2 Years Old!

Today was Jillian's 2nd birthday! It was a big, exciting day for her and all of us. Mommy got Jillian all dressed up in a pretty dress just for this occasion. Here's a little photo of Jillian showing how happy she was.

We had the party at Auntie Greta and Uncle Clark's house. It was packed full of family, and cousins Adam and Andy provided a lot of the entertainment. After snacking on chips and stuff, we got down to business. Jillian got a cake with Dora the Explorer on it, while Uncle Clark (whose birthday is also on the same day) got two cakes. Everyone sang the happy birthday song, and Jillian looked around and smiled big. Then, when it was time for the candles, Jillian gave a quick couple puffs and blew them out.

There were lots and lots of cool presents. And there was lots of princess and Dora stuff, too! Jillian opened up the cards on her own, and anytime she opened up clothes or shoes or that kind of thing, she wanted to get undressed and put them on. Eventually, when the party was mostly over, we let Jillian take her clothes off and put on her Dora swimsuit.

One last thing to show: the Paul family gave Jillian a CD player, with a Dora song CD. They played it for her, and Jillian danced and danced. Actually, she grabbed Adam by the hands and swung around and around with him.

Almost Two

The anticipation has been building the last week or so. We've been talking to Jillian about her birthday that's coming up. She's been to enough birthday parties lately that she understands what happens at them. So, when she's asked, here's how she responds:

Us : How old will you be?
Jill : Two!
Us : What will we sing?
Jill : Happy to you! ... Sing happy to you [Dada/Mama].
Us : What will you eat?
Jill : Ice cream!
Us : What will you blow out?
Jill : Candles. Hot!

Jillian gets the biggest smile on her face when we sing "Happy birthday to you" to her. She can't wait for her big day!

Bouncy, bouncy

It's become one of Jillian's favorite things to do, especially when she gets deliriously tired. In this case, she gave her little baby a bouncing, too.

Tick(ed)

Jillian was relaxing on Daddy's lap while we read a story. When Jillian sat up, Daddy noticed something on her back. When he looked really close, he saw that it was a bug. He tried to brush the bug off, but it wasn't budging. That's when Daddy figured out that it must be a tick!

So, Daddy tried calling Mommy, but there was no answer. Figuring that someone from North Dakota should know how to deal with ticks, Daddy tried calling Grandpa Peterson, but still came up empty. Fortunately, Auntie Charolette and Uncle Davey were home, and said they would come over. In the meantime, Daddy called Mommy again and she answered. Mommy gave all sorts of ways to handle the tick, including rubbing alcohol, tweezers and something hot. None of them worked, and Jillian wasn't real fond of having to sit still that whole time.

Auntie Charolette and Uncle Davey showed up. Jillian was put over Uncle Davey's lap, and he grabbed onto the tick with his fingers, gave a quick tug, and out came the whole thing. Jillian didn't even know what happened, and got right back to playing. We went ahead and bagged up the tick so that Mommy could see it, too.

Playtime

Since there wasn't any preschool Rielee got to come earlier and stay longer, to Jillian's delight. This picture shows Jillian laughing as Rielee does some funny falls on the bed. Most of the time they play so well, then they'll fight over something and play alone for awhile, then they're back to being best buddies. After this they decided they needed all the pillows around (ended up with 8) so

they could make a bed, on the bed, and read. It was peaceful for awhile....

Favorite "Baby"

When we were back in North Dakota last year for Cousin Steve & Lizzy's wedding, Auntie Karen had a little baby at her house that Jillian liked to play with. When it was time to go back home, Jillian wanted to take it with her, so Auntie Karen let her keep it. This baby has since become one of Jillian's favorites.

A Trip to the Dentist

Not for Jillian, as she getting new teeth but for Grannie, as she is losing hers. I had to make a quick trip to the dentist to have impressions made Thursday morning so I took Jillian in her pajamas. She sat on my lap in the chair while I saw the dentist. She didn't know what to think and was a little clingy until they brought her a toy and stickers and fussed over her. Then when they took the tray out of my mouth and there was white plaster all over my face and mouth, she thought that was quite funny and laughed. She enjoyed it again when they did the top of my mouth. At least on this visit to the dentist she had fun, not me.