milestones

Yesterday my baby officially started preschool. I said I wasn't going to do it. She begged and pleaded otherwise and so on this morning, I had crow for breakfast, packed up my baby, and dropped her off at school. She loved it! They painted and took pictures and on and on. My solace came when she said "I had a lot of fun but I missed you very much mama".

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same song, second verse

in other news, baby CJ is measuring in the 8th percentile so we get to start repeating monthly ultrasounds to chart his growth (until he reaches the 10th percentile) i guess chad and i just make little peanuts for babies. it's ironic that i jump on the scale to see a thirty pound weight gain (yes girls, I'm barely over half-way there) and then have the doctor tell you they are concerned about how little he is. note to self: cut back on the sweet potatoes!!

uno, dos, tres

I can't believe my baby is three!

fish out of water

how to have "mandatory" fun on a hot rainy day at an army picnic...

imagine

today she only wanted to be called Ariel
and she called me Flounder (all day)
and she didn't understand why she couldn't swim naked at the water park

of all people, how did i end up giving birth to a disney princess?

uh...

Me: "Ellie, let's sing the boots song. B-O-O-T-S, boots"

Ellie: "B-U-T-T-S, boots"

Me (thinking): um, surely that was an accident. Let's see...

Me: "How about we sing our ABC's instead?"

Takes Me Back

the smell of chalk in the air
rows of grips on the wall
the feel of a gritty mat under calloused feet
posters of heroes
rows of beams
the joy of landing in the pit

sometimes i forget it's a "mommy & me" class

checkmate

She's been the boss of her playtime friends since birth, but I'm afraid she's met her match...enter Ava...this girl has got some spunk!

Make Way For the Queen

Today we played dress-up with some hand-me-down pretend clothes from a church friend. I have no words that can do this justice so enjoy the picture!

Have you seen this baby?

We are turning over a new leaf in this house. Ellie has decided she is done with diapers. I have spent more time in the bathroom over the past 48 hours than I think I ever have, and talking about bodily functions has become the norm. I am pleased to say that we made it all day without any accidents (and of course, lots of chocolate with every successful trip). I know she is growing up but this is a mental challenge for me. I miss my baby girl. The one who was dependent on me for life for so long now helps herself to the pantry when she wants a snack. I've gone from questioning if it's okay to let her cry in her crib before falling asleep to questioning if it's okay that she spent all of her nap singing "Dora the Explorer" in her big girl bed. She used to cry when I dropped her off at church nursery, now she's upset if we miss a day at the gym and she doesn't get to see Miss Stacey. Now I know the secret behind the baby bug...as a mom, it's just too hard to let go.

Perspective

Our fivesome (Jenny, Joel, Samuel, Ellie and myself) hit the park yesterday afternoon for some serious outside time in the nice weather. We had the usual time with Ellie running all over, bossing Joel around. Listening to her jabber made me wonder at what point in life do we began focusing so hard that we quit seeing things altogether? I see a park; Ellie sees Dino Park. I see a jungle gym; she sees (and names) every single color that can be found in sight. I see an open field; she sees the perfect place to play chase with Joel. It's refreshing to look at the world through a toddler's eyes. Noticing clouds, airplanes, the fact that the dog has his own legs, and the color of Joel's eyes instead of thinking about my to do list. She doesn't care about solving the world's problems but she's thrilled to tell me "that's funny, the slide is blue."