January 6, 2016
You, my dear, are growing so fast I can hardly believe it. You can now reach the light switches and wash your hands all by yourself while standing on the stool in the bathroom. I wish I could freeze time so my baby girls don’t leave me so soon! I am very happy, though, that I get to spend another whole year with you at home after this one before you have to go to school.
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January 13, 2016
You have your very first swim lesson tonight with Della, and I am so excited to see how they go. You guys have been looking so forward to these since I signed you up a few weeks ago, so I hope you love them!
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January 19, 2016
I absolutely love being able to stay home with you these days. Your new game is to call out when you’re done with your nap, “Mama! Come find me!” I go into your room and pretend I’m looking all over the place to find you, when you’re really always just hiding under the blanket. I often have Morrison with me, so I put him on top of your legs to see if he can find you, too. Your creativity is astounding. You know how to spell your name now, too! I’m so proud of you!
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January 25, 2016
And you, my dear, have pink eye. We think. When it rains it pours with you 3.
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February 15, 2016
Last night you made my heart overflow when I tucked you into bed. I got you all snuggled in, all 8 million kisses given, back rubbed, breakfast order taken, and wish and dream explored, and as I tucked your blanket up and got ready to leave, your sweet little voice rang out, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Mama.” Totally unprompted. I love you so, so, so, so much.
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February 17, 2016
This morning you were watching me change Morrison’s diaper and you said, “I see his vagina.” I said no you don’t, because he doesn’t have a vagina. Then you said oh yeah, he has a penis. Then you asked if Daddy has a penis. “Yep,” I said. Then you asked if Santa has a penis. “Well…I guess so,” was all I could reply. Woah.
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February 29, 2016
You are seriously the most entertaining person I know. This morning you were playing tea party, as usual, with your tinies, Shopkins, and play cookies while I exercised and took my shower. Your tray of cookies is still sitting on the living room table, set up with a Shopkin on top of each cookie. Then you were playing Mommy to Nigh-Night and Minnie Mouse. They were both sick, so you had to put them to bed. Minnie went in your bed and Nigh-Night went in Della’s. As I was making lunch for you and Morrison, I heard you in there tucking them in, telling them that yes, you’ll rub their backs one more time and to get their arms down so you could tuck them into their blankets all nice and cozy. I guess some things I say to you really do sink in.
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March 17, 2016
You are moving right along with your swim lessons just like Della, and I just love watching you guys. Following your big sister’s lead, you, too, love to dunk yourself underwater unprovoked, then look over at me with the biggest grin on your face. You graduated up to the next level after this session as well, and I am so proud of you! You did have a little scare in the pool after lessons last night, though. The pool you guys take lessons in is very shallow, ranging from about 2.5 to 3.5 feet deep. Your lessons are always in the shallowest part. After lessons they open the whole pool up to the kids, so you and Della were just playing around for a while since we got there late. Della was down at the deeper end shooting baskets and you were bobbing along to follow her. You didn’t realize that it was getting deeper, though, and sure enough, pretty soon you couldn’t bob anymore and got pretty scared. I was watching this whole episode, though, so I walked right down to where you were to try to coax you to the side. Della couldn’t get to you to help you to the side and you were just out of my reach, so the lifeguard did end up getting in and pulling you to the side on his float. You were completely fine, but you were really scared and said you were afraid you were going to drown. Don’t worry, my love, I would never ever ever let that happen on my watch! I’m probably the best swimmer you know right now and would save my sweet baby girl in a heartbeat.
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April 14, 2016
You know how to draw smiley faces! Last week you made cards for Grandma and Grandpa, and you drew a smiley face (eyebrows and all!) for each of them. I didn’t know you were turning into a budding artist, too, but it’s so fun to watch!
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April 25, 2016
You rode your first bike tonight, my sweet baby girl. I found an adorable little purple and pink bike that fits you perfectly on the way home from one of our runs last week, and Daddy got new tires and training wheels put on it for you tonight. You rode up the block and back just a little bit today, but you were more interested in getting down to Miss April’s house to play with all your friends who were outside. You did great, though, and I can see you taking off on it all summer!
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April 26, 2016
I know I say it constantly, but your creativity amazes me. Your latest “thing” is to put the white putty from your melting snowman all over your baby alive doll’s face and head in various fashions. She has been your “toy du jour” lately, and you even like to tuck her into bed at night on the coffee table – her pillow is an envelope from your little set of stationery cards, her foot rest is a folded up set of instructions, then you cover her with her little blanket and stick some of your tinies next to her for her snuggle toys. But this recent craze is to take little pieces of that putty and stick them on her head like glasses, blobs of sunscreen, etc. I could sit and watch you all day, my dear. I hope we are always this close.
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April 28, 2016
These baby alive set-ups just need some photographic evidence:
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May 5, 2016
You are the sweetest. Last night, shortly after you guys went to bed, Della woke up crying from a bad dream. She said it was about monsters, so you offered her one of the worry dolls out of your little sleep bag to make her feel better. I was so proud of you! The love among the three of you is so wonderful.
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May 9, 2016
Daddy took you and Della to the playground after school today, and you reported that there was a little boy there who was calling you guys stupid. Della said she told him to stop calling you that because you were her sister, so then he started calling her stupid, too. And at bedtime you said he was spitting at you as well. You both said you just walked away and played in a different part of the playground, and I was so proud to hear that! Della knew who the kid was, saying he’s in Mrs. Koch’s morning K4 class with some of your neighbor friends. I have long said that I hate going to the playground, and that is the exact reason why. It is always full of brats and parents who aren’t controlling their brats. Ugh.
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May 11, 2016
Unfortunately, my love, I’m afraid you’re going to have a dead front tooth. You banged it on the kitchen floor a couple weeks ago, and it kind of started bleeding and I swear it was even a little loose. It was sore for a good couple days after that, too. Then it was fine. But just the other night, I noticed that it looked kind of brown when I was brushing your teeth, so I have a feeling it’s going to be grayish now permanently. I just hope it doesn’t get gross and need to be pulled or something.
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May 14, 2016
You had your first real bike ride 2 days ago, my little one. Daddy put training wheels on the little bike I found for you a week or so ago, and after school on Thursday you rode around the block as I walked with you. You were riding your neighbor Amelia’s big bike with training wheels last weekend with ease, so I knew you could ride yours no problem, and you did. Great job!
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May 17, 2016
I forgot to mention above during your bike ride around the block last week – at one point when we were on the other side of the block from our house, you looked at me, said “Let’s do this!” and gave me a wink and side mouth click. You are simply the best.
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June 7, 2016
You are an absolutely incredible spirit, my friend. Today I listened to you talking to your reflection in the faucet as you washed your hands in the bathroom, and I heard you saying “What are you looking at?” and “Why are you looking at me? Look at yourself,” and “Are you talking to me or Della?” You are simply the most intriguing creature I know.
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June 13, 2016
Our neighbor described you perfectly the other night. Her daughter is one of your best playmates on the block and is a couple months older than you (she just turned 4 in May), and Miss Kristen said both you and her daughter see the world through violet eyes. That is so perfectly true!
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June 21, 2016
You went to your first movie in the theater today with Daddy and Della – Finding Dory up at the Fox-Bay Theater at the end of our street.
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July 5, 2016
I almost lost you yesterday, and it scared me to death! We were all up at the 4th of July parade a few blocks away with our friends from the block, and when everyone stood to leave at the end you disappeared. You had been sitting right next to Della and the other kids from our street on the curb during the parade, and the adults were standing a few feet behind you guys with the strollers, wagons, blankets, etc. As everyone gathered after the last band went by, I didn’t see you anywhere. I saw Della walking toward us, but you weren’t with her anymore. I chased the band down the street thinking you had followed them, but I couldn’t find you. Then I started to get really worried, because the harder I looked for you, the harder it was to see anything but a giant mass of people who were trying to take you. Thankfully one of our neighbors had found you by the time I got back to our spot. You had started walking down the sidewalk the opposite way from me, then were heading back toward where we were, obviously lost. Miss Becky found you about half a block from where we were, crying for me. I would never have recovered if I lost you!!
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September 6, 2016
My days with you while Della is at school are back, and I love them. You are quite possibly the most entertaining creature I have ever observed. This morning when we got home from taking Della to school, you wanted popcorn for a snack, but you had to eat it out of one of the play cups from the play kitchen in the living room. Ok, that’s fine. After having 2 cups of popcorn, I noticed that the tomato that had been sitting on the kitchen counter had a little nibble right off the top of it. Yep, that was you. So then I said you could just eat the whole thing, because you said you really wanted to eat it because it just tasted so good. All righty, a whole tomato it is. I looked over at you at one point while you were eating it, and you were sitting criss-cross applesauce on the couch with the coffee table pulled all the way up to the couch; the tomato was sitting on the coffee table on the rag you use to wipe off with; and you were leaning over eating the tomato off the rag without using your hands. Awesome. You ate that entire tomato down to the tiniest piece of stem and didn’t waste a single drop of juice. I was actually pretty amazed, because I hate raw tomatoes and would never even consider eating one whole like you just did. Yuck. And just a minute ago you were building something with this little set of wheels/sticks/connectors you have, and you told me it was a group of monsters that only come out at night. And your robot doesn’t like them because it thinks the monsters are scary because they have no eyes, no ears, and no mouths. This is your invisible robot that only comes out at night; sleeps during the day; sleeps under your bed; takes care of itself and eats grass; only likes you, me, and Nigh-Night; doesn’t like Della’s robot (also totally fake and invisible); and pinches Della’s robot and baby doll Autumn on the buns and diaper, respectively. Whew!
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September 19, 2016
I locked you out of the house this morning. I am such a wonderful mother. I was out of town in Madison this weekend, and as soon as I got home yesterday afternoon you apparently decided it was time to stop listening. You were a brat last night, it continued on the walk home from school this morning, and after we’d gone for a run and you played outside watching Morrison in the stroller while I mowed the grass, you still refused to listen to me, instead spraying your brother all over his head with the squirt bottle when I said you could spray his feet only. So I put everything away, took Morrison inside, closed the garage door, and locked the back door. You were on the front porch for some reason and started ringing the doorbell incessantly because you thought it was funny. Then you finally came around to the back door, realized you couldn’t get in, then stood on the back porch forlornly repeating, “I’m locked out. I’m locked out.” I instantly felt bad hearing your little voice out there getting sadder and sadder, and I was trying to hear what else you were saying in your dramatic little monologue. But I couldn’t really catch any of it, so after a minute or two I let you back in on the condition that you were going to behave. It lasted about 4 seconds. But you did say you didn’t want to have to stay outside forever with no house and you liked being in here with me better, so I’ll call that a win. Geez.
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September 22, 2016
You and Della are having 1-month birthday celebrations for Baby Patch Kid and Autumn at the dining room table right now, and you were just making tea for you and Della. You added a “hitch of salt” to your tea. Della is, of course, adding a pinch of salt, but you’re still adding hitches. I love it. And no, you have not been locked out of the house again since my last entry.
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October 5, 2016
You were so cute tonight. We went out to dinner with our neighbors at a German restaurant near our house, and you guys got paper placemats to color on. You drew a picture of me and showed it to me, saying I was thinking of you. I looked closer, and to signify that I was thinking of you, you had drawn a tiny L above my head. God, I love you.
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October 12, 2016
I just love how the thoughts in your head translate into what actually comes out of your mouth. Today you had 2 great ones:
- Lower milan = lawn mower
- My neck hurts inside of it = a sore throat
I was also incredibly impressed by you today. For your nap story we read one of our alphabet books that we haven’t read in a very long time. You were able to read every page to me and got all the letters correct now. Great job, sweet girl!
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October 14, 2016
Yesterday you showed me that you could snap your fingers. Nice job! Then when I really started watching you do it, you put your little Beaker (from the Muppets) mouth on, pretending like you were all embarrassed. Goofball.
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October 18, 2016
There was something I specifically wanted to write down about you today, but of course now I can’t remember what it was. I did just recall this gem, though. This afternoon you and Morrison were sitting on the bench in front of the living room windows, and you asked me, “Who’s the best kid in the world?” I said well I have no idea. Who? “Me!” Ha! I should have guessed. I say it all the time, but I just cannot get enough of you, my love. You did, however, lie blatantly to me twice later in the day and I totally busted you on both of them, but I always come back to the infinite smiles you bring to my face.
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October 21, 2016
Happy 4th birthday, my sweet baby girl!! You have had a great day so far – opened 2 of your birthday presents before we went to school, got some puffy Barbie stickers for a birthday treat at CVS, got a delicious-looking frosting-filled iced doughnut at Sendik’s for your birthday dessert treat, then spent the rest of the morning playing with your new doll campfire set, which was one of the presents that you opened this morning. I can’t wait for you to open the rest this afternoon after Daddy and Della get home. I got you a big My Little Pony carnival set and some Hello Kitty play sets with gobs of tinies! You are wearing your beautiful birthday dress from Grandma today, and you look so gorgeous. My amazing fairy princess.
You were setting up your doll’s bed right before nap time today, and at one point you looked up, directly at me. Time seemed to freeze, because as I looked into your big blue eyes at that moment, I caught a glimpse of a much older you. There was just something about your look that put you about 20 years into the future. I don’t want to be there yet! I want you to be a kid always, setting up your doll beds and playing your days away, just like you do now. I keep asking you and Della where my baby girls are going as you keep growing up, and fortunately your answers still remain, “We’re right here!” I wish you could always stay right here next to me, with your top piggie and curls bouncing, your Nigh-Night thumb sucking, your dolls and tinies playing, and your little heart of gold shining. Never change, my love. You are the absolute best, my big 4 year old!
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November 3, 2016
Sometimes after our morning run you like to ride your bike around the block. Today was one of those days – it was pretty cool, but the sun was shining. Walking behind you with the stroller, watching your little blue-jeaned legs pumping up and down with your pink Hello Kitty hand-me-down crocs on, pedaling your perfectly-you pink and purple bike with training wheels down the sidewalk toward our house, little brown sherpa-fleece coat on, ladybug helmet sitting atop your head with your curls peeking out from underneath, is a memory I tried to etch in my mind forever. You make my days so happy, my little sparkle.
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November 15, 2016
Daddy took Della to school this morning, so you had plenty of time to play after we got ready for the day. You had your Cinderella doll, some Strawberry Shortcake figurines, and some tinies all arranged in a very ornate scene on your place mat at the dining room table, and I heard you say, “Is it raining?” I was in the bathroom washing my face so didn’t quite hear clearly, so when I asked if you had asked if it was raining, you said, “Never mind.” That gave me a clue that it had probably been your dolls talking instead of you actually asking me a question, but I was curious as to what you’d really said. When I asked again, you said, “That was Strawberry Shortcake. She said, ‘Can we go bathing?'” I said what, you mean like take a bath? Yeah! Oh, ok. But seriously – go bathing? Who says that? Lana Marie Rau, that’s who.
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December 2, 2016
We had your K4 visit today, and I still can’t believe you’re going to be starting school next year. Where are my baby girls going?? You were so cute. You wore a little red/blue/white plaid dress with a matching white sweater with sailboats on it, white tights, and your little red closed-toe jellies. You were excited but said you were a little nervous, too. I could kind of tell, because when we left the room Morrison played in while we visited, you were antsy to get in the group where all the other people were, pulling on my arm and pointing in that direction. But then you settled down a little and I think you had a lot of fun. You went directly to the play kitchen area in Mrs. Koch’s room during the classroom part of our visit, then you picked out a purple circle to sit on on the library rug for story time. Then you were happy to get a snack of Goldfish and a juice box while we listened to the principal’s talk at the end, but you were very ready to be done by the time we left. I really hope time slows down between now and when I have to be without you half the day every school day, my sweet baby girl.
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December 12, 2016
This afternoon you went poop, looked at it once you were off the toilet, and proceeded to tell me it had an elephant nose tail. Hahaha! What?? The stuff that comes out of your mouth never ceases to amaze and boggle my mind.
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December 16, 2016
We had your 4-year well check today, and here are your official stats:
- Height: 42.5″ (92%)
- Weight: 39 lbs. (75%)
- BMI: 15 kg/m2 (40%, healthy)
- Blood pressure: 115/73
Your blood pressure seems very high to me for a 4 year old, so I really hope you’re not inheriting Daddy’s high blood pressure. Neither the nurse nor Dr. Cafaro mentioned anything about it, though, I simply noticed it when we got home and I was looking at your sheet. Maybe you were nervous. But all checked out great at your appointment, you passed your hearing and vision tests with flying colors, everything was filled out for your kindergarten sheet, and the doctor didn’t even say anything about your heart murmur that was detected a few years ago. She had you hop on one foot and bend over to touch your toes so she could check your backbone. A-ok. She asked if we ever have any problems with you or trouble with you or something like that, and I’m not entirely sure what she meant, but I chuckled and said no. She didn’t say it in a mean manner at all or even very seriously; she said it while smiling, almost jokingly, so I assumed she was just being sarcastic because she asked it while having you hop and bend. Problems with you? Pshaw. 🙂 You screamed instantly upon your 2 shots, but recovered as quickly as you began. You are now complaining of that leg being sore and limping around like you have a peg leg, but no one ever said you weren’t dramatic, my little fairy love.