Happy Birthday Marina

Yesterday Marina turned two and we had the party I've been imagining since she was born. I mean, you can't have a baby on July 4 and not imagine throwing a birthday in the backyard with hot dogs and hamburgers and water splashing all over the place. Well, so, we didn't have the BBQ part because we don't have a grill. But everything else was perfect.



She had the most amazing time in the kiddie pool, which is comforting considering her aversion to ocean water and fear of the neighborhood pool. And while I was watching her play with her friends, I didn't think back to the day she was born. (Because with back labor, why conjure up such painful memories?) But I did think a lot about right after Ella was born and how mature she reacted while we all adjusted and suffered through the newborn phase. She's just always been so kind and caring and I guess that's what I reflected on as she ran around naked in the yard.

The party was great and lots of her toddler pals showed up. Besides the pools we had a coloring station, a sticker station and a sidewalk chalk area. We also had a cooler just for chocolate milk.

Is it appropriate to say how awkward it feels to be writing about Marina as "she" instead of as "you?" I think that's why I haven't posted in a while. I tried writing twice before only to delete it. So bear with me while I get used to the format change.