Juno is two!

I think I might cry while writing this post.
My baby Juno Kate is no longer a baby (to anyone but her mother, that is).

{Just about 10 minutes old in this picture}

Today is her second birthday!! I can't believe that it's only been two years since she joined our family; it feels like she's been a part of it forever. She adores her big sisters and her "da" (and maybe me, too) and we all adore her. She is developing such a funny little personality and she is definitely a third child! I'm constantly surprised by how independent she is.
She is constantly climbing, running, jumping, and bouncing around the house. No one would ever, ever guess that she had (has?) hip dysplasia and spent 1/4 of her first year in a body cast. She has a follow-up next week, but as far as I can tell, her hip is doing great.
She has a severe speech delay. Most 24 month olds can say around 50 words and are putting words together in 2-3 word sentences. Juno says a grand total of three "words", has three signs, and has made up multiple gestures which she uses to communicate with us. She's never babbled in strings of consonants or babbled with inflection, although she does grunt with inflection. For being nonverbal, she can actually communicate very effectively through pointing and her signs/gestures. I almost always know what she wants. And she definitely understands 95% of what we say to her. She starts speech therapy through Early Intervention in a few weeks and I know that will really help get her to where she needs to be. In the meantime, I almost enjoy that she's nonverbal because I feel like it will keep her my baby a little longer!

Juno loves this BYU sweatshirt that was Jason's when he was two. She wears it every chance she can get and throws tantrums when she sees me putting it in the laundry basket. If I'm not careful, she grabs it out of the dirty clothes and hides it in her room so I can't wash it. 
She is not afraid of letting you know when she's mad. She furrows her brow, shakes her finger in your faces and says "Bop! Bop bop bop bop bop BOP!!" or shields whatever she thinks you're stealing from her with her body and screams "Bop! My, my, my!" With two older sisters, she had to learn to defend her property pretty early.
We are so grateful for Juno and the joy she brings to our family and home. Odds are she'll be our last child, so I'm trying to enjoy every single little moment with her. She's a fun girl!