Rhealen Jo 1.9

My sweet, sweet, sassy little Rhealen Jo - this child right here. You know that old saying about how your own kids are payback for the way you treated your parents? I am raising Justin's punishment, let me tell you right now. She is spitfire and spunk, all packaged into the most adorable blonde-haired, blue-eyed, petite little body! Girl child has no fears: except meeting new people. She's not much of a social butterfly, but she's growing into her own more and more each day. 

She knows dozens of words but often prefers to grunt like a caveman or babble incoherently - Justin and I have a running joke calling her "Lassie" as she'll often run into the room and start jibbering away excitedly, then turn and run out. All it took was Justin saying, "What is it, girl? Little Timmy's in the well?" and there you have it. Lassie. 

I was so nervous when we first brought Jaxon home that she'd be a rambunctious ball of jealous nerves and take all her anger out on him, but she's never once shown any ill will towards that boy. She loves him, dubbed him "Jaxie" and has learned to greet him with a sweet little, "Hi! Buddy!", which comes out sounding like a line from Encino Man. 

I know there was a time when I felt a little lost holding my RJ - I couldn't catch my emotions, and I felt so guilty not being able to love her the way I wanted to. Those moments, that fear feels so far away now. My heart is so full of this little girl, it physically aches. She can be rotten and mean and completely irrational as toddlers are wont to be, but that doesn't stop the light from shining out of her. Even in those moments when she is screaming bloody murder, down on the floor kicking and thrashing, she still has something endearing about her - maybe it's impossible to be mad at something so little being so alive. Her personality definitely doesn't match up with her body, but it just adds to the elements of surprise that make her so special. 

Sometimes I wonder what it's going to be like for her being the second girl and middle child - both are stereotypes that will certainly be forced upon her, willingly or not. I can only hope she feels equal in my love, safe in my arms, and at home with her place in this little family of ours. 

As she approaches her second birthday, RJ is still pretty dependent on her blanket and her paci. I don't have the heart (or want) to take them away from her, because they're only little for a short time, and I'm not one to   deny my babies the simple little pleasures in life. There'll be time for that later on. (So, yes, I still even give her a bottle! I promise to quit by her second birthday!) Her favorite cartoon is still Spongebob, she loves sweet tea with a passion, dogs and cows are her favorite animals, and there's nothing better in the world than bathtime with her big sister. 

Short, sweet, and simple - that's our Rhealen Jo.

Photos by: Pam Burke Photography