I had her party pants perfectly planned. They were trimmed in yellow gingham to match her yellow gingham sailor dress, both of which would make her look like the perfectly Victorian cherub she's meant to be.
GiGi had different ideas:
She wore pink party pants.
And didn't look Victorian at all. She did, however, look perfectly GiGi. If you give a two-year old girl Hi Cat pajamas, she's going to want to wear them. (Yes, I know she's Hello Kitty, but to GiGi she's Hi Cat. It's her party, and she can Hi Cat if she wants to.)
This was the day of her actual birthday. There's a theme developing. Her shoes are sparkly Hi Cats. She made a special request for her birthday: "I wanna see the baby el'phant!" It certainly wasn't too much to ask, so we did. GiGi and I spent the morning at the zoo. She threw more than two fits, in fact quite a few. But, turning two is a big step, and it can be too much sometimes. We often have to stop so I can ask her, "GiGi, how big are your feelings? Are they too big?"
We finished up the day with a trip to gymnastics and fried food. I wish I could tell you that I made her a big cake with two candles and that we all gathered 'round the family table to sing. But I'd be lying. It was too much for one day. We settled for fried food...
...and funny ears.
This is the morning of her party. She was excited because her daddy had told her there would be friends; that they'd all sing to her; and that there would be cake. (If you're curious, this is also a Hi Cat shirt. I'm buying stock in Sanrio; that seems to be a reasonable way to fund her education.)
Did you really believe we'd have any other theme?
Girlfriend was excited for her b'woons.
So was her brother. Kind of. As excited as a five-year old boy is going to get at a two-year old girl's Hi Cat party.
When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she replied, "An orange ball."
There were a few other gifts too.
Earlier that morning, she found an old pacifier and popped it in her mouth. If she had ever been thoughtful enough to use one when she was five months old, I might have let her carry it around all day. As it was, she spent the rest of the day (and is still currently) asking for her "bubble."
Poppy knows the way to a girl's heart--a new phone.
And what girl doesn't love some fancy new bath bubbles?
Gma Cathy outfitted GiGi in her first ballet slippers; the Batman bandaid was per GiGi's request.
Pink fingernails for the birthday girl.
GiGi's babies are the envy of the rubber baby set thanks to Gma Lilly and the claw foot tub.
GiGi posed prettily for Gma Cathy. (When asked, "GiGi, how many pigtails do you want?" She'll tell you, "Two!" Of course.)
Baby sisters can be too much. And, RJ was grateful for a little spoiling of his own that day.
As for me? Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes it's something right out of Life. Sometimes, it's just something right out of life, when the floors aren't swept, the clutter isn't cleared, and there are goldfish crackers in the carpet. I had a moment during the party when I was watching GiGi chase balloons with her brother--a moment when I understood what it meant to love my babies to the moon and back; a moment when nothing was too much, and everything was right in my world. I haven't seen this look on my face in a long time.
GiGi turned two. She's opinionated to the point of time-outs at school for growling at the teacher. True story. She's too fast for her own good. She challenges me and makes me a better mom. And thanks to GiGi and her big brother, I know what it is to love someone to the moon...and back.
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