Friendship goes digital

Here is one of the first emails Anna received from her best friend, Sophie.  I just love the story:

"hey Anna my mom told me this was for story's so am going to tell you one I think .............................ok I've truth once opine a time there were two girls who  were good friends one day they got one the computer and were friends 

forever they made up the word off"  

"Day Day"

Dear JJ,
Tonight, as I snuggled you to bed, when you were all warm and cuddly, and smelled so clean after your bath...

Mindful that before I'm ready you'll be too big to fit in my arms, I called you my sweet baby and my angel.

 You sleepily insisted, "Day Day".

(Too bad, buster, you are STILL my sweet baby and my angel!)

Good night, Lily!

Dearest Lily,
I don't know how old you will be when you read this blog, but in case you needed a little bedtime advice....


If you are ever having trouble getting yourself to bed, just pretend you are a puppy! When you are a little girl, you can sometimes have an attitude, but puppy Lily does whatever she's told immediately, provided you talk to her as if she is a puppy!

Tonight, from start to finish, puppy Lily and mommy accomplished in 5 minutes that which can take 3.5 hours on other nights!

Good puppy!!!

Mommy My Leg Hurts!!!

Anna, Lily, and JJ,

All 3 of you have now had a time when you faked inoperable legs.

I'm not talking about your typical toddler boneless legs when they don't want to do something... I'm talking about standing in one spot, fake crying, insisting that you can't walk (but running when someone mentions candy!)

Your dad and I have NO IDEA what it's about but all of you, independently, without knowing the other did it, faked that your legs didn't work.

You dad and I just laughed last night when JJ did it.  We couldn't believe all three of you came up with this!!!

We love you all!

All Threes with the Ones and Twos!!!

Two weeks ago tomorrow, we potty trained JJ.

I used the same 3-Day method as with Lily, and he had it down within about 2 days!

Just like Lily, he's not going to be perfect for a while, but he's doing a great job!

We've had some major, major issues with part of it (I won't go into the gross details) but as of today I feel safe saying we're on track!

Go JJ!!!

Littly Lily

Lily,

You alrady know how to use your eyes, which is a little scary.

Cute thigns you say:

The fact that you say Desinitley all the time (Definitely)

Sweekwet (Secret)

Youkickorn (Unicorn)

You are so patient but so dramatic at the same time.

We have tried (not as hard as we should) top break you of your thumb.  Most of the time you will go along with it and “hide your thumb” when we ask you to but there are times when you just glare and turn away and keep on going.  We don’t push it becasuse, well, if you need it that badly, you really need it.  You are dealing with an emotion right now that takes some help and that is okay. 

You are still in your head all the time and you could make a 20 minute adventure using two paper clips.

You still talk about your “honey” who is your imaginary friend.  Out of nowhere, you’ll say where she is sitting or get concerned that you left her at home.  You don’t tell stories about her insomuch as you make us aware of her presence. 

Lily is so Morbid!!!

Here's what her beloved babysitter, Miss Kim, wrote today on Facebook:
"I babysat again today, and the beautiful looking four your old girl, big blue eyes, long eyelashes, pink poofy lips and yelllow blonde hair made me a "card" with some squiggles on it. She read it to me -- "I love you so much. I love you so much I will even love you when you are too too old and dead." 

She's talks about pretty morbid things frequently as if they are no big deal... which at her age and understanding, they're not!

More cute things (Other than nearly everything that comes out of her mouth):
-Spunting = Something
-Slushsdoitulkdnflks = Frustrating.  How she says it isn't even intelligible and you have to figure it out using context but it's darn stinkin' cute!

She still talks about her "honey" (invisible friend) all the time. Sadly, "Honey's" parents are apparently deceased.  More Lily morbidness!  She has several moribd explanations for how that came about!



wink emoticonShe

Tonight

Tonight...
Is the very last time I will go to sleep having a one year old!
(sniff.....)

Oh man.  Mom moment!!!!

Interview with Lily, Age 4

Here is an interview with Lily, Age 4.

What is your:
1) Favorite color? Blue and Purple mixed togethler!
2) Favorite book? Pfrozen
3) Favorite movie? Pfrozen
4) Favorite food? Ice Kweem
5) Least favorite food? Sauce
6) Favorite fruit? Honey on Bwead
7) Favorite vegetable? Dus Peppers
8) Least favorite vegetable? Well I'm dus gonna show you the yuckiest vegetal. (Takes a package of cream cheese and chive crackers out of the pantry)
9) Favorite TV show? Barbie - De New kind of Barbie
10) Favorite song? Twinkle Twinkle Little Tar
11) Favorite thing to do with mom? Play
12) Favorite thing to do with dad? De same thing, and play
13) Favorite game to play with friends? With de Barbies
14) Favorite store? De Food Tor
15) Favorite sport? Sword
16) Favorite bible story? Wearing bible story
17)Favorite place to go? Molly and Ben's
18) Favorite restaurant? Pizza Hut
19) Favorite toy? My bicycle
20) Favorite thing to do with Anna? Play
20.5) Favorite thing to do with JJ? Play
21) Favorite drink? Duice
22) Favorite thing to do at school? Play
23) Favorite thing to do outside? Play
24) What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom! (Mommy loves to hear this!)
25) What can you do now that you are 4? Sing a song (Twinkle Twinkle)
26) Who is your best friend? Molly
27) What is mom's job? To clean up
28) What is dad's job? To clean the laundry
29) What does mom always say? I can't say that one.
30) What does dad always say? Moon
31) What is your nickname? You gotta sink about it. (?)
32) What makes you laugh? To do a soke (joke)
33) What makes you sad? If we hurwt me.
34) What are you thankful for? God
35) What does mom love about you? Mine harwdt , Yea because our harwdts is important. (You are exactly right, my dear!)

Then I asked if she had questions for me:
Shakes her head.

Interview with Anna, Age 7

Here is an interview with Anna, age 7.

What is your:
1) Favorite color? I don't have one
2) Favorite book? Harry Potter
3) Favorite movie? (Shoulder Shrug)
4) Favorite food? (Two Shoulder Shrugs)
5) Least favorite food? Guacamole
6) Favorite fruit? Grapes
7) Favorite vegetable? Carrot
8) Least favorite vegetable? Broccoli
9) Favorite TV show? (Big Should Shrug)
10) Favorite song? Wake Me Up-Avicii
11) Favorite thing to do with mom? Hop on Pop
12) Favorite thing to do with dad? Hop on Pop
13) Favorite game to play with friends? Freeze tag
14) Favorite store? (Shoulder Shrug)
15) Favorite sport? Soccer
16) Favorite bible story? I don't know
17)Favorite place to go? Six Flags or Dauphin Island
18) Favorite restaurant? Red Lobster ("You know that one!")
19) Favorite toy? Snuggle Comfort Puppy
20) Favorite thing to do with Elizabeth? Play pretend
20.5) Favorite thing to do with JJ? Snuggle
21) Favorite drink? Hot Cocoa or Root Beer Floats
22) Favorite thing to do at school? Go to Music
23) Favorite thing to do outside? Ride Bikes
24) What do you want to be when you grow up? Dress Designer
25) What can you do now that you are 7? Snap
26) Who is your best friend? I don't know...Sophie, since I knew her first
27) What is mom's job? Taking care of us
28) What is dad's job? Taking care of us
29) What does mom always say? I don't know
30) What does dad always say? I don't know
31) What is your nickname? Anna Banana - (She hates it)
32) What makes you laugh? Dada
33) What makes you sad? When I get into fights with friends
34) What are you thankful for? JJ
35) What does mom love about you? That she is helpful and responsible. (She made me answer this one.)

Then I asked if she had questions for me:Nah Uh

Lily is a swimmer!!!!

As of today, our little Lily can SWIM without her floaties!

She's not perfect, of course, and she tires easily, but as soon as she was brave enough to swim all the way underwater she was ZOOMING like a fish!

She swan half way across the shallow end of the indoor YMCA pool!

Way to go, Lily!!!!

Lady Lily

Lily is at an amazingly cute stage with how she talks, the "big girl" things she tries, and the looks she gives.

She is a perfect mish mash of baby, girl and even sometimes adult.  She gives these crazy teenagery looks already that we know we will see much more of in a couple of years.  She somehow already knows how to use those big eyes to her advantage!

She is working really hard to say all things correctly but luckly still keeps some sweet mispronunications:
"I wanna be a superhurro"
"zay zay" is JJ
"Baby broller" (With his size, he IS a broller)
"Pucess" is princess
"I need a boo boo bayndaid"
"ashally" is actually
"OH  MY WORD!"
"Go downtairs"
"Dolly" - Just cute that she says it
"But I Mont to!"
"HEY! I have andea!"
Everything is "The Ness Day" whether is is tomorrow, yesterday or a month ago.

She still brings up the burned house, but not very often.  Maybe twice a month.
She is now; however, morbidly obsessed with death at times.  In her playing pretend something is often dying.... or planning on dying..... or died "the ness day".
Yesterday (the ness day) she heard a random sound outside and told me the sound told her that two cars crashed and died.  (The sound was a dog barking or something completely normal)

She is nearly a swimmer and made it down the twisty slides at the pool.  With enough yelling and encouragement, she could swim from the bottom of the slide to the steps.  Without enough yelling and encouragement, she sinks.

Speaking of yelling: she must inform us EVERY TIME that "I GOTTA GO POTTTTYYYYYYY!"  Anna hears it so much she automatically rolls her eyes and yells back "JUST GOOOOO!!!" Lily runs (sometimes in circles) doing a high kneed, tipppy toe prance dance in desperation, sometimes in circles, and usually never on the way to the bathroom.  I literally have to get in her face and make her focus to make productive steps to the bathroom.  Sometimes I have to grab her arm and lead her there.  Occasionally she still has accidents.  I'm trying a new thing today where I will use a really low voice and calmly say, "I'm not going to help you... walk towards the bathroom.... what's the next step?...that's right... turn on the light, etc." It worked today.  We'll see.  It's liek the sudden realization she has to go "weely weely bad" short circuits her brain from simply Using. The. Bathroom!

She's a lady on the go!

The End of Innocence

Poor Anna is getting to that age...that age where she WANTS to believe in things (fairies, mermaids, unicorns) but logically knows they mnight not be real.

I fear that this may be our last year for true belief in Santa, if we even get this year.  I think plenty of pesky first graders with older siblings may gleefully shatter the Christmas spirit.
For example, we saw Seasame Street Live in Columbia and on the way there, she asked me if they were real..."really real?"  I just couldn't state the truth so I told her that I thought so.  I told her I thought it was the same people that were on tv.

She thougth about it and her voice chagned from doubt to a happy, "They MUST be real, how else could they see everything?"  I had to smile at that.

She was able to high five one of the characters.  I asked her, "Did they feel real?"  She said, "Well, I think I felt a hand in there."  I told her it might have just been bones.

Afterwards, she didn't say what she thought either way.  I thought it best to leave it well enough alone.  And perhaps, just maybe, hold onto faires, mermaids and unicorns a little....bit...longer. :-)

Lily's Fire Obsession

Lily has been obsessed with fires since we saw a house that had burned in mid-DECEMBER!!!

She asked about this house a minimum of once per day
"Where'd buwrned house go?"

I'll remind her that it's by the bookstore. Then she asks to see it.  "Buwrned house sad."  I explain that someone will fix it up, then it will be happy.

Add to this the fact that we saw a car on fire (really, an inferno) on the way to Columbia to see Seasame Street Live.  Can you guess what ELSE she asks about all the time?
She thinks the burned car is sad, too, even though I told her someone fixed it.  Now she asks, "Where'd fissed car go?"

"When fiwe comes, wun to Mya's houwse" is what I hear many other days.  That's her fire plan. Today on the way home from school, she told me about how fire likes food.  (?)


She told me yesterday that fire came out of the smoke detector and I had to let her know what the smoke detector actually did.  She looked very relieved.

This girl is OBSESSED!!!!

Happy Eleventh MONTHDAY!!!

What he can do:
Wave bye and hello (most of the time) Instead of a wave, it's more of a hand raise/salute.
He will blow kisses (most of the time).
Sign "more" (by clapping) and "all done" (by raising both his hands up high)..... most of the time.
Bark like a dog- when he sees a dog...smart boy.

He loves to pretend to sneeze and cough and will repeatedly do that if he hears someone else do it.

He can say "Ah oh!" and I guess you'd consider that his FIRST WORD!!!

He can crawl like a champ, now, although sometimes he does it full out and sometimes he does it dragging a leg curled up.
He can climb up on a low chair, stool or single step.

He can pull up on anything now and is the master of his domain now that he can crawl anywhere and pull up everywhere.

He's an eating champ now and is a master of the pincher grasp.  He'll let you know if he doesn't like some food or is is all done by swiping all the food on the floor.  He can eat from those organic baby pouches on his own which is convenient for mommy!  He will eat or at least try whatever you give him but his favorite food is bananas and baby junk food.

Happy Tenth MONTHDAY

What he can do:
Crawl (fastish) especially when being chased. Being chase, tickled or nibbled are the things that make him cackle the most. He can even crawl through tunnels although this took some convincing.

He can pull up on anything he can reach now and is very proud of this skill. With crawling and pulling up he has become more interested in opening drawers and emptying cabinets (oh boy!).

Other things:
Clap
Growl (so cute)

Anna is still his favorite person although he adores both his sisters.  Lily has gotten sooo good are "baby" talking to him and playing with him.  Their relationship is definitely developing.

His sleep still somewhat iffy.  He only wake 1-2 times/night (or sometimes less).  Naps are still not his favorite thing but he has mostly resigned himself to them.

(No more pictures, mom, I've gotta MOVE)

Quick update!

So, JJ can now:

• Clap
• Give high-fives
• Say "Da da"
• Roar like a lion

Happy Ninth MONTHday!!!!

What he can do:

He can crawl !!!! He began crawling at my friend Amanda's house on Valentine's Day.  I call her the "Baby Whisperer" and she now definitely lives up to that title.

He can nap! (Fingers crossed)  I say this because essentially his entire eighth month was a sleeping disaster.  No naps, fifteen minute naps, or crying for 45 minutes only to pass out  for 20 minute naps.  Suddenly, he can nap like a champ and go down by himself either happily or with a minimum of fussing.
Also, the night of his month day, March 3rd, he slept from 8 o'clock to 5am without waking!!!! (I'm not holding my breath that i get to enjoy that permanently, yet.

He will pull himself up on things but isn't great at staying up there, yet! (I nearly got a picture of the first time I saw him pull up in his own but by the time I ran to get my phone he had crashed down and was unhappy!

He is very interested in his kitties and acts mighty proud of his petting skills!  He'll pet nicely for a bit then end it with a nice, hard whack on the kitties head.  They don't mind too much!

He is the champion of blowing raspberries and likes to do it either in the air or on someone's skin.

Still waves "Hi" and "Bye" but not consistently yet.

He has suddenly started eating, but we still only get about 1 good episode of eating "real" food per day.

Lily wanted in on the action!

Lily Talk

Lily is at a super cute stage with her language.  Here are some highlights:

Beelick (Blanket)
Plupo (Pillow)
Gook Nacks (Fruit Snacks)
Baby Broller (Baby Brother)
Leaf me alone (Leave Me Alone)
Botturn (Bottom)
Peas Pay me? (Please Play with Me)
Pay you? (Can I Play with You)
No, Hand on. (Instructing you to put your hand back on the toy you were supposed to be playing with...with her)
My Mini hosies (My Little Pony)
Da last ucicorn (The Last Unicorn)
Beekey me (Look at Me)
Das Not Nice (That's Not Nice)
Teegy (Candy)
Me luf you :-)
I hurt dese two little lips (hands, toes, etc)
Me luf Anna :-)
Sasasore (Dinosaur)

I wish I could capture them all.  This is just a little sample.  And as we all know (and as evidenced by her changing language from when I began writing this to when I actually published it) it will be a very short stage!