January 6, 2017
You can write your name! I had no idea, but yesterday morning you spelled out your name in pretzel sticks on your placemat at breakfast. I couldn’t believe it and was so impressed. Then last night you wrote all of our names in your little Hello Kitty notebook with just minimal help on the letters R and E. Amazing job, my love! Unfortunately you have been plagued by the flu for 7 days now. It started with 2 solid days of near-constant vomiting and has now morphed into diarrhea. I have never, ever seen you this sick, and I wish it would leave you! So far today there have been no bouts of pooping, but the past couple days have seen them attack later in the afternoon and evening. Fingers crossed your poor little tummy is spared today.
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January 26, 2017
Last night you pulled your famous sneak-out-of-bed-after-bedtime routine, and I felt extra willing to answer your more kisses, hugs, and back rubs requests because I felt terrible about throwing a stuffed animal at you after you threw it at me at your original bedtime. You have a little angel bear with your name on it, and you threw it at me when I was tucking you in. So I swung it back at your legs then threw it against the wall at the side of your bed, and you instantly started tearing up. I thought I’d just startled you by actually retaliating instead of ignoring your throwing a toy at me, but you said the angel bear hit you on the eye. I still don’t think it did because I specifically aimed at your legs so as not to hurt you, but I still felt like a miserable person and told you over and over and over that I was sorry and would never hurt any of you guys in a million years. So anyway, after you came out for the second or third time saying you couldn’t sleep, I carried you in and we rocked for a few minutes. I smelled your hair, watched your giant eyes blink slower and slower as sleep crept closer, tried to etch every movement of your thumb sucking and Nigh-Night tail snuggling into my memory, then swept you up in your blanket and tucked you into bed again for the night. My sweet, sweet baby girl. I know those moments are numbered, so as much as I love it when you actually stay in bed at bedtime, I secretly love it when you sneak out to see me again, too.
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January 27, 2017
I’m sitting on the “brown squishy couch,” as you call it, working on my computer, and you just came over to me from the dining room and said, “You’re the best, greatest mom in the whole world. You make me happy when I’m sad.” All of that was totally unprompted. I live for these moments, and they make my life so incredibly happy. Thank you, my love.
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January 31, 2017
Watching you is seriously the highlight of my days. Last night at bedtime, you got all sad because Della has this soft stuffed tiger named Zig Zag since she has multicolored chevron stripes on her, and you started crying because you wanted to win a tiger like Zig Zag at the Sheboygan County Fair, too, but you couldn’t get enough sharks (yeah, i know, i had no idea either). Anyway, I got one of the eight million stuffed animals you girls have in your closet (not to mention the plethora i finally moved to the basement since they’re never touched) out for you to snuggle with, a really soft elephant that you got with a matching book last Christmas from Grandma Rau. It worked, and you went to bed. This afternoon when I put you down for your nap (which you messed around your way out of), you snuggled that elephant in all cozy warm with her own pillow, snuggle toy, and blanket and told her you were going to find the perfect new 2 parents for her, a mama and a dada, because she was at the zoo all by herself with no parents. And you’re going to give her the best elephant food and elephant water. You are the sweetest thing ever. And now, since you’re not napping, you’re putting all your Squinkies in a safe place in the living room and holding onto the arm of the futon because you’re playing tornado. Please don’t ever lose your imagination and spirit, my fairy girl.
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February 3, 2017
I’m so proud of you, sweet pea! You finally zipped your winter coat today all by yourself, and you did it 4 times! Every time I’ve ever asked you to zip your coat when we’re getting ready to go somewhere, usually to school, you immediately say you don’t know how and don’t even try. I’d finally had enough today, because I knew you could do a zipper, so I showed you which side you needed to hold down while you pulled up on the zipper with the other one, you gave it a couple tries, and then you had it no problem. Way to go, my love! I could tell how proud you were of yourself, too, and you were so excited to tell Daddy tonight that you’d zipped your own coat 4 times today.
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February 14, 2017
Happy Valentine’s Day, love! I found the cutest sight when I went in to give you my bedtime kiss last night. You had uncovered yourself so I snuggled you back into your Lana blanket, and then I spied your little Peppa Pig friends all tucked in next to you, just like you had been tucked in. You are such a wonderful mama to all your little toys and friends, I just love seeing your thoughts in action.
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February 20, 2017
Poor little sweet pea. You have the second round of the stomach flu in a month and a half. Totally not fair. Two nights ago you came into our room and said your throat hurt, so I tucked you back into bed and said it would feel better in the morning. I assumed it was just dry from sleeping. But then you came back in a few minutes later and said it was your tummy that hurt, so we went into the bathroom and you threw up. You threw up a couple more times during the night and just once or twice during the day yesterday, but you were down for the count on the couch all day. Then you were fine throughout the evening and bedtime, but at 4:15 this morning you came to my bedside saying you were going to throw up again, and you did. You had just taken a big drink of water, though, so that’s what caused that one. You’ve been fine all day today so far, eating, playing, and everything, so hopefully it’s on its way out. Boo tummy germs.
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March 11, 2017
You are the cutest thing, my dear. Well first off, today you used the word “translucent” perfectly, describing a little plastic raft that’s part of Della’s Happy Places pool set and is translucent pink. You didn’t know what it meant, but you still used it exactly correctly because you heard it on Cookie Swirl C. But then tonight, you, Della, and Morrison were sitting on the couch next to me watching the Minions movie, and you got up to get a Kleenex. You skipped off to the bathroom in your footie Hello Kitty pj’s, Nigh-Night in tow, and rounded the corner into the hallway. You came back out a second later, sat Nigh-Night down along the dining room trim just before the doorway to the hall, and said, “You wait right here, Nigh-Night.” When you returned, you told me you took the Kleenex out of the box very carefully so you didn’t knock my glasses off the top of it and make the “tiles” fall out like Grandma’s and Daddy’s glasses. Your sweet heart is full of sunshine, my love, and it makes my own heart soar.
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March 15, 2017
You just used the word “rhombus.” Perfectly. Thank you, Sesame Street.
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March 19, 2017
I had so much fun with you and Della this weekend, sweet pea. Yesterday afternoon you both had classes at the zoo. Della went on a South Pole expedition, and you and I took the Junior Vet class. You absolutely loved it. We learned about the 3 different types of vets (companion animal vet, farm animal vet, and zoo animal vet), we got to take a little field trip to the zoo’s animal hospital, you did a couple projects and visited different vet stations around the classroom, then at the end each child in the class got a diploma congratulating them on becoming an honorary vet. Your favorite part, by far, was the little veterinarian kit you got to assemble and take home. You each got little cardboard boxes with string handles to decorate and write your name on, then the class teachers helped you fill them with play syringes, bandages, gloves, stethoscopes, and medicine. You both started playing vet immediately when we got home and you haven’t stopped all weekend.
Then today, the 3 of us went downtown to see Odd Squad Live. We went to lunch at Rock Bottom, you girls both got build-your-own-sundaes for dessert, then we hit the show. Unfortunately, we got to the theater over half an hour before the show started, so you were both getting pretty antsy by the time we actually got to our seats. Then we had to wait another solid 20-30 minutes until the show started, but fortunately you both perked up when it did. It didn’t hurt that we were in the fifth row and on the aisle, so our seats were fantastic. During intermission, Della had to go to the bathroom, so we walked up the very side aisle of the theater so as not to be right in the middle of the biggest crowd. You were walking right behind me, and at one point I turned around and asked what you were doing. You very plainly informed me that you had just eaten a piece of popcorn off the floor. Disgusting! But, to be perfectly honest, that’s not entirely surprising for you, my love, ha! You were definitely feeling sleepy by the end of the show after your long, fun weekend with no naps, but you said you loved it. I just adore watching you guys have fun. Your pure joy and innocence make my heart swell to exploding.
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March 22, 2017
You finally did it! Yesterday morning at the very end of your last swim lesson of this session, you jumped into the pool all by yourself! This is something I’ve been trying to get you to do this whole time, and it’s something you’ve resisted each week. You did jump in pretty much by yourself by barely grabbing your teacher’s finger and kind of sliding off the edge of the pool for the last thing of your lesson yesterday, but I knew you could do it the whole way. So after your lesson, I agreed to let you play in the pool for a few more minutes if you jumped in by yourself. I knew you could do it, because you were so incredibly close during your lesson and you were a split second from getting it. After a few minutes of prodding and actually leaving the pool deck to go into the locker room, you wanted to go back out and try. It took a couple more pauses and starts and stops, but then off you went. Your first jump was barely that, and you leaned back a little to bump your buns on the wall. I was so excited, but I said you could never lean back like that; you have to lean forward when you jump and go away from the wall. Then, just like that, over and over again, you were springing from the wall with ease and glee. I’m so proud of you, my love! You also kicked all the way across the pool on your back by yourself yesterday and were starting to put together the movement of your arms and legs at the same time to keep yourself afloat while working on your front floats. Your teacher this time has been amazing and so much better than your last one. I can’t believe you’re learning to swim already, too! I am so unbelievably happy for you!
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April 4, 2017
You are hysterical. You’re not napping right now because you have a cold and can’t smell Nigh-Night’s tail when your nose is stuffed up, ergo you can’t sleep. Whatever. But you were sick almost all last week with the flu while we were on vacation, which sucked, so I’ll let it slide. But you’re sitting over on the bench in front of the big living room window leafing through a garbage magazine flyer thing that came in the mail today. I heard you exclaim, “Oh! This one’s a book,” a little while ago, but didn’t actually look up from my work to see to what you were referring. Then I started hearing this page-turning noise and looked over to find you going page-by-page through this “book,” licking your finger to turn each page. Ha! Where did you learn that? Because I certainly do not do that. Earlier, you were also folding the little checkup papers from your play vet kit in half and licking the folds after giving Nigh-Night his checkups. I kept asking why you were doing that, and you said that’s how you tape them shut. Okey dokey, my love.
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April 18, 2017
I had so much fun with you, your sister, and brother this past weekend out in Tucson. You guys had an absolute blast playing with your cousins and Auntie Mer-Mer and Unkie Cha-Cha; Grandma Barbie and Grandpa Bob; and Uncle Nate, Aunt Sherry, and Ashlynn. Plus the Easter Bunny found you out there, so the egg hunts are always a good time. I love spending all this time with you, my love!
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May 1, 2017
I’m over a week tardy in posting this, but last Saturday, April 22, you got your first real haircut at a salon. Your curls had gotten so long and uneven, that it was time for a good trimming. You got a couple inches cut off the back so your curly-q’s hang just past your shoulders now. You were afraid your curls weren’t going to come back when you got them cut, but fortunately they haven’t gone anywhere.
This afternoon when I put you down for your nap after reading Moana, your new favorite story, I plopped you into bed from my arms. You like me to carry you into your bed like a baby all wrapped up in your blanket, but you were slipping out today and I didn’t want to scratch you with my bracelet, so I just kind of got you into a crumple on your bed. I was about to turn your music on, when you said, “Mama, you didn’t even get me onto my pillow!” Ha! You’re right, goofball. We both started laughing at how funny that sounded and how silly it was that I didn’t even put you in the right spot for napping when you dropped out of my arms today. My silly little bean.
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May 9, 2017
The many facets of your personality never cease to amaze me, my love. You have recently become intent on keeping the shoe racks by the front and back doors completely organized. Which I totally love, of course. Every time they get all messy, you take the time to sort through the shoes, get all the pairs together, and make all the shelves nice and neat again. Yesterday you even made signs to put by each rack that read “No shoes allowed on the floor.” You are so great!
Also, I am very happy that your toilet habits have gone back to normal. Over the past couple weeks, you had become terrified of pooping on the toilet. For some reason, you were convinced that when the poop fell into the toilet, it was going to get stuck in the hole that’s at the front of the bottom of the toilet, where the water pushes to the back when you flush. I have no idea where this phobia came from, but it had gotten so bad that I swear you were holding your poop. Then when you would go, I had to be standing in there with you the entire time or else you wouldn’t even get on the toilet, and you would only let a tiny bit come out at a time. One day you even sat there crying for over half an hour, because I had to go pick Della up from school then run to the garden center for wood chips while you had to poop. Unreal. So finally I sat down with you, showed you your tiny piece of poop in the bottom of the toilet, reassured you that there was no way it could get into that front hole, joked around about giant piles of poop and toilet paper, and thankfully things have gotten better since then. It was so weird! But now you’re back to going in, pooping on your own, calling me when you’re done to wipe your buns, then flushing by yourself. Thank heavens. I never thought I’d be so relieved to see poop in my life.
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May 11, 2017
You, my love, are not one to hide your emotions. The other night you would not listen to me whatsoever, and I had really had enough. You were out in the dining room doing something that wasn’t what I’d asked you to do, and I was just sitting in my spot on the couch, out of energy for whatever battle it was at that point of the evening. So Daddy went in to reinforce to you how rude and disrespectful it is when you don’t listen to me and constantly talk back. It’s not cute or funny, and you need to realize that. Of course, once Daddy intervened, you understood that you were actually about to get in trouble, so you became instantly, magically crestfallen. I swear you’re going to be an actress. Anyway, you started drawing a picture after this little pow-wow with Daddy. When I walked out later to see what you’d drawn, I just started laughing. I had to go out to investigate after you asked me how to spell “sad” and “bad;” my heart started to hurt for you. On your paper was a picture of you with a little sad face on, labeled Lana. Next to you was a picture of Daddy with a straight line face and mean eyebrows on, with a squiggly line coming off the top of his head. Next to the 2 of you you traced the word “bad” with stencil letters. My heart broke, yet I was highly amused at the same time. You always say you’re a bad kid when you get in trouble, which you obviously are not. I’m trying very hard to impress that distinction into you – you are a wonderful kid, you just get in trouble when you misbehave or do something bad. You are not bad. But when I asked what that squiggly line was above Daddy’s head, you said he was growling. Ha! Even Daddy had to chuckle when he heard that one. See, I can never stay mad at you for longer than a split-second, my dear. You own my heartstrings.
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June 1, 2017
We got the papers to get ready for K4 registration for you for next year yesterday. No way!! I’m not ready for you to be gone already. I’m going to miss you when you’re at school in the mornings next year, my love. You’ve already said you’ll miss Morrison when you’re at school, but we always say we’ll miss you, too, and you’ll be home in time for lunch!
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June 7, 2017
About an hour ago, as I was tucking you in for your nap, you said, “Mama, I like your outfit.” Thank you, my love, I like you!
Also today, we put your booster seat away from the dining room table. You said you can sit and reach ok without it, and you just want to use it for your travel booster. Oh, ok then.
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June 10, 2017
Congratulations, my love – yesterday you got your first library card! You can write your full name by yourself now, and that is the requirement. We got you signed up for the summer reading program, and you checked out your first two library books. Happy “reading!”
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July 5, 2017
You are so funny, my love. The other day you said, “*sigh* I wish we were in Canada right now.” I love that you guys are falling in love with the place as much as I have. Just a few more days! You are having so much fun this summer, I can’t wait to see your happiness up there, too.
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August 9, 2017
You recently learned to whistle, and you are so proud of yourself. Personally, I can’t wait until you can whistle a recognizable tune, ha!
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August 30, 2017
Your mind never ceases to amaze me, little one. Today I opened your little Hello Kitty bag in your bedroom closet, just to see what treasures you had in there. I had to laugh out loud at what I found – a couple pieces from your toy campfire set, a small Hello Kitty wristlet, a little stuffed banana, and a tiny pad of paper and marker pen. Then inside the wristlet were a couple Shopkins, a little folded cardboard tag of some sort, and some little rubber pieces from our pizza man game. Then this afternoon your big project was making a robot out of scrap toy and wire pieces you brought home from Miss April’s house earlier today. You are hilarious, my love. I can’t believe you’re starting school next week!
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September 6, 2017
It’s official. You’re a schooler! Yesterday was your 1st day of K4, and you are so excited. We only went for the 2nd half of the morning session, and I stayed in the classroom with you. Today we also went only for the 2nd half of the morning, but you guys walked in all by yourselves with the teachers and the parents had a separate orientation session. Tomorrow it’s the real deal! You go in alone again and stay the full 3-hour morning session. I can’t wait to hear how it goes, because I know you’re looking forward to it! I just can’t believe it, my love. You’re off to school now, too!
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September 11, 2017
Well that didn’t take long. You had your first sick day absence from school today, due to a fever that started yesterday morning. It was 101.5 yesterday and still hit 100.1 this morning, so I couldn’t send you. You were in pretty rough shape earlier today, too, with a runny nose and horrible sniffles at the same time, coughs, and sneezes. You are exhausted, yet refused your nap again today as you did yesterday, but fortunately you were much better after your no-nap hour. So I did take you to your first swim lesson of the session tonight with Della, and now you seem almost well. Still some sniffles, but nothing like last night. Hopefully that means sleep!
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September 18, 2017
No missed school this Monday! You finally got to go to your first day of library, and you were so excited for it. You picked out a little book about the fall leaves, and we already read it before your nap today. I just love how much fun you’re having in K4 and how you can’t wait to get out of the stroller at school every morning to get your backpack on and line up.
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September 19, 2017
Oh, my sweet girl. These school days are wearing you out. Today and yesterday you actually asked to go to your nap. You are having so much fun at school, and I am absolutely thrilled. Watching you come out the door each day, raise your hand high as soon as you see me waiting, and run to give me a hug is extraordinary. I love hearing about your new friends, your specials classes (art, music, PE, library), what your favorite parts of each day are. I love you so much, my big K4-er!
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September 26, 2017
Last night at swim lessons, you swam all the way across the small pool with your arms and legs together, head in the water! I’m so proud of you, my love!! You have really come a long way in just 3 weeks of this session.
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October 3, 2017
I just can’t get over you, my love. Last Friday you and Morrison had to come with me to the doctor so she could check on the babies. We were sitting in the waiting area, and you asked me, “Mama, is your doctor a spider?” What?? I said no, she’s a person, why? “Well, her name is Dr. Webb, so she should be a spider.” Ha! Very clever of you, my dear. Then the other day as soon as we started walking home from school, you said you wished it was tomorrow already. Again I asked why. You said so you could go back to school. You are having so much fun in K4, I love it! And this weekend you were organizing the letters and numbers magnets on the refrigerator. I heard you in there singing your ABC’s as you were lining up all the letters, then you’d ask me what certain numbers added together equaled. Yesterday I discovered why:
We only have one + magnet, so you improvised with your other equations. And you turned your 6 upside for 3+3, but I was still impressed with your learning!
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October 21, 2017
Happy 5th birthday, my sweet baby girl!! You had such an amazing day – yesterday Grandma Jenni came up to watch you guys while I was gone for the day and you had your pumpkin farm field trip at school; then Auntie Mer, Auntie Arianne, Roan, and Amalie surprised us all by coming into town for the weekend, too! Today was your big birthday party, but of course we started the day with your presents. The best part! You also had your first ballet class of this session with Miss Cici this morning, and she immediately remembered you from last time. I love you so much, sweet girl. I’m so happy you had such a wonderful birthday, and I hope your happiness continues all year!
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December 12, 2017
You had your final ballet/dance class of this session last weekend, and we got to sit in on the end of class for your little recital again. You are just so fun to watch! This class had a creative dance element to it, not solely ballet, and you guys definitely played that part up. You were often more focused on showing off for me and Daddy, but I still loved watching you perform anyway. You already wanted me to sign you up for the next round, too, which is great!
I know I say this often, but your creativity is a wonder. Last week Daddy made cardboard box houses for you and Della, and you guys spent hours in them decorating, coloring, adding little touches like remotes and signs, and playing so well. You took your art sets in, flashlights, princess shoes, it was hilarious. And you were forlorn when I had to put them out in the recycling this morning. Keep that mind of yours forever, my sweet girl.