Hola! Figured a quickie was better than putting off another post for who knows how long!
I suppose it's no surprise that Lillian likes to play with her food. But she did surprise me with this the other day... I caught her smearing peanut butter all over her face, referring to it as her "cream." I'm not exactly sure where she got this idea from - she did have a bad diaper rash around that time so there was lots of talk about cream, but the only cream I think she's seen put on her face or anyone else's is sunscreen. Maybe she's onto the next big beauty secret!
Yesterday we were in the shop looking for baby stuff to haul back into the house, and we found a Dr Seuss backpack that Lillian was immediately attached to. She wears it all around the house now. Doesn't she look ready for school? Yikes! A little early for that yet! She also decided she didn't want to come inside for lunch, she preferred to stay sitting on the steps outside alone.
Busy time of year right now... spring sports awards night, scholarship awards night, grad night tonight, football fundraisers are underway... oy! Classes are out for Ray next week, so hopefully he can breathe again! Well, I'm off to fix some lunch... toodle-oo!
Plenty of fun times since I last checked in! Oma's birthday gift for Lillian arrived and luckily all the clothes fit really well. Ray and I had just been talking about needing to get Lillian a swimsuit of some kind so we can get her into the water this summer - she really hasn't done much of that yet. So Oma's gift was perfect! The colourful outfit fits well too and of course looks positively adorable on Lillian.
Swimsuit model
Big Grin - Thanks Oma!
I love my hoodie :)
I tried to get a little fashion show going, but this was the only head-to-toe shot I managed to get...
Lillian was less interested in a fashion show and much more interested in playing with her pals...
With Howard and Sally still on their road trip, the house is pretty quiet during the day, so Lillian and I have been listening to the Sirius radio we get on the tv - especially the 80s station. Today I found out exactly how much we've been listening to it. During lunch, while flipping through a magazine I absentmindedly sang along to Don't You Want Me by Human League (you know the one... You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar... when I met you...), then I stopped to eat a few bites. Lillian woke me from the magazine to ask if I would sing. "Sing?" I asked. "Yeah, don't you want baby..." she answered, while bobbing her head around. Oh yeah. 80s lover in training!
On the flip side, the other day we had the 80s station on and Footloose came on. Well, I just can't help myself when it comes to that song - particularly if no one else besides Lillian is around! So I turned it up reeeeeaaaaaallllllly loud and started singing and dancing like a lunatic. I hoped Lillian would join me in the dance, but instead she ran off to her bedroom. When she didn't return after a moment, I danced my way over there to find her balled up on her bed in the furthest corner of her room. Upon seeing me in the doorway she started flailing her hands and shouting "No Mama! I'm in Lillian's room!" I do believe she was trying to escape me, and/or I was embarrassing her. When did we hit the teen years? How did I miss out on that wonderful time when we can have a blast dancing together like no one is watching? And whose child is this if she does not feel some sort of connection to Footloose? Next I'll find out she doesn't like Grease.
Of course Lillian and I are not totally alienated from each other. Lately she's been pretty sweet about asking told my hand when we're just sitting around. We hold hands all the time when we're walking, but in the last week or two she has started to ask for my hand when we're sitting at the table eating (awkward but how can I say no), or playing on her bed with her pals (one of her favourite pastimes by the way), or even when I'm changing her diaper (nearly impossible but we manage). Gotta love this stage when handholding is not only acceptable but desirable.
I've started a bit of nesting around the house, moving some of Lillian's things to make room for Baby's stuff and whatnot. Tomorrow marks 32 weeks down, 7 to go! With such little time left, you'd think Ray and I would have a narrowed-down list of names, especially since we know the Baby's gender. But, nope. We've picked up working on the list again, but right now we're in a deadlock of a handful that he likes and a handful that I like, and they don't correspond at all - yet. We'll figure it out. In fact, the book is sitting next to me right now. I should log off and flip through it again. Maybe this little one's name will just jump out at me this time! Yeah, that's the spirit!
P.S.
Oh my gosh, I already clicked to post this entry but I had to edit it to add this... while prepping this blog, I've been enjoying a delicious and nutritious snack (ok, it's a can of icing, so sue me - it's not like I eat the whole thing in one sitting, and besides, that's not the point of this PS - focus, people!). As I went to do the last few clicks, I absentmindedly set the can down - on my belly! And it sits there perfectly! And the Baby is being very active (perhaps it's the sugar, ya think?), so every now and then a kick makes the can move! Love that!
Okay stop judging me and get back to whatever it is you should be doing.
I can't believe I forgot to brag about myself on that last blog. Usually all the bragging is about Lillian, but wait til you read this - I did something SO out of the box for me, and dang it, I'm PROUD! Ok ok here it goes... I sewed. With a sewing machine. Without help. Seriously! Lillian didn't have proper curtains in her bedroom, and the earlier sunrises were waking her up earlier than Momma would like, and the afternoon sun was making naps difficult. We had bought one second hand curtain at a thrift store a while back, intending it to be used for our own room, but turns out we don't need them as much at the back of the house as Lillian does in her room at the front. Well that curtain didn't fit her window - unless it was turned sideways. SO, I got out Sally's sewing machine (remember, she's on a road trip right now so I did it all on my own) and sewed a new hem along the side of the curtain so the rod would fit through. I even found purple thread to match the curtain, and had to add purple to an empty bobbin. I did need help getting the bobbin loaded - but I found a tutorial online and it worked like a charm. Voila! A nice dark curtain in Lillian's room! Yay for me!
Since I'm on a roll... check out the cards I made for Operation Write Home recently... I love these so much, but I gotta tell ya - they are time consuming!!! When I was in the middle of making them I mentioned that to Sally, and she said to just imagine the glee the kids that end up receiving these cards will get. Good motivator!
Also yesterday I made this card for a certain DSS teacher who is retiring - I don't suppose there's any chance of him seeing this blog, so even though it's a surprise it's probably safe to post a pic, since I'm on such a bragging roll... I tied some slightly tacky ribbon in a Windsor knot - for those of you that know Mr. Tuck, you know how fitting it is :)
Okay enough of that and on to the usual star of the show... we tried pigtails this week! My girl is soooooo cute, I tell ya. So cute, that I couldn't decide which picture to post - so you get 3!
Okay one more then I'm out of time... here's Princess Lillian (in the Burger King crown she got nearly 2 months ago and still wears all the time) when I caught her reading to herself while I was making breakfast.
I can't believe I forgot this! This video will take a few minutes, so make sure you have a little time to sit back, relax, and review Lillian's second year :)
I also forgot to do another little thing on Lillian's birthday as I had intended, but better late than never. There's a door in the house where Michael, Ray, and Loren's childhood heights were measured over the years, and we started adding Lillian's height last year. I love it! Meant to do it on her second birthday, but we finally got it done on May 9.
So Lillian still has tons of cute things coming out of her mouth. It constantly amazes me how much she picks up, and how much she's learned in the last six months in particular. We were baking recently (jealous?), and she noticed the flour and sugar bags sitting side by side, and pointed out that the flour was "big" and the sugar was "small." That's one of those things that we haven't specifically taught her about, but she's picked up through books and regular daily life. While we were out on a walk, a car passed by us on the dirt road, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Lillian pointed it out and called it "smoke," then asked where the "fire" was. While she didn't understand that it was just dust, I was surprised that she knew that it looked like smoke and associated that with fire. On a bit of a funnier note, on that same walk, when a stop sign came into view, she pointed it out and said "octopus!" I love that one - she's so close, she knows a stop sign is an octagon, but mistakenly calls it an octopus - CUTE! Another cute one... since we started teaching her to say she is two years old, sometimes out of nowhere she'll announce that she's "too old" - close enough!
Out with Ernie for a walk, with the best stick in the world...
But perhaps the best new phrase she's started using is out of the blue telling someone they're the best. I have no idea where she got that one from, but I love it! Mommy, you're the best! Daddy, you're the best! Gramma, you're the best! Grampa, you're the best! Then when we try to return the compliment and tell her that she's the best, she says, "No, me Lillian!"
Hanging out in a pine tree, which she was calling a "pantry," (get it? Pine tree - Pantry - pretty close) and then started looking for food to cook for dinner.
As I type this, I am 29 weeks along and baby is scheduled to arrive in less than 10 weeks! Eek! I've been feeling lots of movement from the baby for a long time now, but just recently I'm feeling some that should certainly be felt on the outside, and a couple of times I've even been able to see the movements on the surface. I think that is so cool. A little alien-like, but very cool. I have been meaning to get some preggo pics for weeks now, and finally remembered to snap a couple... **WARNING: bare belly alert :) ***
Lillian had her second birthday on Tuesday, but we celebrated early on Monday since we knew Loren and Ray would both be home that evening but weren't sure about Tuesday. We had been talking about her birthday for a few days, so Lillian sort of knew what was to come, but mostly she talked about cake - that's my girl! We baked the cake together earlier in the day (she LOVES being a helper in the kitchen), then I decorated it while she slept. I'm not much of an artist, particularly with food, but I decided at two years old she wouldn't care so I tried to make an Elmo cake. There were a few hiccups (the two cake layers stuck to the pans so I had to try to patch them up, the food dye instructions were a crock and got us a pink Elmo instead of red, and the power went out while I was icing the cake so I had to do it by flashlight!) BUT dare I say, I think it turned out okay for an amateur!
I hid the cake away and once everyone was home Lillian started in on the presents. She sat with Uncle Loren (gosh she was soooo excited for his homecoming), then very slowly and systematically opened each package, let him take the paper away, gave the contents to Gramma without really looking much at them, and raced over to the pile for the next one. She wasn't exactly giggly, but she was definitely enjoying herself!
Lillian got lots of summer clothes, some big girl Elmo underwear (cross your fingers for us as we enter that phase!), a couple of alphabet and number puzzles, and a tot-sized baseball and glove - perfect since Ray started coaching softball and Lillian has gotten interested.
Then it was on to the cake!
And now on to some CUTE videos. Take a look at some of the awesome things Lillian can do...
One last photo - not birthday related, but look at that cutie!!!
Just had to share, partly because of my own surprise, and also because of a conversation just last night with Oma when she called for Lillian's birthday. I told her about Lillian's clothing gifts that she can't wear yet because they're all summery and we are in a bit of a second winter. She said - "not snow?" And I said no, but we'd had some nice weather but then were hit with nonstop rain and quite a windstorm that even brought a power outage.
Well, here's that snow Oma cursed us with. Thanks, Oma.
Another blog to come soon with all the birthday goodies :)
Are you familiar with the book "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch? It's one of Lillian's on-again-off-again favourites, one that she's pretty well memorized. Today out of the blue she said to me, "Momma old and sick." I resisted the initial reaction to be insulted, and instead laughed and what I thought she'd said, and asked her to repeat it. Same thing, clear as day. Then it clicked - near the end of the Munsch book, the mother is referred to as being old and sick. I'm not quite sure why Lillian is associating those conditions with me right now, but frankly it's not far off from how I feel! Kids say the darndest things. And they can be pretty insightful, too, it seems.
Lillian has been busy mothering her doll, who was recently christened with the name Emily. At first I thought she was naming her after her cousin, but then I realized she's relating the baby to yet another book - Grover Takes Care of Baby. Coincidentally, said Baby is named Emily and is Grover's cousin. Like in the book, Lillian cleans Emily up, reads to her, takes her for walks in the stroller, and even helps her ride the horsey!
Another passtime that has recently emerged is fishing. Lillian has never actually been fishing as far as I recall, but she certainly knows what it is - Grampa (formerly Papa - I'm kinda sad that one has evolved) goes fishing in the boat with Bob (formerly Bobby - but Bob is actually the right name for Howard's friend), and she sees fishing shows on tv sometimes, plus Bert and Ernie went fishing, and Ernie showed Bert how to fish without a pole - just call them, and the fish will jump into the boat! Here, fishy fishy fishy!
(PS - there are several other new Lillian videos up on YouTube too... enjoying the swing at the park, having fun at the aquarium, playing in a box with Gramma...)
The other day the sun finally came out to play after a long hiatus, so Lillian went for a walk. It was still pretty chilly, so Lillian was wearing one of those wonderful handmade sweaters, and this time she tolerated the hat too! That was a first, and I was glad to get some pictures of her in the ensemble. Pretty cute, I think :) We ended up in the cellar house for a minute, where she discovered the old high chair her Dad and uncles used, and she used for a while as a craft chair. She wanted in, then wouldn't get out! Took some convincing. And maybe some bribing.
It was such a nice day, we headed outside again in the afternoon. This time we hung out in the yard, blowing bubbles and scavenging for fir cones. Lillian took the scavenging very seriously.
The day before Easter the boys decided to help Lillian colour some eggs. It was their idea, so I left it all up to them. Including the clean up. Ha!!!
Then on Easter morning Lillian discovered that the Easter Bunny had hidden those same eggs, and some others containing treats, around the house. She needed less convincing than last year that this would be fun, and would pay off in sugary dividends. Nothing like chocolate first thing in the morning!
In other news, I'm now 25 weeks along, with only 14 weeks to go! Yikes. 14 weeks to go, and we have no ideas for names. Well, not NO ideas, but none we can agree on, of course. Me thinks this will be a lot harder the second time around! For those of you who know the gender of the baby, remember to keep it hush-hush from Oma!
Wow, time flies when you're typing! Wrapping up with one more cute picture...
