Singing & Dancing, Cousins & Thanksgiving and Birthdays

Yesterday when I put you down for your nap and left the room you softly sang many of the songs you like for me to sing to you—Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Row Row Row Your Boat, ABC’s. It was so sweet to hear your soft voice on the monitor. Your parents sent a picture of you celebrating your parents’ birthdays with a birthday dance. Music and singing and dancing are such wonderful parts of life. Music can be inspiring and comforting and entertaining and also a way to connect with other people. It is so much fun to watch you enjoy the music of life. You are quite talented! Whenever there is at least a week between times I see you I can see changes…in what you do & how mature you are. Yesterday for instance you never asked me to carry you. Although I love to carry you…it has begun to hurt my back so it would be good if that was ending! Thanksgiving was a time you got to be with your Green and Brown cousins. It was fun to watch you enjoy your cousins and dogs at the Stuedeman Thanksgiving Day event. The next day you and Eli and Maggie Rae played together & enjoyed sweeping leaves off our deck. When I was growing up I liked the Mrs. Piggly Wiggly books. She was able to convince children chores were fun. I’m still able to use her techniques to convince myself chores can be fun. Other November events: Auburn defeated Alabama in an exciting game at Auburn; we went to the 1^st Birthday party for your cousin Micah Kelley where you had fun but the only thing you talked about later was the dog across the street with “big eyes” (which were a little spooky looking); you came to University Hospital while your Mom had an appointment and we saw a “Hand in Paw” dog and walked around the hospital together; you jumped on the trampoline with Madyn next door & played with Simba & Digger & Diamond (new neighbor dog). One weekend I kept you 3 nights while your Dad was out of town and your Mom was working. It was a special time to be with you, even though you were not feeling well, especially at night. I was able to rock you and hold you more than usual. I gave you medicine & held you in the steam of the bathroom & rocked you back to sleep. You are sweet even when you don’t feel well. I went with your Dad to take you to the doctor and you even enjoyed yourself there…taking pictures of your Dad and got medicine which seemed to cure your cough & fever. Tonight I’m going to spend the night with your while your wonderful parents go out to celebrate their 34 & 39 birthdays! It’s hard to believe it’s been 34 years since your mother was born!

Beautiful Eyes & Smile!



Daddy in MD Office

"Native American" hat

Raking leaves off the deck with Eli & Maggie Rae

Cook out at Home with Parents

Birthday Dance with Daddy!

Breakfast with Cousin Maggie Rae

 

Maybe...



 

You are quite an optimist! When you are told something is not likely to happen, in such a sweet & hopeful voice you say “Maybe…”  It is very inspiring to me. Last Sunday we went to the mall to ride the carousel. It was closed to get ready to exchange the usual animals with holiday reindeer. Although it wasn’t going to happen, rather than get upset, you said “Maybe…”.  At the mall we rode the escalator several times and played with Legos and looked at the “build a bears”. I thought you would want to ride the “train” but when we got close to it, you changed your mind. We still had a good time. I was lucky to be the one to take you to school the morning of Halloween. Although you didn’t wear a costume, the teachers and the older children were dressed up. It was fun to be at your house Halloween night & give out candy and see you have so much fun with your friends. You were a bumble bee…without wings or antennae. The cutest bee ever! You have enjoyed the many Halloween decorations at the home of your neighbor who owns Simba the cat and Digger the dog…two animals you really enjoy. We visit there a lot. Our rides to and from school have changed a little. Rather than sing songs most of the trip, you want to talk about what you see…the “hidden bus”, the horses and sheep and yellow school buses and traffic lights. You know green means “go” and red means “stop”.  You are very observant and curious about the things you see. I love the picture of you reading books in your bed. Books and reading are so much fun! You have such wonderful parents. I admire their patience and consistency and obvious love for you, and for each other. I’m so glad I have opportunities to be with you on a regular basis. You are growing up so quickly. Sometimes you’re not happy to see me because you think my arrival means your parents are not going to be around for awhile. But you seem to adjust quickly…especially if you can find a tube of chapstick in my pocket. I love to hear you call out “Granny!” when you wake up. On Halloween afternoon you couldn’t seem to fall asleep at naptime. I knew you needed a “pre-trick or treat nap” so finally I got you out of bed and rocked you until you fell asleep then slipped to the floor out of the rocker and held you napping on the floor. You only slept an hour however. It’s hard for me to believe you are over two years old now. I want to be a part of your life for many more years and see what a wonderful grown up you will become. But I don’t want to rush it. I will treasure every opportunity I have to be with you. And that is not a “maybe”.



 

 

You are Lyla

I had a good time with you this week. I love hearing you sing along with “toddler tunes” in the car. This week a favorite was "if you're happy & you know shout "hurray"! You loved to shout! Your potty training has changed your naptime & bedtime routine somewhat. But like all challenging events as you grow up, “this too shall pass” and it’s going to be great when you are completely potty trained. We blew bubbles in the backyard & played “hide & seek” . You are now able to blow bubbles well  & you are good at finding me when I hide. You are also good at swinging on the “big swings”. You grow & change every week!

Lyla on the road

 

 

Your mother told me when she took you to pick up Sunday the dog at the vet a few weeks ago  you asked if I was there. When you had last seen me I was leaving your house taking Sunday to the vet. I thought it was pretty amazing you had linked me with Sunday and wondered if I was at the same place as Sunday. Because it works out best for me to come to your house to be with you, you haven’t been to our house since Christmas. So maybe in your mind you don’t have a place to “put me” when I’m not with you. Realizing things and people exist even when you are not interacting with them is a developmental event called “object permanence”.  I very much realize you exist when I’m not with you. I love to see pictures & videos of what you’re doing when I’m not with you. The picture of you walking on the trail with your bag of snacks makes you look so big & independent! I'm so glad activities in the "great outdoors" are such a big part of your life. The two days I picked you up at school this week I came early & parked the car where I could see you on the playground. It was such a delight to watch you! You were obviously having fun. You were “flying” down the slide...catching onto an overhead bar and swinging back and forth before you let go. You were laughing and interacting with other children and running around.  You are Lyla. As long as I live I want to be a part of your life. But I will only be a small part of the wonderful being who is Lyla.

And now you are two….

When I was a child and went to my grandparent’s house at Dauphin Island with my cousins in the summer, we would play a card game called “Authors”. One author was A.A . Milne who wrote Winnie the Pooh books and a book of poems titled “Now we are Six”. I can remember hearing that title before I was actually six…many years ago. Now for a few years my age begins with the digit “6” however.  This is the title poem:

When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five,
I was just alive.
But now I am Six,
I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

I was with you yesterday, and it had been a week since I had seen you. As always, you had grown and changed in a week. But now you are two, you seem to change even more quickly. You have an amazing memory! We listen to children’s songs on a CD while riding to and from your school. You have always enjoyed them, but yesterday for the first time you sang along with some of the songs. And you could “name that tune” after hearing only one or two notes! Last Friday on the way home from school a large truck towing a house trailer blocked traffic for awhile. You were intrigued by the truck backing the house off the road. It was unusual to see a truck going backwards, much less with a house attached. You are very attentive to your surroundings. You comment about the buses as we pass the school with many yellow buses parked outside. One of the mothers at school brings her daughter a little orange called a “cutie” every day after school. She always gives one to you too. Yesterday you gave your classmate a Sesame Street bar. You were so sweet handing it to her. You seem to enjoy school; you are never upset when I drop you off. And I think you are learning a lot. I’m glad your awesome parents have made school an part of your early life.

You & your parents hosted an amazing birthday party to celebrate you becoming two years old! You were dressed so cute & you seemed to really enjoy yourself. It had an Elmo theme and it was a delightful party.  Elmo’s friend Dorothy the goldfish joined your family. When your mother was little she had a goldfish like the one in the cartoon movie “Pinocchio”. She decided she wanted to pet the fish and I think that contributed to an early death. I think the death of a goldfish is one of the earliest “death experiences” many children have. Goldfish often have very short lives but I hope Dorothy survives a long time.

Reading books to you and putting you down for your nap is such a special thing to do. You are very attentive to all of the details in the books. You are always so sweet even though I still can’t sing your favorite bedtime song. You seem to enjoy your pre-sleep time with your bed buddies (dog, sheepie, Nanny & extra Nanny). You chat with them and quietly play in your bed for quite a while before you go to sleep. Yesterday we played outside with your neighbor Camdyn who is 7 months old. It is fun to watch you be the older child rather than the youngest. Time passes so quickly. How can you already be two? Even though I think it’s going to be delightful and exciting, I know you will not be two “for ever and ever”,  so I’m going to enjoy every minute I am with you…now that you are two.

Elmo Birthday Shirt!

Elmo after the party



Dancing in pretty Skirt



No longer in baby swing!



Happy Family!

Displaying Your Artwork!



Listening to Elmo's heart

Reaching the doorbell now!

Blanket ride with your "peeps"!

Mustache!

Popsicle time with Granny

Almost Two!

It is almost September…the month you will become two years old! You are so talkative and you have a very big vocabulary. Yesterday when I picked you up at school as we walked to the car past the fenced-in play area you said “I play there.” A spontaneous unprovoked complete sentence meant to share information with me. It had been a week since I had seen you. You had grown a lot in a week! Since your Dad started back to work this month I’ve begun my time of staying with you while your Mom works. You have become somewhat more assertive and more easily provoked and impatient. I think that is a “rite of passage” and part of the challenges of parenthood. But you have also started showing more delight and excitement about things--such as chapstick! You are able to put facts together and figure things out without specifically being told. You remember many details like the morning at breakfast you reminded me to push up your sleeves. You take my telephone and talk to your Mother on the phone in the car. And you took a picture of your leg! One day early in August you surprised me by running ahead when I set you down as we came out of a restaurant. It scared me to death but I retrieved you and learned a lesson. The world was calling to you…as it will continue to do. En route to and from school we listen to a CD of children’s songs. You remember them & ask for specific songs. One favorite right now is “Happy Birthday”. You don’t sing along yet but you are taking in the songs. You love pop sickles, blowing bubbles & your dog Sunday. You had allergy testing this month and went to the dentist for the first time. And you’ve started “potty training”. And when you turn two, there will be “no more bottles”. You have a small bottle before nap & at bedtime. I think you will be able to give it up okay, but it will be significant that bottles and diapers will be over soon. Although it is no longer a new awareness, I continue to admire what good parents you have. They love you and work together to do what is best for you, even if it’s hard sometime. One day after I left your house while you were napping your parents told me you cried when you woke up and I was gone. I told them that I cried too. Maybe not literally…but I do have a sense of loss as I leave you for a week! How lucky I am that I can spend time with you at this time of your life.    


After reminding me to push up your sleeves

Almost too big for swing!

Shopping Cart at Target

Self made Photo of Leg

Pop Sickle time!

My Friend Sunday

Delighting in Chap Stick!

Eight Days in July 2013

 

Neighbor cat

Cooking with Daddy

After nap Popsicle with Granny

             Chace Lake Poolside & Swings


The end of the day at Music Camp

Wearing Back Pack for Music Camp

I got to see you eight days in a row in July! Before that I visited one afternoon while your Dad did some errands and came to visit with Maggie Rae and Papa. I stayed overnight while your parents went out and when they went overnight to a concert in Atlanta. But during the time your Dad went to Wyoming, I was with you 8 days in a row…although not all day every day. I took you to Music Camp at Hilltop Montessori 5 days and it was fun to watch you go from being teary- eyed when I took you to your classroom to being comfortable then happy to go into your class. After class the teachers had all of you sit on a bench waiting to be picked up. It was so sweet to see you sit with your back pack ready to go home. En route to & from school we listened to a CD with several songs you really liked…Itsy Bitsy Spider & Happy Birthday were 2 favorites. And you liked the many American flags displayed on Highway 119. The trip was a little long, but you were never fussy. One day you played with Maddyn next door then we went to music at Gymborre and had a short swim after nap time. You were always sweet to hold at naptime and bed time and so funny to hear talking on the baby monitor. One morning I heard you count to 11. I was amazed but your mom said you had been doing that for awhile. You are coloring well and love for me to push you around the house while you ride on your “auto”. And you still love books and really pay attention to the words & pictures. Every afternoon we did some travel time outside in each of 3 vehicles: your red wagon, the stroller and the tricycle. The picture of you with the cat was made by your mother at a neighbor’s house. The cooking picture was with your Dad after he returned from Wyoming. But the messy popsicle one was made by me & was part of a routine post-nap popsicle experience! Next week your Dad will start back to school and our fall routine will begin. You will be going to Hilltop on Thursdays and Fridays every week. You are growing up so quickly! Your vocabulary grows every day. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead!

 

More Pictures Spring 2013!

Your parents make some funny pictures!

Won't be long until you really drive!

Dancing at the library!

The Chace Lake swing...one of your favorite places!

Elmo is your favorite for sure!!

Bitty Baby's Hat!