Category: L

Lana turned 4 on October 21, and she simply gets more twinkly and beautiful by the day. And since I’m almost a month late with this post (shocking, I know!), I’ll fill it with lots of pictures of our incredible middle born.

I just reread her 3-year-old post from last year, and it’s clear that her amazing aura hasn’t changed. But seriously, these kids need to stop growing so fast! I swear the height of things she can reach gets taller daily. Within just the past couple weeks she has become able to ring the back doorbell without me having to lift her up. Thankfully her answer to my question of “Where is my baby girl going?” is still the same as it was last year. “I’m right here!”

It’s funny, because lately she’s been saying, “I feel like I’m 3 today.” She just tickles me to death. Her creativity has only increased exponentially with age, with tinies still being her M.O. She is also drawn to all things Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, Frozen, and princesses and fairies. At any given moment her favorite color is pink, indigo (yes, indigo, not just purple), or turquoise.

She’s become extremely helpful with Morrison, as those two are my little pals all day while Della is at school. I’m honestly going to cry when Lana has to start school next year because I’m going to miss her so much! I’m trying to treasure these days with her home all the time and cherish every last second.

She skips through life with her top piggie and curls bouncing, and I could not love her more for it. She makes up and sings little songs; loves to say, “Mama, guess what?”; adores making collections of things in nature; takes cultivating her fairy garden very seriously; will choose playing just a little longer over doing whatever it is that I’ve asked every time; always needs more hugs and kisses good-bye from Della in the morning school line; is my willing partner whether we go for a run or do what she calls my “inside exercises;” comes out and snuggles up at my side after every nap; is up before Della to come join me in the kitchen almost every morning; has taken to writing me letters and drawing me pictures for our bedroom gallery just like Della; and still never lets Nigh-Night get too far from her side and her sucking thumb.

The overwhelming feeling of joy and love I feel when I simply think of this girl is indescribable. There is something about her that is tied so fiercely and permanently to my heart and soul that I can’t even explain it. The sparkle she brings to this world is heavenly, and I hope it shines as brightly as it possibly can forever.

Happy birthday, Lana Marie! We love you beyond words and to the moon, stars, and tip of my heart and back!

And just for grins, here’s Della’s 4-year-old post to see how these two spectacular little ladies compare and contrast.

Lana Marie just turned 3!

Our beautiful second born turned 3 years old on Wednesday, and I can’t believe how much it seems like she’s grown up in just these past couple weeks. Her sentences are clearer, she pronounces sounds so much better (especially “L”), and she’s getting so tall! I’ll catch myself looking at her and thinking, “Where in the world has my baby girl gone??” Fortunately, her answer to that question is always, “I’m right here! I’ll always be your big baby girl.”

She’s smart, she’s sassy, she’s pretty independent, and she’s wickedly creative. For as often as she makes me yell, I can’t even begin to put into words how much I love this girl and how full my heart and soul are because of her.

I’m secretly thrilled that I get to have her at home with me for another whole year after this one before she has to head off to K4. Spending my days with her and now Morrison, too, makes me so happy.

We love you so much, Lana Marie! Thank you for being the sprite-liest part of our family!!

This is pretty incredible – check out this shot of Della at her 3rd birthday party compared to the one of Lana from her party last weekend. Ryan actually did a double-take, thinking the one of Della was Lana! I’m apparently very creative with their hairstyles at this age. And if you’re interested, here is Della’s 3 year old post. I’m sure it’s chock-full of stats and how her development was at that point, whereas Lana can’t be described by numbers and measurements. This one is off with the fairies!

And a bonus comparison today! Lana loves her birthday parties, as evidenced by the same pose at her 1 year party.

Lana turned 2 last Tuesday, and of course I’m late getting this post up. But there’s no way I could let a celebration of this amazing little creature go unmentioned.

I’m sure Della’s 2-year post was filled with measurements and words she was saying and activities she was doing, but Lana just can’t be described like that. Yes, I do have the stats from her 2-year checkup, but everything else about this kid is just felt.

She’s my little buddy when Della’s at school in the mornings, and I don’t think I could have picked a funnier partner. Her catch phrase of “Help me, Mama?” rings through the house when she’s trying to get her Lego towers apart or get a shoe on or get her beloved Strawberry Shortcake pieces back in their bag or zip a jacket or you name it.

She is the craziest little kid I’ve ever known. Last week the girls rented The Princess and the Frog from the library (my new favorite Disney movie, by the way), and Lana totally dug the music with its bayou flair. She was bopping around playing her air guitar throughout the whole movie, and at one point I looked over to find her standing on her head in a tripod position, bouncing her knees up and down to the music. Literally dancing on her head.

She gallops and hops around the house like a wild child, and one of her newest moves is putting on her jellies and instantly getting happy feet. Her little feet start flying around so fast she’s a blur. She also does what I call interpretive dance. She slowly spins while waving her arms around her head. You just can’t help but watch and laugh.

She has the sweetest little heart, and is always giving hugs and kisses and is very quick with a “Sorry!” when needed. Usually. Her independent play is wonderful, and she loves to narrate as she goes. She’s constantly either chatting away or singing some version of something while she plays, and she loves to work away in their play kitchen, brewing up countless concoctions that she always brings to you for tasting.

Her little snaggle teeth give her the most adorable lisp, and her communication skills are pretty amazing. She talks in all phrases now, sometimes even throwing in what’s pretty close to a full sentence. I got a little princess scooter second-hand from one of our neighbors, and she loves gliding along on it, stretching out her hind leg in the cutest balance pose ever. And everywhere she goes she must run.

Now for the stats:

• Height: 35.75″ (93%)
• Weight:  27.6 lbs. (61%)
• Head:  48.7 cm (69%)

She wears size 2T clothes, about size 6-7 shoe, size 6 Seventh Generation diapers (size 5 in most other brands), and size 6 overnight diapers. Potty training is nonexistent right now, but I’m not going to push it until she actually shows some interest. She’s really good at singing her ABCs, she can count to 10, and we’re working on learning her colors and shapes.

What else can I say, besides this little girl is simply incredible. A shining personality would be an understatement for this one. My sweet baby girl is 2 years old! Happy birthday, Lana Marie! We love you SO very much!