My Emeline is 2!

 Two years ago, my life was forever changed when the midwife turned my third child over and I realized that I had a daughter! After two boys, I was a little bit terrified when they handed her to me. What was I going to do with a girl? 

Well, thankfully, it didn't take me long to figure it out. I love the bond we have. I love that there is a little person running around copying the things that I do that make me a female. For instance, whenever I have lipstick on, she looks up at me and says, "I want some, Mom." She wants to wear my shoes, my jewelry. She babies her dolls. She sings them the same songs that I sing to her at night. It is amazing to me to watch her BE a girl. And I have to admit, I love it.

  Since she hadn't really taken to anything, other than dolls and toe nail polish and being girly, I was planning on doing a simple girly cake for her this year and calling it good. We take turns each year on who gets a big birthday bash. This year, it's the middle one's turn. So, it was going to be low key and just us. 

 But, then, she began to be somewhat obsessed with pigs. I blame Charlotte's Web. She loves the movie, loves the book. Loves pigs, where ever she sees them. Like the pig statue at the gardens that she kept running back to, sticking her head through the fence and shouting, "Hi Piggy!" to a couple of weekends ago. So, to commemorate, I thought, I should probably do a piggy cake. Only, I had really fallen for the ruffle cakes. What to do? Compromise.

  Not a bad compromise, right? Thank heavens pigs are pink.

  Layers and layers of ruffles. And this is butter cream, not fondant. I just used a petal tip and a back and forth motion. I like the horizontal ruffles more than the vertical ones you see all over.

  Plus, I thought this way, she would have the piggy to keep. And, boy, was I right about that. She is currently sleeping with him clutched in her hand. And this is how she spent half of her afternoon:

  Yelling, "Piggy cake!" I say, it was a success.

 Her birthday banner I made for her last year. My husband thinks it's way too girly to use for the boys, so she gets it to herself.

  More piggy books, you have to love Olivia.

  She has adopted my old Cabbage Patch doll, Victor. He has been without clothes for about a year because she doesn't like the sweater ensemble her came in. I finally found some clothes for him at a thrift store (because they do not sell boy doll clothes anywhere anymore). Sure they're circa 1985, but then, so is he.

 And her Aunt Kait bought her a highchair for her babies. She Loves it so much she wanted to take it upstairs with her at bedtime. When it was time for cake, she pulled Victor up to the table in his own little chair. So sweet.

  My beautiful birthday girl. She's growing up so fast. In fact, this week we took down her crib (silent sob) and put up her big girl bed.

  I know it's completely cliche. But, it REALLY does go by too fast.