Today my little girl is 2. How did 730 days go by so fast? As I reflect on the latter 365 days of her life, I think I can sum it up this way: Gosh that was fun!

Having a 1-year-old was an incredible experience. Complete 180 from the first year, which was an incredible experience as well, but just so different. Instead of us managing a baby, we were being managed by a toddler. In a way, it kind of relieved some stress when it came to decisions; nothing like deferring to your daughter to make them for you 🙂  

Sloan started off her time as a 1-year-old with a birthday party surrounded by friends and family.

The development from someone’s first birthday to their second birthday is insane. Two facets really stick out to me about Sloan’s growth…

A look at Sloan and myself (notice the same shirt) on March 17 in 2019, 2018, and 2017.

First, her intellectual capacity increased greater than I could have imagined. From saying basic words like “dada,” “mama,” and “bye bye” when she turned 1 to now talking our ears off, her vocabulary and reasoning skills soared. Our little girl now says the alphabet, sings songs, and recites prayers. Her daycare teachers, grandparents, and people at church marvel at her abilities. Over the past year, at the end of each day, Sid and I would swap notes on something new she did. It was neat to watch her progress and observe the wheels moving in her head.

It has been a great year for Sloan and our family.

Second, and most rewarding, has been watching her express emotions. Sloan is loving. She makes Sidney and I feel like the most important people in the world when we walk into a room. She melts our hearts when she says “I love you, daddy/mommy.” She changes our entire day for the better when she gives us a random kiss. She energizes us when she runs from 20 feet away to give us a hug. She is affectionate and sweet, attributes I am trying to cherish, because I know the degree to which she worships us in the present won’t always be the case in the future. Her capacity to love, so passionately demonstrated over the past 52 weeks, has challenged us to love even greater ourselves.

Thanks for the laughs this past year, Sloan.

It has been a good year for Sloan. She has stayed healthy and prospered at her daycare. She has played hard during the day and slept well at night. She has become attached to a couple stuffed animals but also developed friendships with little girls and boys. She loves books but has discovered the magic of iPads and iPhones. She enjoys hamburgers, fruit snacks, pasta, and bananas but can be extremely picky at dinner. She has proven that she can sit still but prefers to be untamable 95% of the time.

Sloan has made many friends throughout the year. This is her with her best friend, Jacqueline.

Sloan’s time as a 1-year-old contained some highlights. She visited Disney World. She flew back-and-forth across the country…twice. She moved houses, changed daycares, and grew in all her teeth. She attended an air show, dressed up as a unicorn for Halloween, and played on jungle gyms across Myrtle Beach. She visited the zoo, “bowled” at the bowling alley, and encountered marine life at the aquarium. She ate at Chick-fil-A for the first time and developed a love for McDonald’s hamburgers. Aside from bugs that affect all toddlers, she stayed healthy and met all benchmarks for growth.

As evidenced by the first photo in this blog post, Sloan has changed physically quite a bit in the past year. However, her sweet heart she was born with still has not changed.

This past year, Sloan lived with happiness, curiosity, and love. She continued to endear herself to those around her. She gave Sid and I countless proud parent moments and always started and ended our day with a smile. Today we celebrate Sloan’s second birthday. We will look forward to the “terrible two” year but also reflect on what was a very special past 365 days. Sloan, your mommy and I think the world of you and are very proud of you. Happy Birthday!! Don’t Blink.