Big Girl's New Cut

We decided to give Big Girl a pixie cut so that I wouldn't have to fight with her in the mornings about brushing it. We had been discussing it with her and she agreed that short hair sounded better than brushing through the knots.

I went in with her and got the same cut so that she would feel like it was a mommy and me moment. When we had it done, we walked hand in hand through the store and she was so excited telling everyone we were the short hair family now.

Well, I did everything I could to make Big Girl feel pretty and feminine for school. Before she left we discussed what the boys and girls may say about her new hair, that she and I had the same cut and she knew that I didn't look like a boy and how she looked like the pictures of the pretty ladies I showed her on the computer and how she is just too pretty to ever look like a boy, and how I thought that the new haircut made her neck look lovely and long and how it made her eyes look beautiful. I took pics of her to let her know I thought she was super pretty today.

Dancing with Daddy

It was a moment caught unawares, Daddy was dancing with Baby Girl and suddenly I was there, camera in hand, intruding on their moment. I couldn't help it. They were just so sweet and loving and I had to capture it for us to enjoy in the future when she is going full tilt and no amount of reprimands will slow her down. I had to capture a few minutes of slow dancing in the living room with daddy, just Daddy, Baby Girl and a whole lot of love.

Conversations at our house

Here is a conversation that I had last night with Big Girl. I have to say, it made me so happy! (and it made me laugh)

Big Girl: Mommy did your belly get smaller?

Me: What do you mean?

Big Girl: Well, before you looked like you still had a baby in your belly, but you don't anymore. Now you just look like Mommy.

Me: (in my head I am dancing a little jig and yelling woohoo at the top of my lungs) Well I probably did lose some weight in my belly.

Big Girl: okay (runs off to play)

Me: What is her allowance? I need to double it.

Daddy: Mommy, she doesn't get an allowance. Double nothing is still nothing.

Me: Its a deal!

Daddy: Mommy that is not very nice (laughing)

Big Victories in a Little World

Baby Girl is continuing on her quest to take over her little world. She is changing every day. Last night, while we were watching television, she was on the floor in front of us. We realized she seemed to be repeating something over and over and looking at us. She was very clearly looking at us and saying, "Baba, Baba, Baba" We stopped and looked at her, wondering to ourselves if she was just practicing her sounds or if she was trying to tell us something. I stood up and looked at her and she repeated just once to me, "Baba!" Just to test our theory, I walked into the kitchen and fetched a bottle and held it out at her. She looked at the bottle, smiled at me and repeated victoriously, "Baba!" I picked her up and she began to drink furiously. So my babies first word is baba (bottle). Too funny. It makes sense, she is a voracious eater and seeing as how her belly is the most important thing in her world as far as I can tell, I can see how her first word would have to do with that. She will work on Mama and Dada later. LOL

This morning she was laying on the floor and she flipped over on to her belly. I watched her, waiting for her to do as she usually does which is work really hard to flip back over, get frustrated and then cry. But as I watched, I realized she wasn't giving up. She worked and worked. Then she would lay her head down and rest before lifting it back up to try again. And lo and behold she flipped herself back over. When she did her little face was filled with joy and pride. She was so excited with herself for doing it. I, of course, took pictures of the whole thing.

Now That's Entertainment!

It is funny how one little person can enthrall two grown people and wrap their hearts around her little fingers.

Last night, Baby Girl was practicing her rolling over. She was laying on the floor and she kept rolling over onto her little belly. Then she would wiggle and squirm and try desperately to roll back over onto her back. Every time she got upset, Daddy or I would get down, show her where to put her arms and legs and help her roll over. After we showed her, she would flip right back over and we could see her trying to put her arms and legs where we showed her. It was so cute. We watched her work so hard, working her little arms and legs. (Btw, the way she was working her legs, was amazingly close to crawling!)

And after a long while of us watching her and helping her, I sat back and thought about how entertained we were by her. Here we had a show on television paused for over 1/2 hour so that we watch our baby try to roll onto her back. LOL

She seems to be growing and changing so fast lately. She is doing so many things so much better than she used to: sitting up to eat, grasping her toys, trying to find and grabbing her toys, rolling over, etc. She is giggly and happy and drooly and squishy and snuggly and she is about the sweetest, baby I have ever seen.

Love

I feel like these days, my life is filled with love.

Whenever I lay in bed next to Daddy, or sit together and watch shows in the evening. I know how lucky I am to have someone in my life that I love so much and that loves me back. There is a security in that, in knowing him so well, and in him knowing me.

Whenever I hold Baby Girl, I remember 5 long years of trying to get her. I remember how fast time flies by and know that she will not be a baby nearly long enough for me. Every time I pick her up, I put my cheek against her head and try to soak up the feel of her, the smell of her, the sound of her breathing. I try to imprint the feeling of her in my memory for those days when she is running full tilt and I long to hold her close but can't catch her for a cuddle. She is so sweet and cuddly and snuggly. When I look at her beautiful brown eyes, all wet with tears, smiling at me because I came to rescue her from her crib, I smile from my soul. She is such a treasure. I am constantly aware of how much I wanted her, how long I waited for her, and I am overwhelmed by the depth of the love I feel for her deep in my soul. She is a prescious treasure I had to work to get, that I had given up on getting. I know how lucky I am that I get to love her.

Whenever I go into my big girl, Big Girl's room to wake her up in the morning, I look at how beautiful she is growing to be. She is tall, slender, with huge brown eyes and she loves nothing more than to get lots of hugs and cuddles. She is a little love sponge that just soaks up all the love you can pour into her and glows in the light of it. I love the feeling of her little hand in mine as we trudge down the stairs in the morning, to face the day together. I love how hard she works to do her reading homework, and the joy she takes in the stories. I love how she is always willing to drop what she is doing to come and give you a big hug and kiss.

She has imaginary friends. They haven't been around as much since her sister was born, and they have been reduced from four to just one, but she has one there just the same. Daddy called Big Girl into the living room the other day and this is how the conversation went:

Daddy: "Who is Margaret?"
Big Girl: My best friend.
Daddy: Who is Jasmine?
Big Girl: My best friend.
Daddy: Who are Alex and Matthew
Big Girl: My best friends.
Daddy: So if you have so many friends in real life, why do you need to have an imaginary friend?
Big Girl: Well, I play with them when I am outside, at school, or at the center, but when I am up in my room, I have nobody to play with and to talk to. If I had no imaginary friends, I would just be in my room talking to myself and Daddy that would be just silly!
Daddy: Uumm . . . Okay then.

How can you not love a little mind that come up with logic like that?