My precious two girls’ birthdays tend to fall on the two most appropriate weekends. Julia was born on Mother’s Day in 2005 and Sophia was born on Oct 12th 2007. Last year and this year Sophia’s birthday has fallen on our Thanksgiving weekend.

This day, when we Canadians give thanks, our family celebrates Sophia’s second birthday.

I am so profoundly thankful for my girls. It’s hard to even find words.

In 2005, after three and a half years of infertility, I was blessed with our first baby Julia. I was so shocked by such a miracle, I thought I could never be twice blessed. But on October 12, 2007, God gave me a second miracle… our baby Sophia.

Sophia, today you turn two.

Each day for the last two years you have been cuter and even more fun than the day before. But each day has ended too quickly and now, as you turn two, I am thrilled and saddened. With this second birthday, I can no longer get away with calling you my baby.

You’re no longer a baby. You’re not even a toddler anymore. You’re becoming a preschooler.

We celebrated your birthday a few weeks early in Italy so that your Nonni could spoil you with presents and cake. So you may be a little confused about why you’re having another second birthday party… but I think mostly you’ll just be excited to have more cake.

You love cake.

Unlike your sister Julia, who often only licks the icing off her cake, you dig right in and eat your whole piece.

You are so independent. You love to do everything by yourself and you have right from the start. You started feeding yourself early, you like to try to dress yourself and copy everything that Julia does.

In Italy you would go and pick grapes off the vine, wash them in the fountain and eat them (with the seeds) all by yourself.

You love your sister Julia maybe more than any little girl has loved her sister.

Your favorite word is Julia. And it was one of your first words. Whenever you wake up — in the morning, after a nap or in the middle of the night — you always first call out Julia. After you’ve called Julia, you’ll often then call for Mommy, but your first instinct is always to say Julia’s name.

Your favorite TV show is Signing Time and it is almost the only show you’ll watch — or even tolerate — being on the television. (Wanting Signing Time on causes most of your fights with Julia who insists on watching Clifford most of the time.)

Your favorite color is red — or so it seems — since that is the color you learned to say and sign first. You always point out things that are red and call out ‘red’ while you sign ‘red’. You also proudly point out, sign and say ‘yellow’ and you sign colors, ‘blue’, ‘green’, and ‘orange’ as well. Yesterday, for the first time you started trying to say ‘blue’, ‘green’ and ‘orange’.

Your favorite pastime at the park is the slide. You love slides of all sizes and you’ll spend hours climbing up and sliding down.

You have an incredibly long attention span. You’ll play contently with one toy even in the midst of the chaos of your cousins and friends.

You love to sit on my lap for story time and you tell me you want my ‘lap’ and ‘books’ which you sign and say at the same time. You love to look at books but you tend to look at only a few pages and then pick up a new one which makes me laugh since you have such a long attention span with other toys and activities.

You’re a bit of a rascal who loves to hear the word ‘no’ and then disobey with a sparkle in your eye.

You have an irresistible smile and an enchanting laugh.

You are a loving sister and a gift of a daughter.

I love you Sophia!

Happy 2nd Birthday.