Happy 2nd Birthday L'ie!

Posing in her rocking chair.  Very different from
her 1st photo in this chair.
March 15, 2013

March 18, 2011

Last weekend, we celebrated L'ie Bear's 2nd Birthday.  Chad and I were hoping for a more low-key celebration, and while it was not as low-key as we first intended, it was a wonderful weekend.

The Bear officially turned two on Friday, March 15th.  Chad came home early, we opened up a few of her presents and headed out to dinner at Glory Days.  This year, we gave L'ie some more princess figurines, a Wheelies Car Racer and a Mickey Mouse View Master.  And she seemed to enjoy these gifts quite a bit.

Opening 1st round of presents.

Helping daddy put together one of her new toys.

Wheeeee

Birthday dinner at Glory Days

March 15, 2012

Birthday ice cream sundae.  A little different
from last year!

With the birthday girl!

That evening, we put L'ie Bear to bed and I began decorating the house for her party.  We planned for a Mickey/Minnie Mouse theme this year, since most of the Bear's guests would be little boys.  And she LOVES Mickey Mouse, so we figured it would be perfect.

After a quick trip to Party City to pick up balloons, or as L'ie calls them "Boons", I proceeded to go overboard with the decorations.  It certainly looked as though Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy & Pluto threw up all over our dining room.

Meanwhile, Chad spent the evening putting together L'ie Bear's big birthday gifts.  This year, we bought her a small table/chair set and a play kitchen.  Chad simply asked that the gifts we bought would come in multiple pieces, and he happily assembled everything in the basement.  Thank goodness he enjoys putting stuff together, because that is definitely my least favorite thing about gifts for children.

After everything was decorated and assembled, we headed off to get some sleep before the craziness began the next day.

Some of the decorations.

The next day, Grammy, Grumpa, Mee-maw, Grandpa, Aunt Sarah, Kevin and Uncle Ryan all joined us for a birthday lunch at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, El Paso.  We enjoyed some delicious Mexican food, and L'ie Bear even got another ice cream sundae.  The servers all know and love L'ie, so they came over with a sombrero and sang Happy Birthday.  It was the perfect ending to the lunch.

Heading out to lunch at El Paso Mexican Restaurant

Singing Happy Birthday at El Paso.

L'ie loves ice cream!

From there, we hurried home to wait for our friends to arrive for L'ie Bear's birthday party.  This year, the Shafer, Blough, Druxman and Agbede Families all celebrated with us.  It was much more fun this year, since the kids were older and able to interact with each other.  I don't know about the other kids, but L'ie happily ran around, played with her toys and ate a TON of Mickey Mouse cookies, that Aunt Sarah made.  It seemed as though she had another cookie in her hand every time I turned around.  I have my opinion as to which family members aided her in the quest for cookies, but I will keep that opinion to myself.  =)

Party Time!!!

Playing with Logan and Matthew

Opening her gift from Matthew and Elizabeth

Organizing the new play kitchen

Sneaking yet another cookie!

Checking out her birthday cake.
(Made by Susannah Gillespie)

Ready for some cake!

Moving the balloons.  

Opening up a gift

Bows!!!

Remains of a Birthday Party

More aftermath...

Grammy and Grumpa spent the rest of the weekend with us and we visited one of our favorite wineries in Western Virginia, they watched L'ie Bear's final gymnastics class and we went out to get tapas at our favorite place in Arlington.  Grumpa and I even got to watch one of Chad's hockey games, while Grammy stayed home with a sleeping L'ie.  It really was a great weekend.

Serious L'ie at La Tosca

Wine Tasting at Vintage Ridge

To finish off the birthday celebrations, I took L'ie Bear to her 2 year check-up.  It actually snowed, so we decided it was the perfect time to try out the new sweater L'ie received from her Great Aunt SA.  And she even accessorized the outfit with her stethoscope...perfect for a doctor's visit.

L'ie Bear's 2 Year Stats:

Length: 36.5 inches (although this is a few inches longer than we measured her last week)

Weight: 25 lbs

Head Circumference: 19.25 inches

At previous visits, we were concerned about L'ie Bear's vocabulary, but she is doing great in that area.  The doctor said that it is clear she understands quite a bit of what we say and she is right on schedule with the amount and type of words she can say.  Also, the Bear is finally on schedule when it comes to walking, running and going up/down stairs.  She might have started walking and talking later than usual, but she has caught up quite nicely.

The only concern now, is L'ie Bear's problem solving skills.  According to a questionnaire I filled out, she is right on the border of a developmental delay.  The doctor did not seem overly concerned, but he did ask that we schedule an appointment with a developmental specialist.  She will be able to assess L'ie and determine whether or not there really is a delay.  Obviously, the questionnaire gives them a brief look at what L'ie can do, and the specialist will be able to take a closer look.  The good news is that a problem solving delay is the best to have, since it can easily be fixed, and I feel confident that L'ie Bear will catch up, just as she did with walking and talking!

I am very proud of the little girl L'ie Bear has become!  She is such a sweet and easy going child, and it has been a joy to watch her grow and develop over the past two years.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY L'IE BEAR, I cannot wait to see what year 3 brings!!!