Youngest girl turns 2: big day for mom

Lauren, center, celebrates her second birthday with sisters Ellen, left, and Ann. Sisterly love is growing strong as these girls are inseparable. / Courtesy of Jane Han

By Jane Han

Yesterday was a big day for me.

My youngest Lauren turned two. But I repeat, it was a big day for me, not her.

I know I haven’t put too much spotlight on my baby girl in my recent columns, but I’d like to say that she exudes a bigger and bolder sense of presence in this house than both of her older sisters combined.

Witnessing Lauren today, I can’t believe just one year ago she was such a baby-like baby.

On her first birthday, I remember her wobbling around in her hanbok (traditional Korean dress). I remember her innocently drinking milk out of her baby bottle. I remember her going to bed at 8 p.m. at the absolute latest.

Now?

She runs _ I think faster than me. She chugs down cold milk from a cup like men drink beer. Bedtime happens only after she realizes that both her sisters, mom and dad are all deep asleep and she confirms that there is no one left on the premises to play with.

So yes, one year is a very significant span of time for little ones.

And I say that Lauren’s second birthday carries so much meaning for me because I have to face the change.

The baby who was here is no longer here as I now see a strong, wild and silly toddler girl who continues to grow and strive by the day.

My husband has long been pushing me to be stricter with Lauren (I admit, I’m easy on her), but I told him a countless number of times that she’s still a “baby” and that we should let her be until her second birthday.

Now that she’s finally two, what do I do?

I feel like I’m being put to the test.

Even when she pulls the most annoying and inappropriate behavior, I can’t help but end up squeezing her with a big hug and kiss on the cheek.

God I hope Ellen and Ann don’t read this when they learn how to read.

People, even strangers, often comment about how difficult it must be for me to have had Lauren just over a year after having the twins.

They have it so wrong.

To me, Lauren is that perfectly plump and sweet cherry on top of a gorgeous-looking sundae.

OK, enough serenading my love for the youngest one.

So what did I do for her party?

Long story short, I did nothing.

I literally didn’t do anything, except prepare a few simple dishes for my mom friends who were coming over to celebrate Lauren.

But the birthday girl was surprised with a beautiful, decked-out decoration of her favorite character Elsa from “Frozen.” All done by one of her favorite “imo,” or aunt, another word to call mom’s friends in Korean.

Up until two weeks ago, I was envisioning this great big party with some 20 adult and child guests, a bounce house, catered food and all that good stuff.

But somewhere between the daily, exhausting grind with three kids, post-Christmas laziness and realizing that Lauren is only two and won’t remember anything later anyway, my husband and I decided to drop the whole party bonanza idea.

I think we saved a good $500 by skipping the party.

While looking into various possibilities, I was blown away by how expensive children’s birthday parties could run. Most decent venues in the U.S. charge upward of $300 for a measly one-and-a-half hours, which doesn’t even include the price of food.

With food, goodie bags and extra expenses that inevitably pop up, I’d say a full-fledged event would have easily cost anywhere between $500 to $600.

Spending $1,000 on a child’s party isn’t uncommon.

I love Lauren, but we weren’t going to shell out that much money on a party for a bunch of two-year-olds.

As I previewed in my last column, we skipped her gift as well. I really am serious about the whole cutting-back-on-toys idea.

Fortunately, Lauren didn’t notice not receiving a gift from mom and dad. I mean, our entire kitchen wall was decorated like a scene from Frozen so that itself was an awesome present.

It was the sweetest thing to see all three girls in matching Elsa dresses and having a blast.

I kept trying to get that Facebook perfect solo photo of Lauren. I tried and tried and tried.

But each and every shot, either Ellen or Ann or both would jump in and the girls would start giggling away and act silly again.

And then I realized, why try so hard?

This is the essence of who Lauren is at two.

She is always, always surrounded by her loving sisters Ellen and Ann, who still call and treat their youngest sister a “baby” even though she is now almost as big as them.

Lauren, you may no longer be that baby you once were, but you’ll always be the sweetest, cutest and youngest little one in our family.

We love you.