She speaks!

For the last few weeks, sweet girl and I have been hearing some words come out of baby girl's mouth. It's so funny to see how excited sweet girl gets when she thinks she's heard a new one. "Mommy! Baby girl just said (insert word here)! Can you believe it? She's learning to talk." Today, she learned uh-oh! And it sounds so darned cute when she says it. Friday the word of the day was bunny, pronounced in two very decisive syllables buhn-nee, inspired by the story Curious George and the Bunny. She loves that book, and gets so excited when George finds the bunny again, she starts to laugh and point and says, "Bunny."
Now there is a lot of babbling going on to, and if you listen and look at her while she's talking, you might just think she's speaking a different language, but definitely a real language. She talks with expression, and changes the tone in her voice. Tonight, she was talking to my dear husband, and she was telling him all about Tam-may and bany, and ebaloubaloo. He acknowledged her and she kept right on telling him all about these people or things.
It's just amazing how her brain is growing and developing, and she's becoming a little person of her own.
And another refreshing first today... she sat still for over 30 minutes entertaining herself with duplo blocks and some of big sister's fun toys. It was amazing, I didn't think it was possible. I was beginning to think that I had lost my mind because I couldn't remember sweet girl ever being so energetic, but I'm sure she was...a lot the mind will forget in 4 years...
Well, ebaloobaloo to you!

Just Flush it!

We have just returned from a fun filled week in Southern Shores, NC. First time visiting that far north, and we loved it. We spent lots of time on the beach, watching movies, eating ice cream, and enjoying each other's company. AND... lots of time fishing things out of trash cans, and other waste receptacles. It seems that baby girl has been watching us very carefully... She has observed that we often put things in the trash, and flush things in the toilet. Why should she know that the things we throw and flush are trash or waste? Yesterday, my dear husband forgot the rule about putting the lid down on the toilet. And poor Curious George and the Bunny took a swim. She seemed to think she was doing a good deed. I found a sippy cup in the trash, and last week when I searched and searched for a missing shoe, it was found in the hamper. Hmmm... If only I could get that girl to put the correct things in the correct containers, I might have a clean house.
My sweet girl never did these type of things. Her worst offense was pulling the toilet paper out to decorate the hallway, the living room, and the Kitchen.
Baby girl has new excitement in store for me, I think! And wrinkles, and grey hair too!

5!

Five years ago today I became a mommy for the first time. My sweet little girl was born, and the moment I laid eyes on her, I loved her more than anything else in the world. Now, a few days after that when I was trying to figure out how to be a mommy, how to feed my baby, and how to function on so little sleep... I still loved her, I just wasn't so sure about my own self or my mommy capabilities. But we've made it for 5 years, and I think I can confidently say that we're doing just fine!

I was thinking today back to that day and how much love filled the room when she was born. I was thinking about how much love and joy she brings to our lives, our families lives, and pretty much any life that she meets. She has such a personality. Sometimes she is so dramatic, and sometimes so shy. She has a wonderful heart and cares about almost all creatures big and small. She is an amazing listener. She has learned her phone number just by listening to me say it at stores or on the phone. Amazing! She is smart! very smart! She is quite an artist too.

In the past year I've noticed that she is growing into a little girl, not a baby, not a toddler, but a real little girl. She is expressing such interest in being independent, and I know I need to let her, but I'll always be there for her when she needs me. She's so sensitive too, and on more that one occasion lately she has explained to me," Mommy, I'm sensitive, so you should tell me if you are joking or not, I might not know." How do you argue with that!

Happy Birthday sweet girl! I'm so proud to be your mommy, you are an amazing, little girl, and I'm the luckiest mommy in the world.

beautiful ballerina

beautiful ballerina
Originally uploaded by Never a dull moment....

I was organizing some pics, and came across this one! I love it, I think it might be my favorite picture of my sweet girl.

"I am a queen!"

We just returned from Pennsylvania where we attended my husband's family reunion. The reunion was nice, much better than I expected... all of my dreading for nothing. My sweet girl and baby girl enjoyed swimming in the pool and jumping on the trampoline of one of my husband's cousin's that I have only met twice in the eight years that we have been married.
But the best part was hanging with our cousin's that live in Northern Virginia at the Johnstown Hampton Inn! They enjoyed a dinner at Applebee's where we were seated at the bar (because where else would you seat a party of 18?) Then back to the hotel for late night dip in the heated pool. And then to our room where sweet girl was so excited to sleep...because her daddy had been telling her for 3 days how she was going to sleep in a queen bed. He meant a queen-sized bed, she thought he meant a bed fit for a queen. She kept talking about how she was a queen and she had servants and how they had to obey her. The bed had a very nice down comforter on it, with lots of fluffy pillows and did look fit for a queen! She got into her jammies, and snuggled in. Her daddy read the princess and the pea to her and her cousin, who came over to join the queen for a sleep over. After the story and a lullaby sung by yours truly, she said to me,"Tomorrow I will need to have breakfast in bed on a tray." I replied, "Is that so?" And she quickly cut to the chase with,"Of course, that's what queens do, and I am in the queen bed mommy, so...."
I had a quiet little giggle and told her to sleep tight. And this morning, the queen was served chocolate chip muffins and juice on a tray in her queen bed.

Summertime!

I love summertime. I love going to the pool, sitting on the beach, reading a good book.

Oops... that was my life before my girls came into our family. Now, I corral everyone into their bathing suits, swim diapers, lather them with sunblock, prepare snacks and juice cups for all, get the stroller out to the sidewalk while baby girl screams at me (in her own language that she is really pissed that I even think it's okay to leave her on the other side of the glass door). Now that I've broken a sweat, I quickly put my bathing suit on, and we get everyone out of the house and start our journey to the pool.

Once at the pool, L(sweet girl) heads to her swim lesson, and baby girl and I head to the baby pool to splash around. This is at 10 am mind you, and the sun is not shining on the babypool, only on the pool where L is swimming. So no sun for me! L has made great accomplishments so far, today she learned to do a front float, and then started to swim underwater. Way to go! She's very proud of herself. Baby girl likes to be adventureous and walk all around, and stumble and trip face first into the water. On the pool deck, she runs and falls and scrapes her knee. She screams, did I mention that she has a very loud scream? I pick her up, and she squirms and wiggles because she wants to be free! That girl makes me feel like I'm getting old because it takes some work to keep up with her. She enjoys the independance that walking has given her, and she will battle with anyone or anything that gets in her way. Yesterday, a motherless, nannyless child poured water on my poor baby girl's head. I wanted to shout at her," What the hell do you think your doing?" But that wouldn't have been a very nice motherly thing to do, would it? Instead, I very nicely said," She doesn' t like water in her face, could you please pour it somewhere else?" Then she was off to bother some other unsuspecting child.

Because swim diapers are not allowed in the big pool, I'm not able to jump in with L and help her practice all that she has learned. Instead I coach and cheer from the side while baby girl tries to jump in and drown. But coaching from the side does allow me a few minutes of sunbathing!

Being home for the summer is a nice perk to my job. I get to spend lots of time with my children, take on too many house projects that only frustrate me when I can't finish them, and I just get to forget about time. Maybe I should say that I wish I could forget about time. I'm constantly trying to fit so many things in since the summer is only 2 1/2 months long. I ask myself so many times, "Why don't you just relax?" But when I relax too much, I just feel unaccomplished....
Kind of bratty for me to complain about such things, there could be lots worse things!
Well, here's to a different kind of fun summer!