How delighted I was when our little Chalice was born! She came so quickly we barely made it into the hospital. While David had announced, “It’s a boy!” when Joel was born, I got to make the declaration at Chalice’s birth. We were excited to use the name we had selected for a little girl–Chalice Joy– a cup of joy. Chalice was a little blessing to me and very familiar as I had much experience with baby girls. It’s so special for us to see the friendship that is evolving between Joel and Chalice. They are often partners in crime, but still the best of friends. Chalice seems to like learning how to communicate these days as she tries out new words. She’s a little mixed up about her animals. The other day she said, “COW!” and waved, “Good bye, Doggie!” at the nonplussed bovine creature. Dog is her universal term for animals. Chalice is most frequently noted for her long eyelashes and her quizzical expressions. :^) Happy 2nd birthday to our little Chalice!