2 Years Old!

Ellen is 2! Yippee! Although it's sad for mommy and daddy to see our "baby" growing up so fast, we are extremely excited for her and all of the milestones she's reaching.

A few highlights:

• Ellen has been paci-free for more than two weeks! Wow - I never thought we'd see the day when Ellen went to sleep without her cute little paci in her mouth, but the transition was actually much easier than I imagined it would be. Aside from a whimper or two the first nap/night's sleep, Ellen hasn't looked back. And now when you ask her if she's a big girl, she proudly responds, "I don't need a paci now!"
• Ellen has been spending a lot of time practicing her bathroom skills and has had several successful visits to the loo. The pride on her face whenever she poops or potties in the toilet is priceless and within the past few days she's even requested to sit on the potty seat without us asking. EVB is still a ways from being trained, but we're making progress. :)

To mark the occasion of Ellen's 2nd birthday, we began the day with coffee and donuts at the SuperTarget Starbucks and then headed to the Children's Museum with Omma. We had a great time! In the evening, our family of 3.5 celebrated with a piece of cake and a few presents from mom and dad ... more fun will be had at Ellen's party on Saturday.

So happy to be 2!

Presents from Mom & Dad ...

Hmm ... what's this?

It's a Mexican Fiesta for my kitchen!

And, a potty chair for Baby Stella - just like Ellen's!