Phrase of the Week

One of the milestones I looked forward to most was Ana learning to talk - not just words but expressions, sentences. I could hardly wait for the cute things she would say that would either just melt my heart or have me roaring with laughter. Well, it was definitely worth the wait. Case in point: last Saturday Anthony and I were going to a movie while my parents came to stay with the girls. I went upstairs to change and when I came down, waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs was my Ana. Following a given "Mama!" she looked at me, put her hand on shorts and said "Ooooh, Mama! Nice!" Apparently she liked my outfit :). I love that. I love the things that come out of her little mouth. What I didn't expect to find such joy in though are the things that come out of my mouth now that I'm a toddlermama. So here you have it. The phrase of the week....

Me to Ana: "Get your toe out of Maddie's eye!"

Would've thought I'd ever have to say those words??? If you ask me this is God's way of forcing you to laugh even on the most trying days. And I gotta say, it works.

Wordless Wednesday: "Hey! I'm supposed to be the cute one!"

Maddie Mondays: 6 weeks already???

Doesn't she look so big??? Miss Maddie is going through a good ol' growth spurt and, if it's possible, I think I can actually see her getting bigger! She's already outgrown some of her clothes. Can you believe it? That's so surreal to me. It feels like she's been here forever and for just a few days at the same time. It's hard to imagine that she wasn't even here a couple of months ago but then to think it's already been 6 weeks since she arrived is crazy. I remember soaking up every second of Ana's days and rarely feeling like it was going too fast (at first). But this time is different. I don't know if it's that there is so much more going on around us or if it's that she's my baby, maybe my last baby, but I want time to stop. Even for a couple of minutes. I want it to pause so I can take it all in. I said when I was pregnant that I thought I was going to have a harder time letting this baby grow up and I couldn't have been more right. With Ana I would find myself daydreaming of what was to come - her first word, her first steps, etc. This time? This time I'm taking it day by day and praying that God grants me the time to enjoy it.

They're heeeeerrrrrrreeee.....

Well, I do believe the terrible, I mean terrific :), two's have arrived. My little girl who was once too shy to throw a tantrum in front of strangers now graces me with 'middle of a store/don't care who's watching' fits. Yes, yes, in true Ana fashion they are relatively short-lived but I am not used to this AT ALL. Her patience is still there but used only at her discretion and the word "no" takes preference over all others. When you talk to her, if she feels like it, she'll give you the time of day. So that means forget about getting a decent picture of her (see picture above). Oh, and her game of choice? Taking things and throwing them on the floor. Ugh. So yeah, this part's definitely going into the "terrible" phase of the books.

But....

They don't also call them the "terrific" two's for nothing. This little kid is picking stuff up like nobody's business. Yesterday alone I swear she said 30 new words. She's starting to identify the letters of the alphabet (sooo cute!) and is learning her colors. She knows green, blue, and yellow but her favorite (or perhaps mine) to say is "puh-pul". She's all about trying to get us to laugh now (not that it's tough I tell ya). She does silly stuff and looks over every 5 seconds to make sure we're watching. She's asking where everything is and tells me in the morning that Daddy's at work instead of asking where he is. She's putting "the" and "a" in front of words and makes everything possesive ("dada's truck, ana's book"). Oh, and she finally says "dog" instead of just "wow, wow". She's known pretty much every body part for a while but now she can say the names and will almost evertime we ask her (I think she's proud of herself too). Probably the best though is when she "reads" her books. She grabs a book, sits in her little chair, and goes through the pages reciting what everything is. I have to get that on video.

It's funny how you can feel such pride for everything she does. I look at her now and wonder where this little person came from. I've said from the very beginning that one of my very favorite things about being a mom, being her mom, is watching her learn. This new stage that she's in, trying as it may be, is so rewarding. They say that being a mother is the most thankless job you'll ever have but I couldn't disagree more. The "thanks" just come in a different form - the form of knowing you're doing a good job with this little girl.

In the blink of an eye

That's how fast the last 5 years have gone. I close my eyes and I can still feel everything I did on my wedding day exactly 5 years ago today. Up until then it was the most wonderful, perfect day of my life. Even now, though the day each of my babies was born qualifies as one of the best, the day I married my love, in it's own rite, will be the best day of my life.

When I would think back then of how we would celebrate our 5 year anniversary I thought we'd be renewing our vows on a beach somewhere beautiful. Not for a second did I think we'd be spending it cuddled up on the couch eating pizza with our two little girls. If I had known then what I know now, this is exactly what I would have wished for.

Late Wordless Wednesday: Ana Banana

Maddie Mondays: Pacify me, baby!

Never did I dream I would actually be hoping that one of my babies would take a pacifier. Well, then Miss Ana became a thumb sucker and her little teeth came in all crooked. Although I was assured repeatedly by her doctors and a number of books that thumb sucking doesn't affect a child's teeth unless they do it well into the 3rd or 4th year I look at my baby's teeth and I don't buy it. So when I spotted all the signs of Miss Maddie becoming a future thumb sucker I sighed and surrendered. Like her big sister, she didn't seem to be a big fan of the pacifier and would spit it out each time I tried to give it to her - until last night. After watching as she almost found that little thumb I crossed my fingers and offered the paci one more time. And she took it! Hallelujah!!!! Not only has this brought her search for her thumb to a screeching halt but she's even latching on better and slept 5 hours straight last night, woke for a quick feeding and back to sleep for another 3 hours. I've read that some babies are born with a stronger urge to suckle than others and I think our little Maddie is one of those babies. I think this pacifier is going to make her pretty happy. I'm sure I'll have plenty to write when we try giving it up but for now, if she's happy, I'm all for it.

*Quick note: the little princess blessed us with her first real smile last Monday night at exactly 4 weeks old and she's already lighting up rooms with it. It's soooo beautiful :).