So, today is a big day in The Ellis household. Our beautiful little girl, Emilia, has turned two.
And as cliché as it sounds the time has absolutely flown by. It seems like only yesterday that Jess and I were watching TV nonchalantly at 6am as Jess had contractions, before she made her appearance at 8.11am. Now, it seems like she’s always been here, making us smile, laugh and cry on a daily basis.
With Rupert we found out that he was a boy at our 20-week scan, with Emilia it was a total surprise. So, when the midwife told us she was a girl I have absolutely no shame in saying I cried like, well, a baby.
And what can I say about her after this first two years? She’s adventurous – wanting to climb and jump off of things before her brain has told her body that she can’t do it yet. She’s hilarious – sometimes she can just look at us and we’re in hysterics. Of course, she doesn’t mean it to be funny, but it’s that cheeky grin, or silly smile or big laugh as she shouts ‘Daddy’ and comes running at me. Unfortunately, she’s currently at an awful height for men around 6 feet tall.
She’s clever – she is at that stage where she’s copying so much of what we say or do, including what Rupert says or does. So, she wants to make her own cereal, get into the car herself or get up the big slides at the park. I always go to help, and it’s usually met with a ‘No Daddy, I do it.’
She’s also a cuddler, so much more so than her brother was at this age (although he will now happily cuddle and kiss us.)
In two years, I’ve learned so much about what it takes to be a Daddy to a daughter and although there aren’t glaring differences between having a son (outside of the obvious) it’s become apparent that I’m much softer – and easily manipulated – with Emi as opposed to Rupert.
Some people reading this may not know but Jess and I have been together for 10 years this July, and a few years in, when the topic of having children popped up, we always spoke of having an Emi. Of course, we pictured this perfect little angel who slept through the night, didn’t answer back with the sass of a teenager, and didn’t want a snack every five minutes.
But right now, we have the girl and the family we dreamed about. Yes, they drive us crazy at times, but they’re ours, and we’re a unit. We have a son who is the eldest and a daughter, both of whom are growing into wonderful little people.
So happy 2nd birthday Emi. One day you’ll read this and it might give you a tiny shred of an idea of how much we love you (and Rupert) and how much happiness you give us every single day. That and a few more grey hairs.