumps/musical statues. As she grows up she will have birthday parties because these are some of the best times of a child’s life and I am that mother who will always embrace every year my daughter is blessed with more life.
Reflecting on the past year or so, I can see how my daughter has grown and developed in diverse ways. She has her moments where she will want to be cuddled and picked up then she has her moments where she wants to be independent and engage in solitary play. I love everything about my daughter, but I love her resilience and confidence too. Indeed, she is as resilient as her mother and often bounces back from situations with a smile on her face, she is never down for long. Isabella-Grace is extremely confident and she knows what she wants and how to get what she wants. I observe her as a leader, quick to lead others, but slow to follow because she tends to embark on her own adventures. She enjoys playing with other children and thrives on social interaction, but she is not afraid to go and do a different activity regardless of whether anyone decides to join her. She is a bright little girl, full of smiles and endless giggles, I thoroughly enjoy her company and I know she enjoys mine too.
So, what do I think about having a 2 year old?! Of course I feel blessed beyond measure. My daughter means the whole entire world to me and each and every single day that I get to see her happy, spend time with her and love her makes everything I have encountered so worth it. She is growing up so quickly and often it makes me feel mixed emotions. Don't get me wrong I love that I am able to conversate with her on a different level now whereas before I was playing the guessing game in order to understand what she needed. I have never been one to communicate with my baby by babbling back, I have always spoken to her as I would to an adult. I believe this has helped her to be able to have an extensive range of vocabulary. At times when she speaks, strangers ask me how old she is and when I tell them they are very shocked at how much of an effective communicator she is.
Taking into account all that my daughter has experienced from such a young age, it makes me realise how resilient she is. She is a very strong and brave little girl whom I believe will be able to take on anything when she is older. I stand by my statement from when she was much younger, but Isabella-Grace will be a force to reckon with. The best thing about having her as my daughter is that she is mine and I do not have to share her with anyone! I look forward to seeing where this new journey shall take us, I look forward to more learning with her, innovative words and phrases and of course tons of cuddles and kisses!
With Love,
Roxanne-Sasha x
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