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