Herbst Family Blog: Birthday Girl!

February rolled in Sophia's big 2nd birthday. She had a fun time playing with her friends at her party. We couldn't decide on one theme to go with so Andy suggested we combine all her favorite things of the moment...princess, Dora, and Mickey it is.

Lauren, Braeden and Soph eating pizza at her party

Tyler and Soph having fun with playdough

Uncle JJ helping Sophia blow out her candle

Sophia's cousin Jackson...he's always so happy!

Sophie and Braeden taking a spin on her new ride

Grandma Herbst came in to town on Sophia's birthday. Just in time for Sophia to give her a check up with her new medical kit.

Playing with her new bath set...the finger paints and bath crayons are her favorite

Sophia attended her first school birthday party just a week before her own birthday. It was a lot of fun and great to see her interacting with all her daycare friends outside of school. The birthday girl's grandparents have been visiting from India for a number of months and often picks her up from daycare. I got to meet her grandparents at the party and learned that everyday when the grandmother comes to pick the little girl up from daycare Sophia runs up to her saying "Hi Paatti, hi Paatti!" I was told everyday Soph also gives her a big hug and makes Paatti pick her up. Paatti is the Indian word for grandmother...how cute.

Sophia and Aarithi's Paatti

A couple of Sophia's friends from daycare - birthday girl, Aakrithi (left) and Shreya (right)

Sophia sitting with Aria, another friend from her toddler class. I don't think she could understand why Aria liked the cake so much.

Practicing her construction skills in one of the rooms at the party. Papa Jack would be so proud.

She has 2 other little girls in her class at school that were born a week before her, which is nice because they have all transitioned classrooms together. She misses her old teachers, but is adjusting to her new room beautifully. The new room brings lots of changes, the kids all serve themselves from the main dishes for meals, no more bibs, they have more structured play/activity time, and they have a pet hamster named Squeek. Perhaps best of all Sophia has been napping with no pacifier ever since moving to the new room. I also love that one of her teachers sends daily newsletters called "What in the World", explaining what the kids learned/did that day and pictures of the day's activities.

So what is our little girl doing now that she's 2? Well she continues to steadily pick up potty training, she can now count to ten and can sing her ABC's - but don't expect her to do this on request, she'll decide when she is going to count/sing for you thank you very much. She loves to do this little piggy on her feet and yours. Her favorite songs are "Santa Town" (ie Santa Claus is Coming to Town), "Angel song" (ie Hark the Harold Angels Sing), "Where is Thumbkin", and "Row, row, row your boat" the Mindy rendition as I like to call it - complete with a lion, polar bear, and crocodile. And in true Sophia style when she sees that mommy is starting to get frustrated at Sophie (usually because she is not listening when mommy asks her to do something) she stops, comes up to me, and in the sweetest tone says "Huggies" and gives me a great big hug...sometimes followed by "kisses" where I get kisses on each cheek, the top of my head, and sometimes my nose and lips. I'm a little nervous because this usually works and she knows it.