Too Smart for Soda

We aren't big soda drinkers. It's rare. But over Christmas break I and my entire family caught the stomach flu, and once we'd each start to feel a little bit better, we'd sip some soda. My brother, Robbie, was here on one such day, feeling terrible. Later in the evening I offered him some coke to settle his tummy; I filled a glass with ice and poured in the soda. Annibelle quickly went to his side, leaned in and opened her mouth saying, "Aaaaaaaaaa". Translation, "Give me some of that goodness." All she knew is that he had something to drink...with ice. She has no idea what soda is. Next, she moves around to his other side, leans in, looks at me, then back at my brother and says, "Pop?"
All our jaws hit the ground! "Pop?" she says again, as if asking for some. We all began to laugh and shake our heads.
Surely my father must have been standing nearby, whispering into her sweet little ear... who else would teach my 14 month old about soda pop?! Thanks dad. =P

Growing up too fast

Our little Annibelle turned one year old just 2 1/2 months ago. Not much time, right? Well, in those 2 short months our little baby has turned into a toddling big girl! It's amazing and thrilling to watch how quickly she learns new things. She repeats back almost everything we say, and even says "Thank you" when we give her something! She absolutely LOVES to read books. She would read all day long if one of us sat with her, and she is always ready to bust a move; it's SO funny to watch her dance and groove when she hears a good beat. <3
As I congratulate my brother and sister in law on the arrival of their first child, I find myself remembering when it was us in that position, holding that tiny new born and staring into her big eyes, wondering what the future held for her... And then you blink, and that baby's a big girl! What really freaks me out is to know that some day she will have a boyfriend, she'll go to college, she'll get married and have a family of her own... But for now, I'm going to beg time to move just a little slower so I can bask in this moment with my little girl, her sticky hands, wild curls, the messy house and all. <3

Food for Thought

Our first night back home was about as restful as being at the hospital, but, thanks to a dear friend, at least I didn't have to make dinner. (Otherwise we'd probably have starved, as we're all too exhausted to blink). Here's to hoping Annibelle feels a little better and sleeps soundly tonight... at least for a couple hours. =)

Try To Understand

So, I've been feeling a little frustrated with certain people... I realize it's VERY hard to see from another person's perspective, but some people really don't seem to try at all. Yes, it's true our little Cherub LOOKS perfectly healthy, all smiley and robust, but I PROMISE you, she has a life threatening disease. Really. I promise. And what would make a healthy child slightly ill REALLY could land this little angel in the hospital, (where she would likely catch her death). God entrusted her to ME because He KNOWS that I am the only one who can/will give her the love/attention/care/protection she MUST have to live. Try to remember this. Pass it on.
It drives me a little crazy when someone tells me, "Germs are everywhere; chill out", when I decline letting my daughter climb on a public play toy/area. She's so young, she really doesn't know what she's missing yet... and when she finally reaches that age where she just HAS to play in the ball pit, we're hoping her heart will be working with her body instead of against it.
Would everyone just TRY to be supportive and understanding? PLEASE?!?
Note: If you're reading this, you're probably not one of the folks I'm talking about. Probably.

Every Day A Miracle

So I nursed the Little Cherub to sleep while watching Lie to Me with my honey. After it ended I carefully carried this wee one up to bed and laid her down; at that moment I smelled the sour diaper and KNEW I couldn't just let her keep sleeping in it. So, I did what any good mommy would do and I took the risk and changed the diaper, silently hoping she'd go back to sleep. It didn't happen.
Feeling refreshed as if she'd just taken a lovely 'evening' nap, she was up and ready to go! This, my friends, is why I'm typing this at 1:40am.
This Little Cherub of mine has grown up leaps and bounds in the past 2 weeks. She's not the same babe she was. In fact, you could even call her a little girl! Next week this tiny angel of mine will turn 1 year old! It's both sad and thrilling to watch her grow up.
For the past month or so we've been letting her 'hop' up the stairs to bed at night. Last week she started 'stepping' up the stairs, one tall step at a time! She wants to do it just like we do! (so cute!)

A week ago, Sunday, she pulled herself up to standing, all by herself! She's been hanging onto the couch and walking around for a while now, but this was big news!

The next day I was over at my mom's house and my brother in law waved to her...and she waved back!!! First time ever! I'm such a proud mommy!

All week long this little one has been coming up with tons of new noises and sounds. She keeps us laughing! She's also been repeating back words to us! She's so smart!

This little one, though a joy, has also been a bit of a pain as of late. Very moody. It turns out she was teething again. That makes nine teeth now. This one is a molar! (No wonder she was so grumpy!)

And, after all of these sweets accomplishments, the cherry on top is that she finally took her first unassisted steps yesterday! We are so proud of her!

Being a mother is truly amazing! There's never a dull day in this line of work; every day is a miracle! <3

Freedom of Speech?

I've discovered recently that freedom of speech only applies to liberals. Good to know, huh? The rest of us will be lynched for having an opinion. Beware.

Mourn With Those That Mourn

I find it interesting that although hurt, strife, loneliness and such are all a part of life, we all behave as if it's unnatural. If someone mentions any such issues happening in their life we all feel awkward and turn our heads the other direction, whispering under our breath, "That person's got problems". How unnatural! The real problem here is that we turn away rather than listening, helping and just being there for one another. Does pretending it's not there really help the situation? What happened to empathy? Mourning with those that mourn? Comforting those that stand in need of comfort? What a screwed up world we live in if we think of those Christ-like behaviors as "old fashioned". (And, for the record, trying to fix the problem is not the same as having empathy....Robbie).