Thirty-Four Months

Inching ever closer to three.....

The major milestones are no longer looming over your head. You have reached and passed them with ease. The latest? You are now 100% certifiably potty trained. NO MORE DIAPERS!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you sense I'm excited about that? I think you were ready to ditch the bedtime diaper a long time ago. It was daddy and me that kept you in them. We weren't ready for the bed-wetting phase of life, especially since your sister was going through her "I've reached 6 months and I am going to completely screw with my sleep schedule" thing. But one night about 3 weeks ago you said you didn't want to wear a diaper to bed, and that was it. And no accidents so far!! Way to go, baby.

I asked you to entertain your sister the other day while I went potty. You were both hanging out on the floor in Berit's room. Without any prompting you sang her the ABC's - and you did it all by yourself! You were so proud. I almost cried.

Another big and exciting thing this month was the arrival of Bodhi Ray DeRoma on November 25, 2009. You haven't met him yet - he is only two weeks old. But you are so anxious to meet him! He is precious and I think all 3 of you are going to be lifelong friends.

So you are going to have a fun few weeks ahead of you. Grammy is coming tomorrow for one night to see you and Berit, Nana comes Monday to stay with us for a week and Grandma comes on Christmas day to stay with us for a week. And then Grammy comes back after New Year's with Gramps and Uncle C! How much fun. You are going to be so spoiled.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Pink Boots and Old People

We were in the car this morning on the way to school just chatting about life, like normal. You were commenting on how excited you were to turn three. And then you asked how old I was and I said "I'M OLD!!" And tried to explain what 35 was since I think you can only count to 20 right now. You sat there quietly for a minute, and then you asked quietly, "Are you going to go away?" I of course said "no" and asked why and you responded, "My kitties were old. They died." I felt horrible. You poor thing! You thought for that minute that I was going to die because I told you I was old.

You quickly recovered and moved onto the next topic: farm animals. We passed one of the farms on 75th and you saw the horses and said you wanted to go back to the pumpkin patch. I mentioned that pumpkin season was over, but that we were going to go to a farm soon to buy a Christmas Tree. I proceeded to try to explain what Christmas was, but you didn't really follow me at all until I mentioned PRESENTS! So I asked you if there was something in particular you thought you might want for Christmas this year, and without hesitation you answered, "Pink boots."

Ok then. Pink boots it is.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Thirty-Three Months

My dearest Hadley. I mean Tinkerbell. I love your how your mind works. If only I could crawl inside your brain and take a peek at what you've got brewing up there. I opened up your school bag this morning and pulled out your daily art project. This one happened to be titled "All About Hadley." They asked you a few questions, and then wrote down your answers verbatim. (Oh to have been your teacher yesterday!) I'd summarize it here, but it's just too precious not to rewrite in it's entirety:

PAGE 1:
"My name is Hadley. I love Tinkerbell. I wear wings. I dress up and fly. My kitties died. My hair is long. I like Tinkerbell."

(reads a bit like a poem so far, don't you think?)

PAGE 2:
"Papa and Nana live in Minnesota. My daddy hurt his ribs. I have a sister, Berit. My daddy's ribs are better now. My mommy is Ginna."

(I have to say, I am impressed that a) you know your grandparents live in Minnesota, and b) when did you learn what my name was?)

PAGE 3:
"I like to go to the park and play with my family. I like to play with my friends. I like to read books. Isabelle. At home."

(You actually have "The Adventures of Isabelle" completely memorized.)

PAGE 4:
"When I grow up I want to be like Tinkerbell. I'll fly. That's all. I go have fun at the store. At the milk store."


At least you didn't say the "beer store."


iloveyoumadly.
mama

The Drive Thru

So we were out running errands this weekend and decided to grab a quick lunch at GoodTimes. We pulled into the drive-thru and you asked "Where are we?" Daddy replied "At the drive-thru". And you asked "At the beer store?"

Apparently your daddy takes you and your sister to the drive-thru liquor store after school more than I was aware.

Nice.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Thirty Two Months

At least that's how old I think you are. Counting your age in months now is a bit tedious.....

You started pre-school this week. I can't believe it. You are so grown up. You left Miss Linnea in Tod 2 quite devastated - she loves you so much. We'll probably ask her to babysit you both one of these days, assuming your daddy and I actually go out and do something. haha. Your new teacher is Katie and you seem to like her quite a bit. From what I can tell, she is very patient and kind.

Already this week you've taken a walk with your class to the park, you've learned two new songs and you've taken your first Spanish class. SPANISH. AT AGE 2. Crazy. I am insanely jealous of you. I never took a day of Spanish. German. That was my foreign language choice. Go figure.

Your baby sister is growing increasingly more aware of, and in love with, you each day. Watching your relationship blossom is so spectacular. You are so lucky to have a little sister. I hope you cherish it always as you do now. After your bath tonight you wanted to go visit Berit in her crib since she was already asleep (usually you get done with bath soon enough to kiss her goodnight as she is eating in the rocking chair). So I scooped you up and we went in her room. I reminded you to be quiet and told you to say "Good night Berit". And you know what you said? "Good night Sweetie Pie." Sweetie Pie. How precious are you?

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Soooooooo Tiny

You're filled with funny phrases and sayings - you come up with them all the time. One of my latest favorites is "sooooo tiny" when talking about anything smaller than you. Sometimes you say it with a long drawn-out "soooooooo" and other times you say it like it is one word: "sotiny". No matter how you say it, it's adorable. Here are a few examples:

1) While in the car on the way to school, you were feeding your baby doll (Baby Shel to be exact) spoonfuls of something out of your baby bowl. I asked you what it was and you said "sotiny pasta".

2) Sitting next to Berit on the floor last night, you grabbed her feet and said "Berit's feet are sooooooooooo tiny".

You are so freaking adorable.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

A few notes from the past few days....

1)
Friday night after school Ellary, Todd and Judy came over for pizza. Apparently Ellary is punting on the whole potty training thing right now and it is really frustrating to her parents. You tell me you need to poop, so Judy tells Ellary to go with us so she can see how "big girls go potty." You sit down on the potty, and Ellary sits down in front of you on the little stool. You squeeze my hand, your nose gets red and your eyes get all watery - your M.O. when you poop. You look at Ellary and in a very strained voice, ask "Do your poopies hurt?" And Ellary wrinkles up her nose, thinks about it and says, "Yeah." I almost fell in the tub laughing.

2)
Your cousin Bryn is here with Kyle, Chelsea and baby Wyatt. Since we don't have a formal guest room at the moment, we thought the two of you could sleep together in your big bed. You both thought this was a grand idea. That is, of course, until Bryn decided to repeatedly hit you over the head with Monster to get you to play when you turned your back on her to sleep. We watched this all take place through the monitor. It was quite humorous. Their visit has reaffirmed my belief that you are one of the best-behaved and loving little girls I know. Thank you for being so wonderful.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Oh the things you say....

First of all, I would like to give credit to your daddy for something: he broke 4 ribs two weeks ago, and yet somehow he still manages to give you a bath and put you to bed without complaining while I get B-Bear down. Amazing.

OK - on with the story.

So after I got Berit all tucked into her sleep sack and in her crib, I was getting ready to take a shower. I had the monitor turned on to watch your sister, but decided to check on you guys to see how you were doing. So I switched the channel and was immediately transfixed by the adorable conversation you and daddy were having. You were recalling the events of the day - with amazing detail. You talked about running through the fountain on Pearl Street, and about the cute green balloon kitty the man on the street made you, and about the party you went to next door at the Johnsons. WOW - BIG DAY KIDDO! (Did I mention you decided not to take a nap today?) Anyway - during this elaborate recalling of the day daddy was tucking your stuffed animals in around you. Between sentences you directed where each one of them was to sleep and he was obliging you most willingly. And then he pulled your hair - by accident, of course. You squeeled and giggled - apparently it didn't hurt too bad. And then you said - and this is the best part - "Pay Attention Daddy!"

Once again, reminding me that you actually do listen to what we say!!

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Aunt Ba's Dream

So your Ba had this CRAZY dream about you the other night. I won't be able to do it justice here - just know that when she told me, I was crying from laughing so hard.

Here it goes:

You, Ba and Mommy all went out for dinner. We went to some sort of pub restaurant with booths. It was apparently located in the center of a wild animal sanctuary (logical, don't you think?) In walks a giraffe. Yes - a giraffe. No one batted an eye as it sat down in the booth behind us, apparently waiting to be served.

You thought it needed a little love, so you scooted down out of our booth onto the floor and started rubbing its hooves. This relaxed the giraffe so much it fell asleep. Nice Job! Anyway - the giraffe's long neck flopped sideways over the side of booth and hit a woman on the top of the head. She took none-too-kindly to this and created quite a scene, screaming and waving her arms. This really made the giraffe mad and he started terrorizing the restaurant. So Ba grabbed you and started running - I guess I was nowhere to be found (nice mommy!). She had to run through swimming pools and gardens just to find safety. But she was worried she couldn't find me. All of sudden she heard your daddy's voice screaming "Rebecca Louise! Rebecca Louise!"

And she woke up.

I am sure Freud would have a few choice words for your aunt, but here is my analysis:

1) You love giraffes. You do. Whenever we ask what kind of animal you would like to be, you say "Giraffe" and then stretch your neck out and rub it. It's hysterical.

2) You are so sweet and loving. The fact that you rubbed the giraffe's feet is no surprise - you are always rubbing our backs or your sister's head.

3) She is incredibly protective of you. It is no surprise to me at all that in this dream I abandoned the both of you and she was left defending her little Hads. I don't think she could love her own children any more than she loves you and Berit.


You are one lucky little lady.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

At least we know it's sinking in!

Your daddy and I try to teach you good manners when the opportunity arises. For example, we ask you to speak in full sentences, say "please" and "thank you", etc. And your teachers do a great job working with you on this, too. It turns out consistency is paramount in raising a happy child.

So the other day you and I were sitting on the couch sharing Oreos - your favorite cookie (you actually call it the "black cookie".) I took a bite and you asked me a question, so I started to answer. You cut me off by holding up your hand and said, "Chew your food mommy please."

Oops.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Hadley v2.5

You're two and a half!!! I can't believe it. We just spent 10 days in Minnesota for our annual visit. We spent 4 days in Minneapolis at Grandma and Andpa's - and we got Berit baptized while we were there so you got to see all the Ronalds and Larsons that live there. It was fun. During the ceremony you reached over and grabbed your sister's hand and held it....you could hear everyone in the crowd sigh. You are so precious. And then we drove up to Cromwell to see Nana and Papa. And there were still some Kearneys there for Summer Camp, so you got even more family time!

The most valuable visits you made, however, were with your great grandparents. You got to spend some very special time with your Grampy and your Nonny. And they just ate you up. Neither one of them could believe how much you talk!! And talk, and talk and talk.....your vocab EXPLODED this visit. It always amazes me how your language takes off when we leave home. Not only did you start using new words, but the way you put them in a sentence now is just wonderful. You are so bright.

You have also figured out how to "lie." Or maybe just exaggerate the truth? You have started saying things like "mommy told me to..." or "daddy asked me to...". Usually it is something like you saying to daddy "mommy told me to have a popsicle." Except you haven't mastered the art of waiting until the other person is out of the room! It's pretty funny.

You have decided that we are no longer allowed to brush your hair in the morning. This causes me great grief. You have exceptional hair. Hair other women comment on ALL THE TIME. And yet, I almost always have to throw it in a bun (if you let me get near you with a hair tie) or die a small death when I have to let you go to school with a rat's nest hanging down. I really really really hope this is a short phase. I can't bear the thought of cutting your hair!

Your overall appearance has really changed in the last 6 months, too. You lost a lot of the baby chub, and your face is very defined now. I know I always say this, but you are exceptionally beautiful. It kind of freaks me out sometimes. Your poor father....

I love you baby. I can't even believe I have a 2 1/2 year old! You continue to amaze me everyday. And only drive me crazy a little.... :-)

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Twenty-Nine Months

Wow - almost two and a half kiddo! This summer is flying by. Last week Nana was here, and this week Andpa and Grandma are here. You are having so much fun! You are so amazing with your grandparents - so loving and silly. Just what they want from you.

You continue to develop and amaze me everyday. You are so independent! I love that I can ask you to go downstairs to your room to get something and you can do it all by yourself.

One of your latest phrases is to yell "OK!" when someone tells you to do something or tells you the definition of something. You say it with such enthusiasm it makes me giggle everytime. And the singing! You learned so many songs this year in music class at school - we have so much singing in the car, before bed, while changing Berit. You are so serious about your little hand movements that go with each song it's all I can do to keep from laughing.

You discovered the joy and excitement of water this summer. They have lots of "water play" at school where you get to wear a bathing suit and run through sprinklers. In fact at your recent parent/teacher conference they said you are the first to run through the sprinkler everytime - screaming and laughing. So we bought something similar for our backyard and you LOVE to run through it after school. Preferably naked. It's hysterical. You are slowly becoming a tiny version of me, and when I see you running naked through the yard I envision all those naked photos Gramps took of me. Pretty funny. I can't wait to see you in the lake at Nana and Papa's in a few weeks. I think it's time for swimming lessons.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Potty Training!!

Apparently you were ready to start potty training, because MAN O MAN do you get it! We decided to go all the way about a week ago - no more diapers. (Except while sleeping of course) And you have only had 2 accidents - and that includes while at school! Amazing. We even went to dinner the other night at Beau Jo's and you went there! You were outside on the patio with daddy and you came running in holding your bottom doing the "pee pee dance" and said "MOMMY HADLEY GO PEE PEE!!!" So we ran into the restroom and you went!

I am so proud of you!

iloveyoumadly.
mommybeardet

(haha - that's the new name you've given me - apparently you must see your sister and me as one unit these days...)

Big Sister

Well, it's official. You're a BIG SISTER! And what a big sister you are. Berit Louise was born on 4.14.09. As you can see, that was a month ago. Sorry for the delay in updating this blog but we've all been a bit busy trying to adjust!

You love your baby sister. In fact, it was love at first site. You came to visit us at the hospital the day after Berit was born and you immediately wanted to hold her. Once you had her in your lap you were all smiles and kept kissing her little face. It made me cry! I was so happy to have both my girls together.

Before I got pregnant with Berit I was convinced that I could never love another child as much as I love you. Logically I knew this wasn't true, but I was almost afraid to get pregnant because I didn't want to take away anything from my baby girl. Everyone who had two kids told me my love would grow exponentially and my heart would just expand to love both children. But I never knew - or expected - that once I had you both in my arms not only would my heart expand to love your baby sister, but my heart expanded to love you even more than I did before. You are spectacular and I love you so much. Thank you.

In the last few weeks you have grown up so much! I don't know if it is because of your new role, or just because you are hitting your developmental milestones, but it is so much fun to watch! Your vocab is especially fun. Here are a few highlights:

1) "What doon mommy?" This is my favorite question. You are so curious and you always want to know what we're doing. Whether it's folding laundry or nursing Berit.

2) "The curious case of the missing 6 & 7." You love to count. In fact, you love to count so much you count everything! Trees, cars on the road, your own fingers. It's wonderful. You've mastered 1-5. But things get a bit confusing after that. For some reason, you've decided numbers 6 & 7 don't exist. You skip right over them and go straight to 8!

3) "Time-outs for bad stuffed animals." You rarely seem to express jealousy over one of us holding Berit, but you certainly don't like it when daddy pays special attention to one of your stuffed animals. Two in particular: Mommy Fly and Masher (these are your little Ugly Dolls - both of which came with their own names, but you chose your own for them instead. Why Mommy Fly & Masher? We have no idea, but we went with it). When daddy holds these little guys during story time, or carries them around in his shirt pocket to be funny, you don't like it at all. But instead of getting mad at daddy, you punish the toys! You give them time-outs, forcing them to sit ont he floor and face the wall!

4) "Mommy is a chair-bubble." I know you love me. I don't question it at all, even when I am usually the one you get mad at for no reason, the one who witnesses the most tantrums over picking the wrong shirt for school. These things don't really upset me. But I have to say, being called a "chair bubble" was a bit....disconcerting! We were celebrating Aunt Ba's birthday a few weeks ago and we went around the table choosing which animal we each were. You decided you were a puppy. And you made daddy a giraffe and Aunt Ba a turtle. Me? You decided I was a chair bubble. Yep. A fart. And you were dead serious about it.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Phish Head

My darling girl.

YOU ROCK! We were in the car today, taking our 200th trip of the winter to Babies R Us, listening to a mix CD I made for your uncle C Bones' 18th birthday. Tweezer Reprise came on, and your daddy and I turned it up (it's an awesome tune), started bobbing our heads to the music, and I turned around to see you staring out the window bobbing your head with it too!

When the song was over, you asked us to play it again. We didn't listen to anything else the entire way to Westminster. My baby's a Phish Head. I couldn't be prouder.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Twenty Five Months

"Happy Hadley!"

This is something we now ask you to say in the morning as you wake up, afraid of who is in your bed to greet us. It could be the transition into your new room, or the new big bed, or the fact that we talk a LOT more about your soon-to-be role as a big sister. Whatever the cause, it's been WEEKS since you woke up happy, willing to get your diaper changed, or use the potty, or get dressed or do ANYTHING before having your "gummies" (vitamins) and a quick dose of PBS.

I admit that we set up your new room for a little girl, not a baby-turned-toddler who is still in diapers. My reasoning you ask? Why invest in a changing table when you're going to be out of diapers in a few months. So I thought we might as well just use your bed for now. Only this new "routine" is just as hard on you as it is on my 35-weeks-pregnant back, and you don't like getting dressed in your room anymore. So when I wake you up in the morning, we now immediately go upstairs and just bring your outfit and fresh diaper and we do the deeds upstairs.

You also have started to refuse Daddy or me come within 20 feet of your head if we're holding a brush. And yet, you come home from school with the most beautiful french braids....you're sitting still for someone!

And there's the whole food thing. You have always been a good eater - something I've actually taken great pride in. But lately not only are you lacking in appetite in general (something I've heard is normal for two year olds), you're getting quite picky. It has to be a pear, not an apple. But if you choose the apple it better be peeled. And if it's peeled, it better be peeled the right way so that there is NO CHANCE the yucky red stuff could come close to your mouth.

If any of the above, or any of the other multitude of things you suddenly have become opininated about, goes in the wrong direction - and who's to know what that is - it's meltdown city. I mean lower lip hanging out, crocodile tears streaming, cheeks turning bright red meltdown. Thankfully, your mommy taught you a little something from our natural birth class than seems to calm you down. It's called....DEEEEEEEP BREEEEEEAAATHING! And it's enough to distract you until we can figure out how to fix the problem.

And when that doesn't work, your daddy uses candy.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Ask Nicely

So we're trying to teach you basic manners - you know, "please" and "thank you" - stuff like that that a two year old could understand. When we ask you to say "please" you do - but it comes out more like "mees". And your "thank you's" come out like "ank choo", but we get the drift. And it's very sweet.

What's funnier is when one of us reminds you to ask for something "nicely." It comes out like this:

"Hadley. Tuppy. Nicely."

Translation: "Can I have my cup please?"

iloveyoumadly.
mama

ummmmmm......Mommy.

You're language develops exponentially everyday. You're a total sponge for everything you hear. At the end of the day - when we're all at home after work and school - you chitter chatter through the last hours of the day and we start to realize how many words you really know.

Two of the most distinct developments happened in the last week - and I think it was gradual since I can't pinpoint exactly when it happened.

#1: When asked a question, you start your response with "um." This is hysterical, as "um" is clearly not a word, rather a response when you are stuck without an answer. It's very funny to hear you say it.

#2: This one is bittersweet. I've somehow morphed into Mommy. No longer Mama. (You also started calling Dada "Daddy" but I don't care as much about that!). I know this means you are growing up, and I am so proud that you are. But there is such a sweet innocence about the way you called me Mama that it makes my heart ache.

You can call me Mommy all you want. But I will always be your Mama.

iloveyoumadly.
MAMA

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

My sweet baby girl. You turned TWO this weekend!

...and boy was it fun. We threw you a party. But not just any party. It was an ELMO party. Because - quite frankly - you wouldn't have had it any other way. So there were Elmo balloons, Elmo streamers, Elmo cake, Elmo plates and napkins, and an Elmo tablecloth. And you got Elmo cards and Elmo games and Elmo videos. Really? I can't believe you aren't Elmo'd out yet. I am.

But we also had a pinata filled with candy. You and Neva, Ellary and Ainsley weren't quite sure what to do. You tried to hit it, but I think you were a little uncertain of what the result was going to be. Finally daddy took a good THWACK at it and all the candy fell out. Even then you didn't know what to do until I told you it was OK to have a sucker. Pretty sure that's the last birthday party where you don't bum-rush the candy.

At one point during the party, you, Neva and Ellary started chasing each other through the house while SCREECHING! I had yet to actually witness you participate in this female phenomenon. I don't really understand it, but according to Nana it is another stepping-stone in your development. It was even funnier when one of you would fall down - the other two would immediately turn around and give hugs before continuing. Girls are so darn cute! Such nurturers we are.

So now we are racing against the clock to move you downstairs. Daddy has your room painted and your bed set-up, but we don't want to move you until it is all put together. Hopefully it will all be ready by this weekend. I can't wait!

iloveyoumadly.
mama

The Yin and the Yang

THE YIN:
You pooped in the toilet for the first time two nights ago! We were so proud. So were you. And then scared, as you backed away from the toilet. It was pretty funny.

THE YANG:
You threw an unbelievable amount of temper trantrums yesterday. I mean throw-yourself-on-the-ground-and-bawl temper tantrums. Over such things as not getting to use my favorite peppermint lip gloss or being asked to wear socks. Your will actually became so strong that your father - the one who thinks I'm too lenient and casual with you - gave you Jelly Bellies to get you to stay in your crib when he was putting down for bed. That's right. JELLY BELLIES. BEFORE BED. AFTER WE BRUSHED YOUR TEETH.

I take it all in stride. The good with the bad. The beautiful with the ugly. The Yin with the Yang.

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Inauguration Day

Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States this morning.

It's also 75' outside without a cloud in the sky.

I think the two are related, don't you?

iloveyoumadly.
mama

Twenty Three Months

Well look at that....I completely skipped Twenty Two Months.

A lot sure has happened in the last two months!! Your vocab shot through the roof! We took a trip out to San Diego to visit Gramps, Grammy and Uncle C Bones for Thanksgiving and that's when we first started to notice all the new words. And it just grew from there. My favorites? "Ma Poon!" (translation: my spoon - a very important item to you right now)' "lalellow" (translation: yellow); and "lahve lu" (translation: I love you) You even said the last one without being prompted to Ba the other day. I almost died.

We started potty-training you last weekend. It was.....interesting. We had to put our plans on hold, however, as the Tod 1 classroom doesn't have a toilet, and therefore our efforts weren't being reinforced at school. You're moving up to the Tod 2 rooms in two weeks, so we'll start up again. But you spent the last weekend running around in your Elmo underwear (you love Elmo so much it's hysterical), leg warmers, fleece slippers and a t-shirt. It's a look for the runways, for sure. I hope I took a picture..... Anyway, your Uncle Dero (which you've started pronouncing Diwi) and Aunt Mags came over. I thought for sure you'd end up peeing on one of them, but you didn't. You did, however, poop all over yourself and your bedroom carpet which you didn't care for. Me either - daddy was out on a ride and I was all by myself trying not to get poop on me or the walls! It still smells like poop in your room. Thank God we're getting new carpet soon.

You've also become more interested and affectionate with your soon-to-be-baby sister. You kiss my belly, and smile whenever we mention her name. Which, incidentally, is Berit. We haven't decided on a middle name yet, so we'll see what happens there.

You're so precious, baby girl. I treasure everyday. Even the crabby difficult ones (they're more frequent these days). Because you know what? I am completely in love with you. And at the end of the day, I am so proud to be your mama. You are a complete and total gift.

iloveyoumadly.
mama