Happy Birthday Norah!!

Dear Norah,

Today you happily turned 2 years old. You have 112 weeks under your belt and been on this earth for 730 whole days!!! This year brought many changes to your little life. We sold our house and moved into a tiny 1 bedroom apartment. Then 3 months later, we moved again into our new home. For the 1st time you have your own bedroom, your own space, your own toys. A huge friendly backyard to run and swing and tumble.







This year you learned to walk at 13 months, encountered your 1st terrifying spider, learned to boogie dance with your elbows, saw your 1st polar bear, played on the beach in Charleston, rode your 1st amusement park ride, tasted popcorn, fell in love with baby dolls and books.



You love your big sister so much, you look for her the instant you wake up. You say Maddie's name with the strangest combination of "g" and "d" that no one can imitate but it slides right off your tongue. You show her things and make her laugh. For the 1st time you can play side by side with your sister and for hours you two will laugh and giggle (and scream and cry!).



You are feisty and fiery, a chip off the old block. You will have no trouble getting where you need to go in life. But you have a hard time taking discipline. Time outs make you laugh, oh and that is soooo fun for me.

Last week you started climbing out of your crib at night. But not like most kids...who climb over, bump their heads, fall on their backs, thump on the floor. You are a silent ninja, a little warrior. You are so stealth and nimble, you can suddenly appear in the hallway in the wee hours of the morning, not a sound, saying nothing, hardly breathing, only the sound of your diaper ever so slightly rustling in the silent night air.



In order to keep our ninja from harm, we moved you straight into a big girl bed and you could not be happier with it. I will find you in the late afternoon, at the tail end of a nap curled up on a mountain of books, each one carefully chosen from your bookcase, read and piled on the bed during naptime. With a binkie hanging out of your lips having just fallen out, your hair sweeping across your face and stuck to the drool on your cheek, your warm toes and fat little calves laying still as you are, deep asleep.




Love you little one, Happy Birthday!

Mama

Ariel and Flounder

Hmmm, did not know this about my child...

Norah is freakishly afraid of spiders. I have never heard such a high pitched, loud, shaking scream as hers after her 1st encounter. She was actually frozen in fear, I didn't think that actually happened to people, but I just witnessed it, she was frozen in fear.

Ok, now I know....

Madalina Ballarina

Madelynn's 1st ballet class!!

Interview with a 4 year old

Madelynn,

This month you turned 4 years old. You have grown and matured before my eyes and I can hardly remember the little bubbly baby you used to be. Now, you have friends you love to play with, you have a little sister you love to make laugh and you have a sense of humor we love you for.

I enjoy your smile every day, love the sound of your voice, the way your hair falls in your face, and way you hug, snuggle, tell me I look good, you love my new shirt, and you love the dinner I cooked. I love the way you love your friends, you smile at the mention of each one of them, you look for something to share with them, show them and include them in your life. I love the way you learn, they way you love and the way you call me mom.

Here is my recent conversation with you:

Me: How old are you?
Madelynn: 4

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Madelynn: a unicorn

Me: What is your favorite color?
Madelynn: pink and red

Me: What is your favorite movie?
Madelynn: Cinderella

Me: What do you like to do at home?
Madelynn: swing out back

Me: At grandmas?
Madelynn: Feed the birds

Me: At school?
Madelynn: Play dress up

Me: What would you like to tell me about your self?
Madelynn: I play with Seamus and Bee

Me: What is your favorite song?
Madelynn: Cinderella in the car

Me: What do you like about your sister?
Madelynn: doing funny things to make her laugh, she does funny things

Me: about dad?
Madelynn: singing the Ramones

Me: about mom?
Madelynn: your flower shirt


Love you babe, looking forward to the 4's,

Mom

1st rollercoaster, and not the last.

Last weekend, we took a last minute trip to our local ghetto amusement park. They seriously have a wicked kiddie land so we thought we'd brave the Labor Day crowds and throw our kids on some rides. The girls LOVED it!








Madelynn's eye wandered to the kiddie land rollercoaster. It was rickety, loud, she watched as kids threw their arms in the air, screaming and laughing. I was really surprised when Madelynn wanted to go on it, BY HERSELF! So, we stood in line and she held her ticket tight. We watch the other kids buckle in, watched as they jerked up the rickety coaster and roll as loud as thunder down the four and a half foot drop of doom. She watched with excitement, pacing from one foot to the other but holding her place in line. When it was her turn, she climbed aboard and sat next to another little boy. As they looked at eachother they immediatly giggled with excitment. She sat down and held on tight, I could hear her heart beating, I knew she was sweating, her lips and cheeks were sucked in as she waited for the ride to begin. Then the coaster clacked up the hill, peaked at the top and as she rolled down the drop of doom, all I could see was the back of her head and her hair, my baby's hair, whipping around in the air around her. She turned the corner...up another bump and down again. It was then that I saw her face, I was laughing so hard that I was crying. She was not scared, not sure how to react, she was sucking her cheeks so hard, her neck so tight, on the verge of laughing herself, her nostrils flared, her eyes wide on the track in front of her watching every turn the coaster made. I knew this face, a face of a girl with a lot of living large ahead of her. Here is to many more rollar coaster rides, my baby doll!

1st day of preschool

Madelynn started preschool this week. Real preschool this time, not pre-preschool, not pretend preschool, real preschool. She has entered the academic world. I am so excited for her, I cannot wait for this phase of her life. She has such a passion for learning, she loves exploring new things. They have field trips! She even has a cubby.

So on the way home from preschool each day this week, I have been asking her what she did, who she played with, how does she like her new teacher. I'm so fricken excited I can't stand it, I want to be a fly on the wall and see what she is doing, who she is playing with and how she is getting along. So of course, I get one word answers...ya, fine, nothing, played dress up, mmmhum. Do we really have to start this at 3?

Check out these wee little ones...

Conversations with a 3 year old

We are in our backyard and Madelynn is pretending to be a cat looking for some berries.

Madelynn (eyes wide): I am looking for some berries. I can see because my eyes are light.

Me (pausing): You can see because your eyes are a light color?

Madelynn: Ya.

Me: So people with brown eyes...can they see?

Madelynn: Nope.

Buggalicious...

Pooped at the Zoo

Um, and yes, I did get pooped on. I guess I didn't realize I had a target circle on the top of my head...If I'd 'a known, I would have done my hair differently today.....

Conversations with a 18 month old

Norah is making a silly face pulling her cheeks wide with her fingers and laughs really loud...

Me: Norah, you're silly!

Norah: I siwwy!! (pointing to herself very proud)

Me: Yes, you silly-face maker.

Norah: oowhy? (she cockes her head dramatically to the side, concern on her eyebrows)

Me: Why? Because, yer silly I said.

Norah: oowhy?

Me: It makes me laugh when you make a silly face.

Norah: oowhy?

Me: oh lordy.

Norah: oh woardy.

Flora and Fauna